There have been plenty of twists and turns so far in season 2023 and Round 17 proved no different with a weekend full of upsets, premiership statements and brilliant individual efforts.
Sunbury
def. by
Bacchus Marsh
Bacchus Marsh validated it's rebuild with a thrilling, come from behind win over finals aspirant Sunbury at the Clarke Oval.
It was the third successive win for Jason Williams' team and their fifth for the season elevating the Cobras to eighth place on the BFNL ladder ahead of the final round of home and away matches.
While many observers had been encouraged by the Cobras recent spike in competitiveness against top six opposition, very few gave them much chance taking care of Travis Hodgson's Lions on their own deck.
The upset loss made it three on the bounce for the enigmatic Lions, who leave the finals door slightly ajar for Redan and East Point to usurp their standing in the top six.
But more on the joyous Cobras, claiming a scalp above them on the ladder after trailing by as much as 23 points midway through the game.
Sixteen-year-old Cody Salmon stole the show with three final quarter goals, looking more and more at home at the level after his seventh senior game. His enviable leg speed and composure around goal was significant.
Premier ruckman Luke Goetz was again pivotal for the winners while Alex Porter continues to build on his reputation on the back of his footy smarts and trusty left foot.
Jake Sutton was the only real standout for the hosts, proving a headache for the Cobras before finishing with a game high five goals.
STATS THAT CAUGHT THE EYE
Luke Goetz (Bacchus Marsh): 46 hit outs, 17 disposals, 10 contested possessions
Jack Parente (Bacchus Marsh): 29 disposals, 9 contested possessions, 8 rebound 50s
Joshua Guthrie (Sunbury): 37 disposals, 13 contested possessions, 12 score involvements,
COACHES’ VERDICT
Travis Hodgson (Sunbury): "Disappointing day, us and the Marsh play pretty different brands and full credit to them. I felt they got the game on their terms for the majority. We did not work hard enough to get it on ours."
Jason Williams (Bacchus Marsh): "Today's result is a true reflection of the team we are. The most pleasing thing about today was we didn't play well for the first half, but we owned our moments when it counted. While for most today will seem like an upset, internally we know we've been building into this all year."
Redan
def.
Melton South
It was all one-way traffic at City Oval as the Lions dominated the Panthers to register a massive 187-point win.
Rare is the sequel better than the original, but Lions’ mid/forward Isaac Grant rocketed to the top of Tony Locket Medal calculations with an 11-goal haul making it 21 against the Panthers from their two season meetings.
Grant (49 goals) leads Melton key forward Ryan Carter by one major, with the last round of the home and away season still to come.
The Lions led at every change, setting up the win with 10 unanswered goals in the opening term. It was a fair welcoming for the winless Panthers who can breathe a sigh of relief knowing their struggles are now complete with their second bye set for round 18.
The Panthers forgettable season registered a massive 3000 points against for their 16 games, conceding an average of 187.5 points per game.
Redan on the other hand have bigger fish to fry, needing to win and win well to keep their finals hopes alive. They and cross-town rivals East Point have been fighting out the race for the prized sixth spot on the ladder.
This week the Lions are away to Sebastopol while East Point are off to Mars Stadium for a must win meet against North Ballarat who boast a 16-3 win-loss record under Brendan McCartney at the venue.
The Lions had 10 individual goal scorers led by Grant (11) and Marty Boyer who finished with five.
Nathan Dunstan, Riley Collins, Rory Gunsser (three goals), Lachie George (three goals) and Jacob Short were named in the best players behind Grant who made it an 11th appearance in the best from his 15 games.
John Kovarik, Riley Theo, Jarrod Bibby, Cody Chapman and Broden Collins were named best for the visitors.
STATS THAT CAUGHT THE EYE
Izaac Grant (Redan): 25 disposals, 20 score involvements, 14 contested possessions
Lachlan George (Redan): 31 disposals, 18 contested possessions, 16 score involvements
Cody Chapman (Melton South): 38 disposals, 22 contested possessions, 13 clearances
COACHES’ VERDICT
Gary Learmonth (Redan): "A much more consistent effort across four quarters this week. Was a good spread of contributors."
Ryan Hoy (Melton South): "Competitive in patches. (Our) season is now done, thank god! Redan were too strong and classy - Isaac Grant dominated once again."
Lake Wendouree
def. by
East Point
Visitors East Point kept their slim finals chances alive with a demolition job over the one win Lakers at CE Brown Reserve.
Chasing some much-needed percentage the ferocious Kangas put the game to bed early opening up a halftime lead of 52 points (55-3).
Henderson Medal chance Jordy Johnston was given the nod once again as the best player on the ground finishing with seven goals ahead of Bryson McDougall who booted six.
The gulf in class was ever apparent as eight of the Kangaroos waltzed in for majors against a Lakers outfit ready to put the cue in the rack.
Lakers’ coach Tim Shearer hinted in the aftermath the motivation for East Point earning a spot in the finals was always going to ask a lot of his young group to contain.
Kangas quartet Joe Dodd, Harry Ganley, Jordan Taylor and Liam Canny were recognised for their support roles behind sharpshooters JJ and McDougall.
While goals for the hosts were a rarity, Bayley Thompson, Michael Foster and Jamie Norton were recognised for their efforts to deny the avalanche.
