Anakie almost pulled off a come-from-behind victory against Belmont Lions on Saturday, falling short by four points after taking the lead against the odds late in the final quarter.
The Lions lead for most of the afternoon after kicking the first five goals of the game, holding Anakie to just one behind in the opening term.
Anakie returned the favour in the second quarter, restricting the Lions to just one behind against the breeze.
Without any dominant forward performances, scoring was spread evenly, with both teams boasting eight individual goal-scorers.
Ash Cowland was best afield for the Lions, while Daniel Atkinson, Leighton Bound and Ben Millar were great in defence.
For Anakie, Daniel Ladgrove, Corey Collins and Jamie Pitman were solid, while ruckman Luke Wilson continued to regain form and confidence.
Werribee Centrals held Winchelsea goalless until the final term on the way to a 182-point win at Galvin Park on Saturday.
The Centurions started well, kicking 12 goals in the first half, and were even better after the main break, adding a further 17 goals to their tally.
Timothy Arceri was the Blues only goal-scorer, while Werribee’s 29 goals came from 10 players, with Craig Rosenzweig leading the way with six goals.
On-baller Phil Jones was again a standout, and showed a different dimension to his game with a five-goal haul taking his season tally to 14.
The big win means the Centurions will take good momentum going into next week’s elimination final against East Geelong.
Thomson bounced back from last week’s surprise loss to beat Inverleigh by 89-points at Inverleigh on Saturday.
After a fairly closely contested first half, Thomson kicked it up a gear in the second half to pull away, kicking 11 goals to three after the main break.
Luke Forbes slipped back into the line-up like he’d never been away, kicking 10 goals in another sensational performance up forward.
There were contributors all over the ground and, more importantly, no injuries to the Tigers who have been hit hard in that department in recent weeks.
Midfielder Clayton Trotter was the best of the Hawks, while Matthew Carr (three goals) led the home side’s goal-scoring.
Thomson now faces Bannockburn – the team that beat them a week ago – in a tantalising rematch in the qualifying final on next week.
East Geelong earned a spot in the elimination final next week after a comprehensive 121-point win over Corio at Shell Oval on Saturday.
Corio was able to keep in touch with East Geelong until quarter time with the wind advantage, but the Eagles pulled away with a 7.4 to 1.0 second term, increasing their lead as the game went on.
Josh Bouwman was outstanding once again at half forward, kicking eight goals for the afternoon, including five goals in East Geelong’s break-away second quarter.
Jake Loverso-Kanellos, an Under-18s player, was great on the wing, and kicked a goal in his fourth game for the seniors.
Back pocket Rhys Marshall was the best of the Devils, while the younger players at Corio again put up a good fight.
Only a point separated Geelong West and Bell Post Hill at quarter time, but the reigning premiers pulled away after the first break, and didn’t concede another goal for the game en route to an 81-point win.
The Panthers’ miserly defence has conceded only 880 points this season – by far the lowest in the GDFL – and again showcased their ability to restrict opposition scoring opportunities on the weekend, allowing only two behinds in the final three quarters.
On-baller Joel Page was named best on ground for the Cheetahs, while midfielder Shane Tobin wasn’t far behind.
The Panthers were far from one-dimensional in attack, with their 14 goals coming from nine players, with no player kicking more than two goals.
Conversely, Jacob Cogger and Daniel Harrison were the only scorers at Geelong West.
Robbie Sims, Blake Roberts, Robbie Hilton and Cogger were again among the best for the Cheetahs who are establishing a good core of players.
Last Modified on 20/08/2012 08:30