Kyden from Keysborough isn’t just a good Vella, but an exceptional player, as the young gun booted five goals to help the Burras defeat Doveton by 37 points in Southern Division 2.
It was a best-on-ground performance from Vella as he led his team to victory, the small forward taking his season goal tally to 34 – second in the league.
The livewire has been a huge positive for Keysborough this season, along with a host of other young stars including Ethan Bakes and Max Corbyn.
Burras’ coach Chris Smith said the side has put together a good fortnight of footy and hoped to continue it into the final three matches.
“We’ve strung two good wins together and we’ve been trending in the right direction with some of our results this past month, but just haven’t been getting the job done,” he said.
“It’s always good to play Doveton, there is a rivalry there which stems back years and years, there is always a bit of feeling but these days it’s played in good spirits.
“Now we’ve got an opportunity against Mordialloc, we want to shape the five and put some real pressure on those sides around us.”
Keysborough started well and established a 15-point lead at quarter time, which they maintained in the second, going into the main break leading 31-16.
But it was the third quarter where the Burras turned it on, kicking five goals as both Bakes and Vella kicked two each.
Vella added another two majors in the final term, as the team cruised home to victory 12.9 (81) to 6.8 (44).
Doveton’s Jake Calvert (three goals) and Matthew Rogers (two goals) were the multiple goal scorers, while Max Sheppard was impressive all day.
Jamie Plumridge’s return to the side has been a huge boost, giving the young team some greater guidance.
The star, who won the club’s best and fairest last season, suffered a serious head injury in Round 1 which saw him miss 12 weeks of football.
“We have got the pillars in place, if we could keep these boys together for another year and put some guys around them, this could turn into something pretty exciting,” Smith said.
“We have a lot of work to do and we are very young, we understand that, but we are trending in the right direction.
Keysborough sits in seventh position on the ladder with a 7-8 record, just four points behind Mordialloc.
Despite inaccuracy, Hampton Park won again, defeating Mordialloc by 18 points to go two wins clear on top of the ladder.
Young gun Ben Buller, who has now played 10 senior games this year, stood up for the Redbacks and kicked two goals in a best-on-ground performance.
East Malvern is in a slump and at the wrong time of year, having dropped its past three matches to sit third – just one win in front of fifth-placed Mordialloc.
The Panthers fell 24 points short against Frankston Bombers after kicking 3.8 in the second half.
Peter Mawson and Jordan Waite kicked three goals each in the win, while Isaac Morrisby (three goals) returned from injury for East Malvern.
Chelsea Heights moved into second spot on the ladder after a huge 90-point thrashing over Caulfield Bears, boosting the team’s percentage.
Erishmiilan Uthayakumar kicked six goals and is, without a doubt, the in-form player of the competition, booting 18 goals in his last three outings.
Endeavour Hills’ difficult 2025 season continued as a wayward Highett put the Falcons to the sword, winning by 79 points.
The Bulldogs had nine goal scorers but were led by Brent Dyall (four goals) and Jacob Apted (three goals) in the cruisy victory.
SOUTHERN DIV 2
Results R15: Keysborough 12.9 (81) to Doveton Doves 6.8 (44), Hampton Park 9.15 (69) def Mordialloc 8.3 (51), Frankston Dolphins 14.8 (92) def East Malvern 9.14 (68), Chelsea Heights 20.16 (136) def Caulfield Bears 7.4 (46), Highett 14.22 (106) def Endeavour Hills 3.9 (27).
Ladder: Hampton Park 48, Chelsea Heights 40, East Malvern, Highett 36, Mordialloc 32, Frankston Dolphins, Keysborough 28, Caulfield Bears 24, Doveton Doves 20, Endeavour Hills 8.
Fixture R16: Caulfield Bears (8) v East Malvern (3), Chelsea Heights (2) v Endeavour Hills (10), Frankston Dolphins (6) v Hampton Park (1), Doveton Doves (9) v Highett (4), Mordialloc (5) v Keysborough (7).