The Lakers will find little joy ahead of their seasons end, a date with Melton, who are coming off the back of a loss against Darley.
East Point on the other hand face a must win game against North Ballarat at Mars Stadium.
STATS THAT CAUGHT THE EYE
Joe Dodd (East Point): 35 disposals, 12 score involvements, 12 marks
Liam Canny (East Point): 41 disposals, 19 contested possessions, 11 marks
Bayley Thompson (Lake Wendouree): 17 disposals, 9 pressure acts, 8 marks
COACHES’ VERDICT
Tim Shearer (Lake Wendouree): "(We) battled away today against a team still motivated by the chance of finals footy. Some small signs of progress there and looking forward to tackling Melton to finish our year."
Jackson Merrett (East Point): “Really strong performance across the board. We had a strong focus on denying Lakers scoring opportunities and to only concede three points in the first half was really pleasing. Some of our younger boys have also started to find their own at senior level.”
Darley
def.
Melton
Darley confirmed its premiership credentials with a hard fought 21-point win over ladder leaders Melton.
Dan Jordan's men are looking good at the right time of year with a sixth straight win, and their second in as many hitouts against the Bloods this year, extending their season record against fellow Eastern clubs to 7-0.
Those numbers mean very little in the grand scheme of things, more-so a feather in the cap to the Devils.
But there was plenty to like about Darley’s gritty win. Reigning Henderson Medalist Brett Bewley had the ball on a string while Billy Myers looked dangerous forward, finishing with a game high five goals.
There were plenty of contributors for the winners that could lay claim to playing their role and that's exactly the way the Devils would prefer it.
After trailing by one-point at quarter time, the Devils were able to get their noses in front at the half. It was the first time the Bloods had trailed at any break since their previous meeting in Round 8.
Strangely it was only the Bloods sixth game in 77 days and just the second hit-out against a top six opposition for the period.
Given a less than ideal preparation ,there was little surprise finding a few of the Bloods joining the casualty list in this battle of attrition.
Lachie Walker (knee), Lachie Watkins (ill), Ryan Carter (ill) and Brody Sullivan (ankle) will be monitored closely, eyeing a return for week one of the finals.
The Bloods have one last opportunity for a fine tune ahead of finals when they face the Lakers on Saturday.
Darley meet Sunbury who have lost their last three games on the trot and five of their last eight. Look out for a response from the Lions.
STATS THAT CAUGHT THE EYE
Brett Bewley (Darley): 33 disposals, 17 tackles, 12 contested possessions
Matt Denham (Darley): 22 disposals, 82% disposal efficiency, 8 score involvements
Jordyn Cotter (Melton): 33 disposals, 11 marks, 11 intercept possessions
COACHES’ VERDICT
Dan Jordan (Darley): "Thought our boys stuck to the task and executed our plan for 120 minutes. Good win against a quality side but lots to improve on."
Aaron Tymms (Melton): "Difficult day at the office. Effort was ok given we were down on numbers on the bench. but our method lacked polish. Darley better on the day."
Sebastopol
def.
Ballarat
The Burra impressed with an all the way, old fashioned thumping of Ballarat at Marty Busch Reserve last Saturday.
Coaching duo Luke Kiel and Michael Columbro acknowledged the four-quarter effort from their chargers, giving them an outside chance finishing as high as second on the BFNL table but no lower than third.
Fourteen Burras players hit the scoreboard in a game that resembled more of a free for all by nature the further the game went.
A staggering 50 shots on goal were recorded by the hosts who led by 44, 70 and 127 at the breaks before 151 points separated the two sides at the final siren.
The game’s end could not have come quicker for the Swans despite the efforts of usual suspects Daniel Kennedy, Will Garner, Will Liston and Paddy Simpson.
For the winners, their even spread of goalkickers were led by Jacob Wilkinson's four goal haul ahead of James Keeble and big man Arnold Kirby who booted three apiece.
While many of the Burras’ 22 could have ended up in the best given the one-sided nature of the affair, Ben Hutt, Bailey Medwell, Keeble, Toby Hutt, Tony Lockyer and Jacob Fletcher were recognised for their accumulation, compliance and work rate.
The Burras record in Ballarat is a stern warning for the broader competition having won all 12 games and not trailed once at half time.
Finals aspirant Redan will have an opportunity to buck the trend with an all-important meeting with the Burra on Saturday at Marty Busch Reserve.
Kiel and Columbro still have Riley O'Keefe, Jay Dalhaus and Jed Hill to return while Lachlan Cassidy got though unscathed with managed minutes returning from a hamstring strain.
STATS THAT CAUGHT THE EYE
Jesse Clark (Sebastopol): 25 disposals, 14 marks, 88% disposal efficiency
Arnold Kirby (Sebastopol): 26 hit outs, 24 disposals, 12 score involvements
William Liston (Ballarat): 25 disposals, 15 contested possessions, 12 tackles
COACHES’ VERDICT
Luke Kiel/Michael Columbro (Sebastopol): "Good four quarter effort. We controlled the game from the outset. We were able to execute the aspects of the game that we have been focusing on."
Chris Maple (Ballarat): "Credit to Sebastopol, they controlled all phases of the game from the outset. We were disappointed with our execution of the basic fundamentals of the game."
