Pakenham’s Sean Gramc and Narre Warren pair Jarrod Anderson and Michael McGill contest a ball during the Lions’ 30-point win on Saturday. 34625By Brad Kingsbury
NARRE WARREN is showing the effects of a long and hard football season and their older and bigger PAKENHAM opponents took full advantage of that on Saturday, grinding out a 30-point win at the Toomuc Reserve as the build up to the finals continues.
A return of 1.7 in the opening term allowed the visitors into the contest, but thoughts of an upset were quickly dashed in the second term as the Lions piled on nine goals. Both sides were without key players.
The Lions lost Dan O’Loughlin and Jake Matthews from last week’s side, while Narre Warren’s injuries include Steven Kidd, Cole Harvey and star on-baller Daniel Borninkhof who was a late withdrawal on the day.
The Magpies opened the game well and took advantage of Pakenham’s poor kicking to establish a nine-point lead at the first change.
However the home side reacted swiftly and piled on the pressure through the uncontested run of Luke Walker, Beau Wheeler, Dean Blake and Jared Goldsack.
The difference at the main break was 34 points and, despite a much-improved team effort in the second half, Narre Warren was unable to peg back the advantage.
Teenage midfielders Jackson Parker and Justin Marriott were lively and creative, while Chris Potalej caused some headaches in attack, but every time the Magpies came at the Lions the home side steadied and retained its focus.
The difference was 26 points at three-quarter time and the last quarter went goal for goal in the first eight minutes before Pakenham took control of the tempo and maintained its attack on goal.
The Lions booted five behinds before a late goal to Smith, who roved the ball off the pack, took all the sting out of the Magpies with 10 minutes to play.
There were many positives for the winners with the form of Glen Wouters, Ryan Cassidy and Sean Gramc particularly impressive, together with the spread of scoring options that have developed in recent weeks.
The second half also saw Narre Warren’s well-documented discipline fall away, with captain Glenn Hamilton sent from the field and reported early in the third term for an alleged striking offence and Chris Collins also booked late in the game for swearing.
The big upset of round 16 was the unexpected draw between undefeated top side DOVETON and eighth-placed ROC at Starling Road.
The Kangaroos were coming off a 110-point belting and most expected them to cop another lesson from the rampant Doves.
ROC tried to limit the influence of running defenders Daryl Thomas and Brad Downe and created problems for the visitors out of the midfield with Greg and Ben Tivendale starting the game well.
Dove star Ryan Hendy played at full-forward in the continued absence of Danny Casset and was always dangerous, but the pressure applied by the Kangaroos was consistent and there was seldom more than a few points in the contest either way.
There was two points the difference in the Doves’ favour at the final change and the game went goal for goal between patches of pressure until Doveton midfielder Shannon Henwood levelled the scores with a behind from 30 metres with about three minutes to play.
Neither side could get the ball free in the tense finale until ROC big man Callum White, who started at full-back but went forward in the second half, had a shot from 50 metres out with five seconds left on the clock. The ball dropped just short and Doveton ruckman Russell Gabriel punched it forward stopping any score.
Hendy was brilliant in attack finishing with eight goals, while team-mates Ryan Pearson and Daniel Zarjac were also among the Doves best.
BEACONSFIELD capitulated to DEVON MEADOWS by 26 points in front of their past players at the Perc Alison Oval. The Panthers were fighting to stave off bottom-ladder position and showed the type of desperation required in that situation.
From the first bounce Devon Meadows was on song, winning the ball in the midfield and sending it towards ex-Essendon star Aaron Henneman who took six contested marks against top Eagle defender Kane Airdrie in the first term.
Beaconsfield ruckman Chris Kelf played a lone hand, while star forward Andrew Williams booted four goals in a great duel with Panther star Daniel Rigg.
For the victors Russell White, who had not played football for four years until this season, was superb in defence, while Michael Bain, Jesse Dehey and Henneman, with five goals, were also in great nick.
HAMPTON PARK celebrated Saturday’s final game at the Booth Reserve for the year with a dominant eight-goal victory over TOORADIN.
While Seagull star Beau Miller was all class, despite some close attention from Nathan Dawes, the Redbacks maintained the momentum and led by eight points at half-time.
Tooradin came at the home side in the third term but, with Redbacks spearhead Kevin McLean on target, a three-goal burst just before three-quarter time saw the floodgates open in the final term and, despite some fine work from Tooradin sweeper Michael Hobbs, Hampton Park cruised home to a convincing win.
Coach Josh Taylor played in attack and finished with four goals while McLean kicked five majors.
Matt Dixon, Sean Winsall and Dean Jamieson were also in good form and Taylor summed it up afterwards as an ‘on’ week.
CRANBOURNE scored a hard-earned 27-point victory over KEYSBOROUGH at the Rowley Allen Reserve.
The inaccurate Eagles trailed by 29 points at half-time and looked to be in trouble, but after a paint-peeling spray from coach Doug Koop, an eight-goal third quarter turned the game around and set the side up for a tilt at the coveted double chance in the last two weeks of the season.
The early dominance of ruckman Shaun Witherden created headaches for the Eagles, but the first 10 minutes of the third term saw a complete change of fortunes with Cranbourne playmakers, led by Ryan Jones and Ray George, dominating around the ground and feeding key forward Troy Tharle-Adams.
The Eagles piled on eight goals to the Burras’ two, creating a 35-point turnaround that saw the Eagles home after an even final term. For the victors Jones, George, Tharle-Adams (five goals) and Luke Martin were among the best players.
