By Marcus Uhe
Berwick Springs have once again survived a test of their mettle in the form of a resilient Officer outfit to finalise preparations for finals action.
A five-goal run from late in the third term that stretched to midway through the final quarter saw the Titans complete a 34-point turnaround, having trailed by four before rallying to a five-goal lead to kill-off the fight from the Kangaroos at Starling Road.
The 12.15 87 to 9.14 68 result was Rod Benstead’s side’s fourth consecutive win, franking their second-placed finish on the table ahead of a mouth-watering clash with Emerald on Sunday afternoon.
Tom Nelson, Daniel Ousley and Hayden Stagg were once again the key contributors for a Titans side in a terrific position to give Emerald a shake in September.
Impressively, Ty Ellison was held goalless and Braydn Hoewel kicked only one, but even contributions across the board ensured they had enough to kick a winning score.
By contrast, Brent Moloney kicked one for Officer, missing his running mates in Troy Tharle and Mark Seedsman up front.
Luke Smaluch and Lachie Ward each kicked two for the Kangaroos, with Antonio Quach, Kyle Haggar and Riley Punnett among their best.
Kai Maas undoubtedly provided the highlight of the afternoon in the second term, holding on to a one-handed screamer with a freakish resemblance to Gary Ablett Senior’s iconic ‘Mark of the Century’ against Collingwood in 1994.
Likewise, Emerald is entering September in excellent touch, having rebounded from their shock loss to Berwick Springs in round 16.
A 57-point win over a strong Seville outfit served as excellent preparation for a tough slate of fixtures to come, beginning with Berwick Springs in the first week of finals competition next week.
The typically high-scoring Emerald hit the 100-point mark for the fifth consecutive week in the 21.13 139 to 12.10 82 result at home.
Six goals to one in the first quarter saw the Bombers fly out of the gate and the lead only grew from there.
Seven goals in the second term to two ensured a 50-point lead at half time.
The Blues kept pace with the Bombers in the second half, but were unable to make major inroads.
It was Isaac Seskis who led the Bombers on the score sheet, kicking a season-high four majors as one of 12 individual goal kickers.
Defenders Michael Richardson and Benjamin Willder provided the stability at the other end of the ground, while Ryan Farrow kicked six for the visitors.
An excellent start from Hallam proved ultimately unsustainable against Healesville, going down by 79 points in the final game of the season at home.
The Hawks kicked 6.2 in the opening term, their highest scoring individual quarter for the year and even eclipsing five total scores throughout the season.
But as has been the case all season, the other end of the ground was where things came unstuck, allowing the Bloods to kick five of their own, for just a five-point lead at the first break.
From quarter time onwards, Healesville kicked 17 goals to Hallam’s four, small forward Sam Gebert finishing with 10 to claim the leading goal kicker title in Division One.
The visitors held Hallam goalless in the second term while kicking eight, to blow the contest open.
The Hawks outscored Healesville in the third term but the Bloods finished with a wet sail, securing the victory and third place on the table in the process.
22.15 147 to 10.8 68 proved the final score, with Gebert bringing up his 10th in the final minute of the game with a classy set shot from hard against the boundary.
He begun the final term with six majors but was thrown deep forward in the final 10 minutes and became a clear focus of his teammates when kicking inside 50 with the milestone in his sights.
Hallam skipper Joel Danilo, and Dean Kelly maintained their ultra-consistent performances right to the end, as did Matt Neve.
Beau Gibbs kicked three for the Hawks, Nathan Jerram and Jack Sharlassian two goals each.
For the Hawks, a season that threatened to be a winless misery finished with signs of life, including the elusive victory in round 16 and respectable performances in the final two losses.
