By PEPPE CAVALIERI - Division 1 Seniors
DEER Park consolidated its position inside the top three after an impressive 31-point win over Hoppers Crossing on Saturday.
The Lions were forced to come from three-points down at three quarter time, but won off the back of a six-goal-to-one final term.
Shannon Byrnes and James Condos booted four goals each for Deer Park, while Tim Knight was judged best afield.
The result leaves the Warriors fifth on the ladder, two games outside the top three, and only percentage clear of Albion, who are sixth.
The Cats notched their third win of the season at the weekend, beating Wyndhamvale by 40-points, and their position at 3-3 highlights the evenness of the Division 1 competition.
Playing coach Chris O’Keefe was Albion’s best, alongside Mark Polycarpou, while Sean Moyle kicked four goals, and Paul Cutajar-Milosev and Kevin Upton snagged three each.
The Falcons were again well served by Kior Bol, Liam Jones and Liam Scarborough.
A seven-goal haul from Mitch Turnbull has led Altona to a 27-point win against Caroline Springs.
The Viking’s second win of the season leaves them remarkably just one game outside the top five.
Jay Paton and WRFL interleague skipper Joel Magnabosco were among Altona’s best players, while a much improved effort from the Lakers saw Will Markovski, Lewis Tudor and Doug Thomas impress.
Another powerful display by Spotswood saw the Woodsmen maintain their unbeaten start to the season, beating St Albans by 42-points.
Lachie Fairley, five goals, Dylan Callard, four goals, and Wayne Patak, four goals, were prolific up front, while Nayef Hamad continued his sparkling form with a best-on-ground performance.
The Saints spread their load well with 11 individual goal-scorers, but couldn’t match the class of Spotswood.
Sunshine shook a stubborn Werribee Districts side in the second half on Saturday to win by 63-points.
The Roos continue to impress in Division 1, second on the ladder with just one loss and a healthy percentage.
The Tigers led by a point at half-time, but Sunshine piled on 13 goals to two in the second half to seal the win.
Four goals to Daniel Castellano were important for the Roos, while Liam Cavanagh again marshalled the defence with aplomb.
Joe Halloran didn’t miss a beat for the Tigers after a long time in hibernation due to injury, in a welcome effort for his club.
In Round 7, Spotswood faces a stiff challenge in Hoppers Crossing as it eyes its seventh straight win to start the season. Home turf could prove the decisive factor here.
Deer Park can further consolidate its place in the top three when it takes on Werribee Districts, while the Tigers will be barely clinging to the five should they go down.
While Altona has been hit and miss in the first month and a half, you would expect the Vikings to get past Wyndhamvale.
Already reeling at 2-4, every win will be like gold for Altona.
With the openness of the competition in 2017, the Albion-St Albans clash will be played with vigour.
Lightning usually doesn’t strike twice in the same place – at least the Cats hope not – and on form, they should fancy their chances.
While Caroline Springs were much better at the weekend, the Lakers will struggle to combat the in-form Sunshine on Saturday. The Roos should notch their sixth win.
ALTONA LEAP INTO FIRST PLACE
By CONNOR PAIN – Division 1 Reserves
Altona has jumped to the top of the ladder with a 67-point win over Caroline Springs, Matthew Davis’ five goals leading the way.
Altona started slowly, kicking just two goals in the first term, but blew the game open in the second term booting four majors, which equalled Caroline Springs’ total goals scored for the day.
The Vikings led at each break, its defence holding the Lakers to just two goals through the first three quarters to run out 13.13. (91) to 4.0. (24) winners.
Round Seven will see Altona host bottom of the table Wyndhamvale, while the Lakers will look to bounce back from its third loss of the season when they take on Sunshine.
Five goals in the last term helped the Werribee Districts force a draw against second-placed Sunshine, 12.12. (84) to 13.6. (84).
The Districts were the stronger team in the first half, leading at both breaks and headed into half time winning by 14-points.
Sunshine turned its pressure up in the third, booting five goals to one to overtake the home side and take its own 14-point lead into the final change.
Both sides hit the scoreboard in the final term, but it was Werribee’s five majors that helped it come from behind and earn the first draw of the season.
The draw drops Sunshine to second place on the ladder, as Werribee now sits just two competition points from the top four. A win against Deer Park this week (and other results going its way) could see them jump into it.
Spotswood’s third win of the season sees them move into fourth position on the ladder following its 18.9. (117) to 6.5. (41) thumping of St Albans.
The Woodsmen came out firing and never looked like losing, booting eight goals to one in the first half, to all but sew up the win.
St Albans now sits 1-5 and will need to string several wins together if they want to get back into finals contention, starting with Albion this weekend.
In other results, Hoppers Crossing defeated Deer Park in the Grand Final re-match. The Warriors won by 29-points.
Albion also scored its first win of the season, defeating Wyndhamvale by 79-points.
Last Modified on 22/05/2017 11:09