By Jonty Ralphsmith
Devon Meadows has been knocked out of the MPFNL finals series, going down 19.14 123 to 12.11 83 to Mornington in the Division 2 Preliminary Final.
A seven-goal opening term from the Bulldogs put Devon Meadows on the back foot, and they were never able to sustain momentum for a long enough period.
A season-best eight-goal haul to Jackson Calder was a decisive factor, with Panthers key forward Patrick Ryder kept to just four goals.
Perry Lewis-Smith, previously listed at several VFL clubs, helped Mornington win the midfield battle, with his team leading at 52 points at the last break, before cruising home.
Youngsters Ty Kirkwood and Riley McDonald and the experienced Dean Kent and Joel Hillis were named in the best for the Panthers, while Jack Harmes played his best game of the season.
Reaching preliminary final week is a big step forward for Devon Meadows, which established itself as a team to watch last year, before being knocked out in the first week of finals.
A tough finals win last week against Karingal will be confidence boosting for the youngsters, whose development this season has been expedited by the well-drilled core group.
Mornington will take on Somerville in this week’s Division 2 MPFNL Grand Final.
