Northern Knights 13.14.92 defeated by Western Jets 16.10.106

GOALS:

Northern Knights: K. Malone 3, C. Porter 2, J. Smith 2, J. El Moussalli , G. McDonagh , Z. Ballard , D. Macpherson , L. Hunt , S. Switkowski
Western Jets: C. Menadue 4, J. Volpato 4, L. Duggan 3, J. Viola 2, M. Norton , R. Stuhldreier , B. Monk

BEST:

Northern Knights: R. Tester, S. Switkowski, Z. Ballard, L. Hunt, J. Wild, J. Gresham
Western Jets: D. Viojo, J. Volpato, C. Menadue, B. Monk, B. Payne, L. McMahon

It was a game for the ages for Torin Barker’s men at Preston City Oval on Saturday, with the Western Jets pulling off a come-from behind 14 point victory after a six goal to nothing final term.

After being 22-points in arrears at the final break, Jets captain and tough wingman, Liam McMahon quickly pulled his charges in and gave a passionate speech, reminding the Jets back of the corresponding game in 2013, where they trailed by three goals, and were able to lodge a famous come from behind  victory under similar circumstances.

It worked, because for the next 25 minutes, the Jets dominated the clearances, inside 50’s, the contested ball and were able to make full use of the scoreboard.

Vic Metro and AIS star, Liam Duggan was quiet in the first half after copping a knock, but Barker’s move to throw him forward in the final term proved to be a master stroke, as he kicked three goals to go along with his 18 disposals, and set up busy small forward, Jackson Volpato’s fourth goal and can add ‘match winner’ to a long list of attributes on his football resume. His class to stand up in big moments proved to be the difference, and more importantly – his three goals came from just four fourth-quarter disposals.

Connor Menadue was lively throughout the game, but found consistency in the second half to inject speed and swift ball movement, whilst enjoying a haul of four goals, displaying serious hurt factor as a nimble and speedy goal-kicking midfielder. He only gathered the 13 possessions, but he broke the lines, and cut through Northern’s midfield, giving his forwards early opportunities going inside 50.

Swingman Jackson Viola continues to be Barker’s wildcard. His ability to play at either end of the ground has been an impressive trait and a luxury for the Jets, and drew massive praise from Duggan, who outlined his class and commitment as key factors.

Superior ball movement from Brayden Monk and Brenton Payne paved the way to a stirring win, whilst McMahon’s work ethic and willingness to get dirty reflected the type of gritty and gutsy victory that could be the line in the sand game for Western’s season.

A special mention is made to Northern’s Ryan Tester who was rarely beaten all day playing a key role in defence, whilst Zac Ballard and Sam Switkowski combined for 26 disposals and 29 disposals respectively.

BFGN Rising Stars Votes:

5 – Brayden Monk (Western Jets)
4 – Liam Duggan (Western Jets)
3 – Connor Menadue (Western Jets)
2 – Ryan Tester (Northern Knights)
1 – Jackson Volpato (Western Jets)

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Oakleigh Chargers 14.12.96 def NSW/ACT Rams 3.13.31

GOALS:

Oakleigh: T. McLean 3, L. Waddell 2, L. Kinsella 2, M. Orval , A. Urban , M. Herman , P. Stathopoulos , H. Beasley , A. Mioni , K. Dove
NSW/ACT: A. Davis, S. Askew , J. Kelly

BEST PLAYERS:

Oakleigh: T. McLean, K. Answerth, A. Urban, A. Oppy, T. Phillips, L. Waddell
NSW/ACT: J.Steele, M. Flynn, C. Mills, A. Davis, S. Askew, J. Foote

The Chargers looked to impose themselves upon the competition with an impressive victory over the weaker Rams squad. Superstar Isaac Heeney was a late withdrawal from the game with the flu, but it wasn’t all doom and gloom from the Rams.

The first quarter was played almost entirely in Oakleigh’s forward 50, but the Chargers couldn’t create too many scoring opportunities. The Rams had two very impressive defenders, with Abe Davis, the key back with the big afro crucial in repelling many attacks, with his ability to zone off his man to take intercept marks impressing many onlookers. Alongside him, Michael Dickson showed speed in chasing down Mitch Orval and stopped what would have certainly been a shot on goal. His tackling technique was impressive and his kicking was on point. Both had plenty of size and talent about them and could be draftable options later in the year.

Aside from that, it was all Oakleigh. Toby McLean was the clear best on ground. He was freakish around goal and he took a few spectacular grabs. His three goals, seven marks and 25 disposals were eye catching, and he stole the show from others who showed great form.

The first quarter ended as Oakleigh lead by 20 points. The second quarter showed promise from the Rams, but they ended up kicking 2.5. Oakleigh were unimpressive, but still managed to kick 3.1 from limited opportunities. The best of those came from likely first rounder Alex Urban. He lackadaisically sold candy to two players and chipped it long to the square from 50 metres as it dribbled through. That summed up his day, with 29 touches that all came easily to him.

