Then there were three.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
East Point, Melton South and North Ballarat City remain in the struggle for sixth position and the last berth in the Ballarat Football League finals.
Melton dropped out of the race with a seven-point loss to Melton South.
East Point has moved back into sixth position after beating North Ballarat City, with a percentage break over Melton South with one home and away round to play.
Although now a game adrift and eighth, North Ballarat is marginally favourite to play finals with the more favourable fixture.
East Point plays second-placed Lake Wendouree.
The Kangaroos do have their fate in their own hands. Win and they hold sixth, but lose and they have to rely on both Melton South and North Ballarat losing.
There is only one way the Melton South can make it.
The Panthers need to beat third-placed Darley and also rely on East Point losing. In this scenario, North Ballarat City would have no say in the outcome.
Darley annihilated Melton South by 122 points, but the Devils are not in that type of form and this has the potential to be a tight contest.
To make it, North Ballarat has to get over Melton and see East Point and Melton South lose.
That would be enough to see City squeeze in on percentage.
Based on form and ladder positions, this appears the most likely outcome.
East Point and Melton South will be outsiders, while North Ballarat City the one to beat against a Melton with nothing to play for.
There is also still a possibility of the top four of Bacchus Marsh, Lake Wendouree, Darley and Redan being shuffled around, with the Redan and Bacchus Marsh clash the key. Sunbury is fifth and will finish fifth.
EAST POINT V NORTH BALLARAT CITY
East Point kept its Ballarat Football League finals chances alive with a grinding 15-point win over North Ballarat City at the Eastern Oval on Saturday.
With Bryson McDougall dominant in attack with 10 goals, the Kangaroos broke away in the last term.
East Point climbs into sixth position on percentage from Melton South, and one game ahead of North Ballarat Melton with one round to play in which it meets second-placed Lake Wendouree.
Kangaroos coach Jake Bridges embraced the winning feeling, speaking about their ability to run out the game.
“Its one of the things I love about this group. We focused on how we finished games and how we’d like to finish games and to their credit I thought we did that really well.
“I thought the way we played the ground today was really good, as was our ability to put pressure on the opposition.
“It doesn’t matter who you play. If you don’t put enough pressure on you can look second rate,” he said.
North Ballarat City coach Jordyn Burke, while disappointed, said the opportunity to play in a high pressure finals-like contest would benefit his younger players moving forward.
City started the better with a clear understanding of just how much was riding on the result.
It did not take long though for East Point to find its feet, with McDougall making the most of his opportunities.
After North led by 14 points at the first break, East Point steadied to put the game back on an even playing field – sneaking in front by four points at half-time.
Daniel Semmens was prominent in the midfield, as was ruckman Paul Koderenko, who got well on top.
City seemed to find another gear in the third term and at one point looked like taking the game away.
With the ever durable Simon McCartin and Daniel Jones having an impact, City gained the ascendancy and with it a 10-point lead to go into the last quarter.
This was where it really ended for North Ballarat City though.
The Kangaroos ran the game out much the better, kicking six goals to two in the final term.
As well as a stand-out game by McDougall, Charlie Lee also prove a handful for North.
City stuck it out, but this was a game East Point was going to let go and for the second time this year it took out North.
Melton now awaits North Ballarat City.
East Point 3.1, 7.1, 11.5, 17.8 (110)
North Ballarat City 5.3, 6.4, 12.8, 14.11 (95)
GOALS – East Point: Bryson McDougall 10, Charlie Lee 3, Christopher Quinlan 1, Daniel Semmens 1, Steven Tung 1, Daniel Tung 1. North Ballarat City: Ryan Luke 2, Mitchell Gilbert 2, Nathan Olver 2, Daniel Jones 2, Thomas McPhan 1, Martin Curtis 1, Simon McCartin 1, Tom Bromley-Lynch 1, Adam Turley 1, Harrison Loader 1
BEST – East Point: Bryson McDougall, Daniel Semmens, Paul Koderenko, Andrew Maconachie, Ryan Walsh, Jordan Payne. North Ballarat City: Oliver Nash, Mitchell Gilbert, Daniel Jones, Jordyn Burke, Tom Bromley-Lynch, Adam Turley
MELTON V MELTON SOUTH
Melton South has lived to fight another day with a dour seven-point win over arch-rival Melton in the Ballarat Football League at MacPherson Park on Saturday.
With all the ingredients of a knockout final, the encounter did not fail to deliver.
The Panthers had to wait until the closing stages before mid-season recruit Jonathon Kent kicked the goal to keep them in the hunt for finals and also effectively end Melton’s season.
The heartbreaking loss means coach Brad Murphy will be leaving the Bloods without realising his desire to end their finals drought.
Murphy said Melton had every chance – kicking to what should have been the scoring end in the last quarter.
He said the Bloods had plenty of play, locking the ball in their forward line, but just could not get the goal they needed in the dying minutes to grab the lead.
Murphy acknowledged Melton South’s pressure around the ball proved a difference.
He said you could not expect to have 19 fewer clearances at stoppages and still win.
