The Preston Bullants have suffered their second consecutive loss of the season, falling agonisingly short to Melbourne High School at Ruthven Reserve on Saturday.
Lachlan Holmes had an opportunity to steal victory with a set shot after the siren, however his kick fell short to seal the three-point defeat.
Preston slumped to third on the ladder following the contest trailing an undefeated St. Johns and West Brunswick with a 3-2 record.
Inaccuracy in front of goal and failure to capitalise on chances were the major factors in the match, with Melbourne holding the Bullants to just three minor scores with a wind advantage in the second term.
MHSOB used that same breeze to kick away to a 27-point advantage at the final change of ends, using three goals from Kane Smith to gain the ascendancy.
Preston nearly overturned that deficit in the final quarter by registering ten shots on goal in the last quarter, utilising an adherence to the game plan and a desire to play on at every opportunity.
However, the Bullants left too little for too late as Melbourne withstood the mounting pressure by locking the ball up and taking valuable seconds off the clock.
Liam Carter stood his opponent well at Centre Half Back to be one of Preston’s best by forcing turnovers with his aerial prowess in the centre corridor.
Chris Polidoras and Jay Phelan excelled in the stoppage-based contest, extracting the ball for teammates on numerous occasions.
Kent Beaumont was the only multiple goalkicker for Preston with two goals for the afternoon bringing his tally to seven goals in three games.
Preston now head away to Patterson Oval to take on the fourth-placed Yarra Valley in a crucial game at 2pm on Saturday.
Preston Bullants 7. 16. (58) def. by
MHSOB 9. 7. (61)
Goal Kickers: K. Beaumont 2, P. Sansonetti, D. Marcon, M. Cigagna, C. Polidoras, G. Warton
Best Players: O. Clark, C. Polidoras, N. De Andrade, M. Cigagna, A. Ricco, G. Warton
Last Modified on 19/05/2016 17:31