The second half was much of the same. Oakleigh ended up kicking eight goals to one in quarters three and four. Kade Answerth pushed his draft stocks again with a 28 disposal, 15 handball receive game. His forward pressure was immense and that helped on several goal opportunities. Lachlan Waddell was excellent in the ruck without Marc Pittonet to partner him. He ended up with 27 hitouts, 18 disposals and two goals.

One man had the ball on a string but to no avail. Callum Mills for the Rams had 38 disposals, but struggled to impact the game in other aspects. He will no doubt be one to keep an eye on.

BFGN Rising Stars Medal:
5 – Toby McLean (Oakleigh Chargers)
4 – Kade Answerth (Oakleigh Chargers)
3 – Alex Urban (Oakleigh Chargers)
2 – Callum Mills (NSW/ACT Rams)
1 – Lachlan Waddell (Oakleigh Chargers)

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Calder Cannons 14.10 (94) def. Bendigo Pioneers 9.13 (67)

GOALS:

Calder: Kerbatieh 5, Wright 3, Foster 2, Ahern, Goodyear, Nilsson, Kovacevic
Bendigo: Payne 2, Conway, Cole, L.Ryan, Mangan, Evans, Toohey, Chisari

BEST:

Calder: Goodyear, Kerbatieh, James, Ahern, Wright
Bendigo: Cole, Payne, Mangan, Evans

The Calder Cannons have continued on with their strong form in 2014 with a solid win over the Bendigo Pioneers at Highgate Recreation Reserve.

There were some familiar faces missing for Calder, who were without the services of Miller, Christensen, Lever, Cauchi and Cavka but were still able to come away with the win.

It was all Calder in the opening term, slotting 5 majors to Bendigo’s none by the quarter time break. Two goals each to Wright and Kerbatieh set the tone early as the tackling pressure kept Bendigo scrambling to gather clean possession in their defensive half. There were some good glimpses from Bendigo who were able to generate some run off half back to create the odd opportunity. However the impressive defensive efforts of the Calder small defenders, Smith and James, kept a tight rein on the Bendigo forwards. Smith and James continually killed contests and ran the ball out of the backline with ease.

The second quarter saw a major shift in momentum, with Bendigo finding their way into the game. Clean centre clearance breaks and precision kicking by Cole and Mcgrath allowed Bendigo to convert their forward thrusts into goals for the first time in the game. Payne was lively slotting 2 goals, whilst Mangan presented well up the ground. Goodyear was solid in response for Calder, finding the ball 21 times in the first half and relieving his team in pressure situations around the contests. At the half time break Bendigo had their tails up after reducing the lead to just 22 points.

It was a goal for goal contest after the main break, with both teams moving the ball quickly in transition and fighting to lock the ball in their forward halves. Cole’s gut running, clean skills in traffic and ability to find the ball provided Bendigo with plenty of opportunity. Conway slotted his second for the game at one end, as Wright nailed his third at the other for Calder as both teams completed a tightly contested third term.

Whilst Bendigo fought gallantly, Calder proved to be too strong and sucked the life out of the game in the last quarter. Kerbatieh was lethal in front of goal, slotting his fifth goal in an impressive performance that saw Calder take the 4 points. Bendigo would be ruing their slow start to the game, going down by 27 points at the final siren.

BFGN Rising Stars Medal:

5 – Hisham Kerbatieh (Calder Cannons)
4 – Matt Goodyear (Calder Cannons)
3 – Thomas Cole (Bendigo Pioneers)
2 – Jack James (Calder Cannons)
1 – Paul Ahern (Calder Cannons)

—

Murray Bushrangers 11.8. 74 defeated Sandringham Dragons 11.6 72

GOALS

Murray: J. Schache 4, B. Webster 2, D. Howe, N. Coughlan, B. Hodgson, D. Howard, I. Muller.
Sandringham: A. Giuliano 3, J. Wallace 2, A. Spencer 2, H. Balic, L. Gogis, W. Fordham, T. Grace.

BEST

Murray: D. Howe, M. Mahady, J. Schache, I. Muller, D. Howard, D. McDonald
Sandringham: T. Thompson, S. Mason, D. Atkins, F. Huntington, M. Manteit, T. Roos

In a seesawing match at Wangaratta, the Bushrangers just held on against a fast finishing Sandringham team to win by two points. The match was held as a curtain raiser to the Ovens and Murray versus Hampden interleague game, featuring Brendan Fevola, so the crowd was among the biggest many of these youngsters had played in front of but the pressure didn’t show for the Bushies, who dominated early, holding a 28 point quarter time lead thanks to the work of Nathan Drummond and Dan Howe in the middle.

The Bushies continued on their merry way in the second term as underage forward Josh Schache booted four goals before half time, and Murray stretched their lead to 48 points at the long break. The only dampener on the performance had been an injury to Nathan Drummond, who came down heavily from a marking contest and didn’t return.

However in a tale of two halves, the Bushrangers kicked just one goal for the entire second half as Sandringham dominated, kicking eight of the last nine goals. Taylor Grace, Tyler Roos and Sam Mason were winning stacks of possessions for the Dragons and their forwards took advantage. In a tight finish, the Dragons were denied by the narrow margin of two points.