For Melton South, it was largely down to the cream rising to the top as top-end recruits with Nick Kommer, Mark Lynch and Adam El Houli shining when it counted most.
Melton South joint coach Sean Triplett could not speak highly enough about Kommer’s contribution.
He described the ex-Essendon player as “outstanding”.
The fleet-footed Lynch continually made things difficult for Melton, while El Houli controlled the backline.
Brendan Fevola also had a big presence, as he and Kommer each contributed three goals.
Triplett also talked up the efforts of youngsters Aaron Clarke, Jack Watkins and David Callus from under-18.5s, saying their efforts in the back-end of the season had provided a significant lift.
Connor Griffiths, Jack Walker, Brett McIntyre and Jake Gleeson did all they could to get Melton over the line.
Coming off a winless 2016, Melton South began the year with a “last to first” motto.
While the Panthers have fallen short of this in the home and away season, they remain in the race to play finals with one round to go.
Triplett said Melton South was up and about and believed it was up to giving itself a chance of making to top six by beating Darley.
It will take a massive turnaround from last time they met, but the Panthers believe anything can happen on their home deck in a do-or-die encounter.
Melton South 4.2, 7.4, 12.7, 13.7 (85)
Melton 4.1, 8.3, 11.3, 12.6 (78)
GOALS – Melton South: Nick Kommer 3, Brendan Fevola 3, Jonathon Kent 2, Mitchell Banner 2, Matthew Notman 1, Josh Ficheroux 1, Sean Humphries 1. Melton: Ryan Carter 3, Connor Griffiths 2, Angus Grigg 2, Braedan Kight 2, Dillon Sharp 1, Ben Archard 1
BEST – Melton South: Nick Kommer, Mark Lynch, Adam El Houli, Lachlan Watkins, Benjamin Sortino. Melton: Connor Griffiths, Jack Walker, Brett McIntyre, Nathan Wallace, Jake Gleeson, Dillon Sharp
BALLARAT V DARLEY
Darley produced a workman-like performance to overrun Ballarat in the BFL at Alfredton on Saturday.
The Devils did what they needed to do, with its depth and class too much for the Swans in their last outing of the season.
Ballarat threatened Darley with the first two goals of the third term to be within 12 points, but then the Devils opened up.
They kicked four unanswered goals and then went on a five-goal to one run in the last quarter – more than enough in even team effort to satisfy coach Heath Scotland.
For Ballarat coach Shane Hutchinson, it was again a case of his young outfit not making enough of time with the ball and then being unable to stop a run of goals by the opposition.
Nick O’Farrell kicked four goals for the Swas to give him 44 for the season, while Dane Grenfell match that effort for Darley as a small forward.
Ballarat finishes 10th on the ladder with three wins, while. Darley is looks to keep a hold on third position.
Darley 2.4, 6.10, 10.15, 15.17 (107)
Ballarat 2.2, 3.5, 5.5, 7.8 (50)
GOALS – Darley: Dane Grenfell 4, Travis Minns 3, Mark Hanson 2, Christopher Graham 2, Nicholas Thacker 2, Drew Edwards 1, Tom Evans 1. Ballarat: Nicholas O'Farrell 4, Matthieu Brehaut 2, Sam James 1
BEST – Darley: Jackson Carrick, Tom Evans, Leigh Spiteri, Luther Baker, Travis Minns, Luke Delahey. Ballarat: Jack Sutherland, Daniel Hobbs, Nicholas Garner, William Garner, Daniel Kennedy, Tyler Constable
BACCHUS MARSH V SEBASTOPOL
Jarrah Maksymow had a day out as Bacchus Marsh crushed Sebastopol by 151 points in the BFL at Maddingley Park on Saturday.
The Cobras were always going to have the game largely its own way, with it being first against last.
However, it could hardly have been more one-sided as Maksymow kicked 10 goals.
Bacchus Marsh had 50 scoring shots to four, and did not allow the Burra to score at all in the second and last term as Taylor Stewart kicked the visitor’s only goals in the third quarter.
Sebastopol has conceded 150 points or more in four of its past six games in what has been tough second half of the season.
Dean Heta again starred for the Cobras, while Daniel Burton continued to work back into something like his best form.
The Heta and Burton combination, as they rotate between the ruck and deep in attack, is going to have a major say in the Bacchus Marsh finals series and its premiership defence.
Bacchus Marsh 3.8, 10.16, 15.21, 22.28 (160)
Sebastopol 0.2, 0.2, 1.3, 1.3 (9)
GOALS – Bacchus Marsh: Jarrah Maksymow 10, Billy Griffiths 2, Jethro Calma-Holt 2, Hamish Coulton 2, Alec Del Papa 1, Dean Heta 1, Declan Phyland 1, Kane White 1, Daniel Burton 1, Tyson Shea 1. Sebastopol: Taylor Stewart 1
BEST – Bacchus Marsh: Dean Heta, Jarrah Maksymow, Matt Denham, Daniel Burton, Simon Lafranchi, Hamish Coulton. Sebastopol: Marshall Cain, Tom Petersen, Ben Hutt, Hamish Everett, Joshua Morgan