Springvale Districts was outpointed by a more determined and efficient Bentleigh at Newcomen Rd on Saturday.
Kicking against the breeze in the first quarter, David Ford opened the scoring, converting from a mark in front. The visitors were having the better of the arm wrestle in the middle and kicked the next four goals. Brendan Ashman, Richard Gee and Justin Doust also hit the scoreboard late in the first quarter to bring us within five points of an accurate Bentleigh.
Above: Kris Merz is tackled
The intensity of the match lifted in the second quarter and it was the bad guys who responded best. Our quarter with the wind was punctuated with poor foot skills and decision making. We were not winning the contested footballs and allowed Bentleigh too many unpressured possessions. The result was a goal-less quarter for the good guys, whilst the bad guys kicked three.
The second half did not start well as we conceded four unanswered goals in quick time. The Bentleigh forward line was getting too much supply for our backline to contend with. Pleasingly we fought hard for the latter half of the quarter and didn’t allow any more goals through. Late goals to Kris Merz and Brendan Ashman gave us a faint glimmer of hope at three-quarter time.
Above: Gav Vassallo punches forward
That hope was quickly extinguished as Bentleigh slammed on the first two goals of the final quarter. Again we fought on kicking the next five goals. When Brendan put through his fourth of the day we had returned some respectability to the scoreboard. In truth the final result flattered us as we were soundly beaten by a better side on the day.
As mentioned Brendan Ashman(below) enjoyed a fruitful return to the side winning many clearances and finishing with four goals. Danny Wilson battled hard in the ruck and received good support from Matt Campbell and David Monaghan. Kris Merz did a fine job on a very good player for nearly three quarters before he was moved into the forward line where he kicked a couple of goals. We need to regroup quickly before we face Hampton.
The undermanned reserves could hold their heads high following a gutsy effort. We were left short with last-minute withdrawals and have been hard hit by injury in general. We were in the match for three quarters before the visitors ran away with the game.
Veterans Lukas Bray and Brad Scott were among the best along with the consistent Paul Hill and Luke Wenke. Brad Dight and Clain also pressed claims for a senior recall.
Last Modified on 11/05/2013 22:44