Burras give Berwick the slip

By Mark Gullick
ROUND two of the Casey Cardinia league was played in contrasting conditions to the season’s opening fixtures.
Players slugged it out on boggy surfaces, which severely tested their ability to handle the wet, slippery ball.
Berwick couldn’t win their second close game in a row and succumbed to Keysborough by two points.
The toughness and physicality of the match was a highlight.
For Keysborough, Tyson King kicked five goals and Travis Skidmore, Davor Racjic and King were prominent.
Notable performers for Berwick were Nathan Page, Brett Robinson, Paul Vanschilt and Andrew Stent.
“It was probably the poorest effort since I’ve been coaching just with our structure and the actual game,” Berwick coach Glenn Dale said.
Meanwhile, Cranbourne recorded an emphatic 118-point win over Tooradin.
After a close first term, the Eagles kicked nine goals in the second term to eventually run out 118-point winners.
Troy Datson played his 200th senior match for Cranbourne.
Marc Holt, Justin Berry and Troy Tharle Adams each kicked four goals, while Leigh Holt, Adams, and Andre Young were prominent for Cranbourne.
Rohan Hyde, Nathan Findlay, Michael Hobbs and Adam Galea tried hard for Tooradin.
“Sometimes it’s hard to keep blokes working when they know they’ve got the four points,“ Cranbourne coach Doug Koop said. “If you want to be a good side, you’ve just got to get that mindset to work for four quarters, regardless of who you play. We’re trying to keep upbeat in what we do,” Tooradin coach Chad Liddell said. “We came up against a very good side and our young kids just don’t have the experience to go with those older guys.
Hampton Park rebounded from a disappointing first round loss to defeat ROC by 48 points.
The first half was an entertaining affair, as each team had periods of success.
Hampton Park played better football in the opening term, but ROC came back strongly in the second.
By half-time, Hampton Park led by one goal.
“I was disappointed with a few undisciplined acts,” Hampton Park coach Josh Taylor said regarding the second quarter. “They got four goals, two from 50-metre penalties and two from stupid free kicks (from our players).”
The second half was anti-climactic as Hampton Park piled on 10 goals to four.
For the victors, Linden Fredericks, Craig Lombard, Kevin McLean and Matthew Shorey distinguished themselves. McLean finished with nine goals in a masterful performance.
Ben Tivendale, Dane Roy and the Fletcher brothers, Kris and Cameron battled hard all day for ROC.
In the final game of round two, Devon Meadows defeated Doveton by 38 points in a hotly contested Anzac Day match at Glover Reserve.
Aside from the closing moments of the second and final quarters, the game was even on the scoreboard.
Devon Meadows led by 28 points at half-time and kicked six goals to four in the second half to run out comfortable winners.
“We were a bit disappointed in how we played,” Devon Meadows coach Steve O’Brien said.
“We didn’t execute the plan we had in place. Probably something we’ve never done as a club is had ugly wins. We didn’t play anywhere near our best yesterday, but we were still able to win.”
Adam Jago was the best Devon Meadows player, while Simon Black played a great game for Doveton.
“On Anzac Day, I thought we showed a lot of spirit,” Doveton coach Mark Ladgrove said. “We were out-sized, out-gunned in certain areas, but we were committed to the contest. It was an honourable loss, but we don’t want to get into the habit of having honourable losses.”
In the other match, Beaconsfield defeated Pakenham by 31 points.