FOR most of the region’s teams, it was another strong weekend of football as the race for finals continues.
Whittlesea was a real threat to Old Paradians, securing a convincing 54-point win at the weekend at Whittlesea Showgrounds.
An inaccurate start to the Eagles saw their first four scoring shots all behinds before Braydon Avola and Lucas Hobbs were able to convert when the clocked ticked over into 20 minutes of time played.
Despite possessing much of the ball, the Eagles went into the first break with only a 17-1 lead.
Old Paradians came out stronger in the second term, finding their first three goals of the match, while Whittlesea was able to also contribute another three to take a 17-point lead into the main break.
The main break was used in advantage of the Eagles who came out firing in the third quarter to keep the Paradians goalless, while Angus Smith kicked three goals within the space of five minutes and Taidgh Bland found his second.
The Eagles only needed to add another two to the board, with Old Paradians finding just one more to secure a 11.14 (80) to 4.2 (26) win.
Bland and Avola were named in the Eagles’ best alongside Clancy Bland, Thomas Falls, Liam Tyrrell and Mitchell Andrews as their side remains third on the ladder only below Diamond Creek yet again by percentage.
In division three, Laurimar continues to step on the toes of Fitzroy Stars, taking a 16-point win against Kinglake at Laurimar Reserve.
A slow start by both sides still allowed the Power to take a nine point lead into quarter time while another two in the second had them 29-14 against the Lakers at the main break.
Kinglake however shook things up with a strong six-goal third quarter and held a three-point lead going into the final change.
Laurimar knowing what was at stake regained controlled and kicked four goals to the Lakers’ one, to secure a 11.8 (74) to 9.4 (58) victory.
Patrick Fitzgerald was named in the Powers’ best with his four goals alongside Joel Lawson, Micah Vecchio, Luke Wilson, Cameron Maloney and Josh Leather.
The Fitzroy Stars showed why they are the division leaders in a 67-point win against Merna on the Demons home turf.
Mernda promised in the first term, leading 19-10, led by Harrison Bugden with two goals, one coming within the first 40 seconds of the match.
However, the lead didn’t last long, with the Stars taking control in the second with five goals to lead with 17 points at the main break.
The Demons were only down by 19 at the final change, but a 10-goal surge by the Stars in the fourth quarter resulted in an 18.12 (120) to 8.5 (53) defeat.
Bugden, Billy Morrison, Brent Marshall, Jayden Bell, Declan Felle and Lincoln Coffey were named the Demons’ best.
Meanwhile in division one, South Morang shocked second on the ladder Montmorency with a 46-point win at Mill Park Lakes Recreation Reserve.
In the Lions’ second win of the season, they looked dominant from the onset, kicking four goals to one in the first term to lead by 19 points, while the Magpies came out stronger in the second to shorten the gap to 12 points going into the main break.
South Morang kept Montmorency goalless in the third quarter, while adding five of their own, before remaining hold of the game to secure a 14.13 (97) to 7.9 (51) victory.
Joshua Lansfield’s five goals had him named in the Lions’ best alongside Bailey Brown, , James Traianou, Christian Mardini, Ben Power and Kain Hall.
In the Friday night netball competition, Whittlesea 1 went down by just one point to Diamond Creek 1 52-51, however Whittlesea 2 secured the Lions’ only win of the night with a 43-31 victory against South Morang 1.
Laurimar 1 took home a 39-30 win against Montmorency 2, while Laurimar 3 also secured the chocolates, 29-10, against Heidelberg West 2.
