Redbacks thrive in the wet
By: Samuel Zito
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Four quarters of tough and disciplined football enabled Panton Hill to romp to an 81-point victory over Parkside in heavy conditions at Ben Frilay Oval.
The Redbacks won all four quarters in the 16.12 (108) to 3.9 (27) victory, a result which all but confirms the club will win its second-consecutive minor premiership.
Skipper Will Box played a superb game across half back, while ruckman Tristan Kreymborg and midfielders Anthony Bryce and Tim Duckworth also played telling roles in the win.
Importantly, Abe Williams got through his first game of the season unscathed and was one of Panton Hill’s better players on the day.
Williams thrived in the wet conditions and his ability to win the hard ball and pressure opposition midfielders could well be a telling factor in the impending finals series.
Forwards Ben Finnin (four goals) and Zac Williams (three goals) were able to take some telling marks inside attacking 50m and looked dangerous right throughout the entire afternoon.
Parkside was well served by Darren and Jamie Gresham, while Jordan Venables, Michael Sabelberg and Brad Hockey never stopped trying despite the lop-sided scoreboard. Unfortunately it was not able to convert early in the game when it looked right in the contest.
Parkside did look capable of causing an upset win early in proceedings, however errant kicking at goal left the Devils 25 points down at quarter time – a margin not befitting the tight contest.
The Devils kicked a wasteful 1.4 from a high number of forward entries, with at least three of those behinds kicked from set shots within 25m of goal.
Panton Hill, on the other hand, was ruthlessly efficient when going inside its attacking half as Finnin kicked two of his side’s five first quarter goals.
Parkside had the best of the opening five minutes of the second term, but was again unable to convert its dominance into scoreboard pressure. The Devils kicked the first two behinds of the term before Panton Hill tore the game apart.
Abe Williams, Anthony Bryce and Simon Amore began to dominate through the midfield as the Redbacks kicked the only five goals of the term. The ever-lively Tim Duckworth kicked two of those goals, one from a Williams pass and the other after taking advantage of a Finnin free kick.
Leading by 51 points at the main break, the Redbacks could have been forgiven for taking their foot off the gas in the second half. However, Dean Haydock’s side continued on its ruthless way in the third term.
Panton Hill again kept Parkside goalless for the quarter and added another three majors down the other end to stretch its buffer to 72 points at the last change.
The margin looked like stretching beyond triple digits when Jarrod McGough, Kreymborg and Amore kicked goals within five minutes of each other in the final term.
Kreymborg’s goal was the highlight after taking a big pack mark, unperturbed by the heavy and greasy ball.
After going near on three quarters without kicking a goal, Parkside’s long drought was broken when Thomas McKinlay converted a 50m penalty. A late Nick Burton goal gave the Devils their third and final goal of the day.
Panton Hill next travels to Whatmough Park to take on St Mary’s, while Parkside hosts Thomastown at Pitcher Park.
Final score: Panton Hill 16.12 (108) def Parkside 3.9 (27)
Last Modified on 21/07/2013 21:07