Magpie Chris Larosa prepares to offload during his team’s 12-point come-from-behind win over fellow premiership contender Doveton at Robinson Reserve on Saturday. Picture: Stewart Chambers.By Brad Kingsbury
Casey-Cardinia league round 2
NARRE WARREN proved its claim as a major contender for another premiership by beating DOVETON at the Robinson Reserve on Saturday.
The Magpies displayed typical never-say-die attitude to bang on five unanswered goals in the last eight minutes of the game, turning an 18-point deficit into a thrilling 12-point victory.
The fact is that Doveton was in a winning position and then dropped its bundle.
Narre Warren flew the blocks in front of a typically big and vocal crowd with key forwards Brett Evans and Danny Brewster marking strongly and scoring important goals.
Midfielders including Brad Scalzo and youngster Daniel Borninkhof were busy, while young ruckman Aaron Mills competed hard with Doveton captain Clint Wilson.
The Magpies led by 22 points at the first change, but the tenacious Doves reduced that to only five points at the main break, thanks to the efforts of playmakers including Michael Henry, Callum Pattie and coach Tom Hallinan, who started to win clean possession and kick the ball to advantage in attack.
The third term was a cracker with both sides having plenty of the ball and both coaches deciding that attack was the way to win the game.
The Magpies booted away to an 18-point break but the Doves rallied in the latter half of the quarter and answered with two goals each to Rohan Scott and Justin Hill and another to Ryan Hendy, to take a seven-point lead into the final quarter.
Doveton shot out to a 20-point lead on the back of early goals to Aaron McIver and Nathan Wilson but could not close out the game, and a last gasp effort from the Magpies grabbed the points after two late goals each to Evans and Scalzo together with another to Matt Werner.
Evans took the day’s goal kicking honours with six, while Hill finished with five for the home side.
BERWICK continued its trend of ordinary starts to its seasons by losing Saturday’s game against HAMPTON PARK by two points as a result of a goal after the final siren to Redbacks captain Josh Taylor.
The Wickers managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory after fighting hard to lead by nine points late in the see-sawing last quarter, but failing to steady and retain possession of the ball in the dying minutes.
Triumphant coach Jason Caples was ecstatic after the win but said that nobody at the ground would have envied Taylor as he lined up the wining goal.
“It was a tough shot under any circumstances,” he said. “It was an absolute captain’s goal.”
Hampton Park surprised the Wickers with their pace and desire to make the contest around the spacious Edwin Flack Reserve, and maintained a lead of several goals throughout the first half.
Scores were level at 77 points apiece at three quarter time and the two sides went goal for goal until the Wickers broke free and built a nine-point buffer.
Kevin McLean reduced that to under one kick with his fifth goal for the game, before Taylor marked a Mitch Whatman pass, 30 metres out, on more than a 45 degree angle and slotted the match winner.
The Wickers best included Ben AhMat, David VanDiemen and Andrew Morozoff, while Sean Winsall, Luke Nunan and Jack Besley were among the Redback’s best.
BEACONSFIELD found a way to win despite looking down the barrel of a deficit at every break against a desperate DEVON MEADOWS.
The Eagles steadied to pile on five unanswered goals in the final term to earn a 19-point round two win.
The match provided a good indication of how far their sides had progressed for coaches Robbie Taylor and Steve O’Brien and also sent a warning to all rivals that neither would be the easy-beats they were in 2007.
The Eagles relied on star recruit Andrew Williams as their main weapon in attack and he finished the day with four goals, while dual Devon Meadows spearheads Matt Davey and Aaron Henneman also kicked accurately with three majors apiece.
PAKENHAM made a solid start to its 2008 premiership campaign with a comfortable 92-point result against a spirited but underskilled TOORADIN at the Western Port oval.
The Seagulls battled the match out manfully despite obvious deficiencies in attack and key position duals.
There was no lack of desire, on or off field, from the Seagull faithful and the ‘reception’ dealt out to former players now Lions when ever they went near the ball, in particular Adam Cook and ex-coach Dan O’Loughlin, was passionate.
The underlying sentiment from most at the ground was that both the Tooradin seniors and reserves were competitive and would beat or at least worry more then one side this season.
Coach Cristian O’Brien agreed with that prediction.
“I was very pleased with the effort overall,” he said.
“We know where we’re at and all I can ask is that the players work hard and give their best. They did that and had a good contest with Pakenham.”
KEYSBOROUGH demolished the challenge from ROC by 110 points in its first official hitout for 2008.
ROC came out in an attacking frame of mind but after half time it was all one way traffic with Burra forwards Matthew Freeman and Luke McGuinness booting seven gaols each.
In Nepean league, former Hampton Park spearhead Kerem Baskaya hit form along with his new side PEARCEDALE, booting seven goals in the Panthers’ 80-point thrashing of RED HILL.