BFGN Rising Stars Medal:

5- Dan Howe (Murray Bushrangers)
4- Josh Schache (Murray Bushrangers)
3- Taylor Grace (Sandringham Dragons)
2- Isaac Muller (Murray Bushrangers)
1-Tyler Roos (Sandringham Dragons)

—

Eastern Ranges 13.15 93 defeated Geelong Falcons 7.8 50

GOALS:

Eastern: J. Smith 4, L. Hannon 2, J.Edwards 2, C. Petracca 2, B.Hardwick, M. Traynor , J. Hare
Geelong:  T. Miles 2, A. Christensen , M.Patten R. Mathieson , C.Floyd, B. Warren

BEST:

Eastern:  A. Cotte, B. Hardwick, C.Jones J. Smith, L. Hannon, C. Petracca
Geelong: J.Nelson, R. Mathieson, L. Melican, H. Veale, M. Randone, D. Parish

Eastern continued their good form with a powerful 43 point victory over the highly rated Geelong Falcons. Eastern broke clear in the first quarter and continued on in the second, extending the margin to 46 points at halftime.

Christian Petracca continued with his strong form in the midfield and was one of the keys to Eastern’s lead, along with the performances of Aaron Cotte and captain Luke Hannon.

Geelong hit back in the third quarter but could only bridge the gap to 37 points at three quarter time, despite the best efforts of wingman Jackson Nelson, Rhys Mathieson and defender Teia Miles who both had great games. Unfortunately for the Falcons they continued continue the fightback and lost by 43 points.

BFGN Rising Stars Medal:

5- Christian Petracca (Eastern Ranges)
4- Jackson Nelson (Geelong Falcons)
3- Christopher Jones (Eastern Ranges)
2- Luke Hannon (Eastern Ranges)
1-Teia Miles (Geelong Falcons)

North Ballarat Rebels 9.19 73 defeated Gippsland Power 7.11 53

GOALS:

North Ballarat: T. Taurau 2, J. Palmer 2, J. Cowan , B.Simpson , J. Wheelahan , T. Templeton , N. Weightman
Gippsland: A. Di Ciero 3, J. Cunico , N. Argento , J. Dunkley , N. Holmes

BEST:

North Ballarat: R.Marshall, O. McDonald, J. Palmer, N. Weightman, T. Templeton, T. Schnerring
Gippsland: S. Skinner, B. Dessent, J. Hammond, J. Dunkley, A. Carr, N. Holmes

North Ballarat continue to surprise with their recent great form as they knocked over their country rivals Gippsland. Lead by dominant ruckman Rowan Marshall, the Rebels broke away in the second quarter, whilst their lead could have been much more had their kicking for goal been more accurate. Forward Jess Palmer was the main offender, kicking two goals and five behinds but it didn’t matter as his teammates continued peppering the goals.

North Ballarat continued to dominate in the second half, and Marshall’s work in the ruck should be noted. He continually gave his midfielders first use of the ball and followed up with 16 possessions, eight marks and four tackles around the ground.

In the end, the Rebels won by 20 points but should have won by a far greater margin and missed a chance to improve their percentage.

BFGN Rising Stars Medal:

5- Rowan Marshall (North Ballarat Rebels)
4- Jess Palmer (North Ballarat Rebels)
3- Nick Weightman (North Ballarat Rebels)
2- Jordon Cunico (Gippsland Power)
1-Josh Dunkley (Gippsland Power)

—

Dandenong Stingrays 17.10 112 defeated Tasmania 13.8 86

GOALS:

Dandenong: T. Joyce 5, J. Tomkins 3, B. Dale 3, J. Lonie 2, T. Jacobson , M. White , K. Downie , J. Lovett
Tasmania: N. Dodge 3, M. Rainbird 3, J. Watts 2, J. Hayden 2, B. Butler , M. Joseph, J.Fox

BEST:

Dandenong: B. Dale, T. Joyce, J. Lonie, D. Kempster, J. Tomkins, E. Hunt

Tasmania: D. Bannister, N. Dodge, M. Rainbird, L. Reynolds, J. Arnold, J. Watts

Tasmania showed they will be more than competitive in this year’s TAC Cup and NAB AFL Championships, despite going down to Dandenong by 26 points in their first outing for the season.

Tasmania were super early and stuck with the Stingrays, going goal for goal in the first quarter. However it was in the second term where they flexed their muscles, kicking six goals to two and kicking out to a surprise 16 point half time lead. Forward Mitch Rainbow was the key to their success, looking dangerous whenever he got the ball in the forward half, while Dakota Bannister, Caleb Hislop and Tim Jones were playing great games.

Dandenong snapped out of their slumber in the third term, booting seven goals as Taylor Joyce became the game changer. He kicked five goals for the match and was ably supported by James Tomkins and Bailey Dale with three goals apiece.

Dandenong managed to keep their lead in the last quarter and came away with the four points after a tough match.

BFGN Rising Stars Medal:

5- Bailey Dale (Dandenong Stingrays)
4- Taylor Joyce (Dandenong Stingrays)
3-Dakota Bannister (Tasmania)
2- Daylan Kempster (Dandenong Stingrays)
1- Caleb Hislop (Tasmania)