By Mark Gullick
BERWICK rebounded with a 68-point win over Tooradin-Dalmore at Edwin Flack Reserve in their round-eight match in the Casey Cardinia League on Saturday.
At half-time, Berwick held a 55-point lead.
It was an impressive display by Berwick, who were spurred after the indifferent showing against Hampton Park.
“To our guys credit, they really responded after last week,” Berwick coach Dean Rice said.
“We still fell into some of the things we did wrong, but it was only in patches. It’s something they’re going to have to learn over time about different set-ups and structures and positioning. But it was a lot better. Some of the patches we played in the second half were some of the best patches of play we’ve had all year.”
Adam Mott, in for his first game of the season, was Berwick’s best player with a polished performance, while Paul Vanschilt and Brett Robinson were busy.
Berwick plays ROC on Saturday.
“They’ve got Greg Tivendale back, which obviously makes them a lot stronger,” Rice said. “It’s going to be a hard battle on their ground. It’s normally pretty wet and they’re competitive.”
@BT Sub Sport News:NARRE WARREN v HAMPTON PARK
AT HOME, Narre Warren went down by 26 points to Hampton Park, whose giant-killing run continues.
The first half was a dour, highly-contested affair slogged out in wet conditions.
Narre Warren scored four of the first five goals, but the game changed in the blink of an eye.
A three-goal burst before half-time secured a four-point Hampton Park lead before the Redbacks converted their momentum in the third term and led by 31 points at the final break. The Redback defence held firm under pressure in the final term.
Hampton Park faces the undefeated Cranbourne this week.
“They were too good for us,” Narre Warren coach Chris Toner said.
“In those conditions, they had the bigger bodies and were too strong. They had a 10-minute burst, which put them in front at half time. We just had a few mental lapses – it’s something we’ve got to work on and get better at. We’ve got to play the game right out.”
Lee Boyle and Nick Scanlon (four goals) returned from injury and were the best performers for Narre Warren.
The Magpies face Tooradin-Dalmore this weekend.
“I’m not sure what our record down there is, but there’s been some close games,” Toner said.
@BT Sub Sport News:BEACONSFIELD v CRANBOURNE
A HAPLESS Beaconsfield went down to premiership favourite Cranbourne by 100 points at Casey Fields.
In the battle of the Eagles, the home side began strongly, albeit wastefully, and never relented as it eased out to a percentage-boosting win.
“We went out there with a really strong defensive mindset and it worked out well for us,” Cranbourne coach Doug Koop said. “We shut them down while making them pay on the scoreboard.”
It was a bleak day for the losing Eagles.
Dale Hynes returned to the team and tried hard. Full-back Daniel Battaglin was brilliant in difficult conditions, blanketing the brilliant Marc Holt.
Beaconsfield was well served by midfielders Aaron Gwozdziewski, Damien Dzwaja and captain Daniel Mislicki.
