North Ballarat City added to Darley’s mid-season woes with the upset of the Ballarat Football League season at Darley on Saturday.
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With just the two wins to its name, City turned it on to produce its best performance of the year by 20 points – 11.13 (79) to 8.11 (59).
Coach Jordyn Burke went as far as saying it was the best win of his two-season tenure at the club.
He could not give his players enough praise, which was further enhanced by the effort needed to cover the loss of Mitch Gilbert and Nathan Olver to concussion in the second quarter.
Daniel Jones and Simon McCartin continued their fine form to be among City’s best.
Darley has now lost three of its past four games and has gone from behind undefeated and on top to third in that time.
The Devils have slipped six points behind the second-placed Bacchus Marsh and are just percentage clear of Redan.
TOP team Lake Wendouree survived a major scare, getting home by six points from Ballarat at Alfredton.
The Swans led by 14 points at half-time, but a Lucas Anderson-led charge enabled Lakers to kick five goals in the third quarter and then hold in a dour last term.
Lake Wendouree coach Tim Malone was far from impressed, describing the first half as its worst of the season.
This is the second time Ballarat has just failed to topple a top three teams – the Swans lost to Darley by seven points in round nine – and it drops to 10th.
MELTON South is back in the top six after ending a three-game losing run against Sunbury at Clarke Oval.
Despite being without spearhead Brendan Fevola, who was unavailable owing to work commitments, the Panthers defeated the Lions by 34 points.
Sunbury had won four in a row, but was coming off a bye.
Under-16 player Aaron Clarke impressed on debut for the Panthers with two goals.
Melton South joint coach Sean Triplett said it had been a complete team performance with improved effort and use of the football.
REDAN closed in on the top three and sent Melton tumbling out of the top six in a hard-fought 13 point win at MacPherson Park.
Melton paid the heavy price for a wasteful opening quarter in which it scored seven behinds.
It went down to a last quarter tussle after they turned for home deadlocked.
Redan assistant coach Tom Jess touched upon the importance of going down the highway and getting such an important win.
“It was good to see that after we really got challenged at three quarter time, when Melton had all the momentum, we were able to grind out the win.”
BACCHUS Marsh had just about everything its own way as it demolished Sebastopol by 78 points at Marty Busch Reserve.
Alec Del Papa stepped up in attack with six goals for the Cobras, while Ryley Stuhldreier (5 goals) and Scott Sherlock (4 goals) made productive returns from injury.
LADDER
Lake Wendouree 136.14 40
Bacchus Marsh 153.93 38
Darley 140.34 32
Redan 123.50 32 (+ 1 position)
Sunbury 116.93 28 (-1)
Melton South 87.44 24 (+1)
East Point 90.45 20 (+1)
Melton 88.07 20 (-2)
North Ballarat City 89.53 16 (+1)
Ballarat 79.17 14 (-1)
Sebastopol 49.05 4
ROUND 11 DETAILS
Bacchus Marsh 7.5, 11.7, 19.13, 22.19 (151)
Sebastopol 3.0, 6.4, 10.5, 11.7 (73)
GOALS - Bacchus Marsh: Alec Del Papa 6, Ryley Stuhldreier 5, Scott Sherlock 4, Billy Griffiths 2, Dylon Bishop 2, Jack Hehir 1, Logan Blundell 1, Declan Phyland 1. Sebastopol: Toby Hutt 2, Lochie Huppatz 2, Michael Powell 2, Daniel Widgery 1, Daniel Cuthbertson 1, Taylor Stewart 1, Joshua Morgan 1, Ben McLeod 1
BEST - Bacchus Marsh: Scott Sherlock, Logan Blundell, Alec Del Papa, Ryley Stuhldreier, Dean Heta, Billy Griffiths. Sebastopol: Chase Dummett, Lochie Huppatz, Marshall Cain, Brett Goodes, Jai Harvey
Lake Wendouree 4.3, 5.4, 10.7, 11.10 (76)
Ballarat 3.3, 7.6, 9.6, 10.10 (70)
GOALS - Lake Wendouree: Lucas Anderson 3, Jack Elkington 2, Eamonn Mc Cuskey 2, Sean Willmott 2, Stephen Clifton 1, Ben Taylor 1. Ballarat: Nicholas O'Farrell 3, Jack Sutherland 2, Nicholas Garner 1, Joel Antonio 1, Jack Blackburn 1, Jesse Nicholls 1, Jesse Marshall 1
BEST – Lake Wendouree: Benjamin Hayes, Nicholas Peters, Jordan Alexander, Sean Willmott, Kynan Raven, Angus Kirby. Ballarat: Bailey Van de Heuvel, Jack Sutherland, Nicholas O'Farrell, Sam James, William Garner, Grant Baldwin
North Ballarat City 2.2, 4.7, 6.10, 11.13 (79)
Darley 2.2, 3.4, 4.7, 8.11 (59)
GOALS - North Ballarat City: William Young 3, Jordyn Burke 1, Sam Bromley-Lynch 1, Daniel Jones 1, Joshua Bromley-Lynch 1, Simon McCartin 1, Adam Turley 1, Ryan Luke 1, Sam Willian 1. Darley: Aaron Speak 2, Jake Ancrum 2, Luke Delahey 1, Tate Stone 1, Harley Inglis 1, Kyle Docherty 1
BEST – North Ballarat City: Adam Turley, Daniel Jones, Clay Jenkins, Simon McCartin, Caleb McGrath, Nathan Dunstan. Darley: Chris Graham, Abraham Cameron, Corey Cullen, Tom Evans, Dan Roy, Heath Scotland
Melton South 3.4, 4.5, 8.7, 13.7 (85)
Sunbury 0.3, 3.7, 5.9, 7.9 (51)
GOALS – Melton South: Aaron Clarke 2, Jonathon Kent 2, Mitchell Banner 2, Adam El Houli 1, Jeremy Krojs 1, Lachlan Watkins 1, Shaun White 1, Jack Watkins 1, Matthew Notman 1, Ryan Holzer 1. Sunbury: Andrew Duhau 2, Nathan Wood 1, Trent Stead 1, Adam Short 1, Alec Goodson 1, Ben Guthrie 1
BEST – Melton South: Benjamin Sortino, Lachlan Watkins, Jeremy Krojs, Mark Lynch, Nick Kommer, William Thornton-Gielen. Sunbury: Andrew Duhau, Tom Donoghue, William Healy, Trent Stead
Redan 2.2, 7.7, 8.11, 11.14 (80)
Melton 0.7, 4.9, 8.11, 9.13 (67)
GOALS – Redan: Mitchell Phelps 2, Liam Hoy 2, Kyle Hayes 2, Nicholas Willox 2, Dean Chester 1, Nathan Horbury 1, Benjamin Smyth 1. Melton: Jordan Kight 3, Braedan Kight 2, Jake Gleeson 1, Ryan Davis 1, Jack Walker 1, Jared May 1
BEST – Redan: Nathan Horbury, Jarrett Giampaolo, Jacob Short, Patrick Britt, Angus Cleary, Liam Hoy. Melton: Ben Archard, Jaycob Hickey, Ryan Davis, Lachlan Hickey, Kayne Wilson, Kurt Baker