Melton Central secured its 2012 seniors finals berth with a strong 18-point win over reigning premier Romsey at Romsey Park. The Sunbury Kangaroos fought hard to eliminate Wallan from the finals race with a 14-point victory. Diggers Rest was clinical in its 61-point victory over Broadford thanks to five goals from Dan McCabe. Max Ambler led Woodend/Hesket to its fifth win of the season over Lancefield by 18 points and Riddell held Rockbank scoreless until the final term on the way to a 125-point win.
Melton Central showed true fighting colours in its win at Romsey Park. It led at every change against the reigning premier in muddy and slippery conditions that made goal-scoring difficult. The Redbacks have dropped their last two games but will draw great enthusiasm from the likes of Nathan Stephens, Tom Conlon and Marc Douthwaite who have performed well in limited time in the firsts. Brad Mitchell established himself as a Bowen Medal contender with a starring performance in the midfield. Centrals ruckman Steve James could not be stopped as the best dominant tall on the ground. Shane Fredrickson, Matt Gillman and Josh Armstrong showed great skill and held firm against the star-power of Romsey. The win sets them up with a possible rematch with the Redbacks at the same venue in week one of the finals.
The Bombers had five multiple goal-scorers in their 125-point win over Rockbank. Riddell had 42 scoring shots to two on a very muddy playing field, led by Dan Sahlberg and four goals from Haydn Ross. Jamie Zerafa and Russell Rich were among the solid contributors for the Rams. The Fonua brothers were in fine touch for the Tigers who lost to the Hawks by three goals. Seven players shared seven goals across the game. Max Ambler was at his dashing best while Matt Quinn had the better of the ruck duals for the Hawks who led at every change. Kane Murphy starred for the Kangaroos in their 14-point victory. The Reserves and Under 18.5s matches were cancelled due to flooding on the Boardman Reserve. Fortunately the game was able to go ahead for the seniors and it was a titanic battle for the duration of it all. Chris Boxtel starred and Shannon Galea kicked two for the Pies who couldn't stop Matt Leonard and Adam Walsh winning the ball to set up a strong win and back-to-back matches against Diggers Rest in the coming weeks. Dan McCabe and Col Laurie were unbeatable for the Burras in their win over Broadford at the Harley Hammon Reserve. Gleeson and Littlewood added goals for the Roos in the final term to get their team on the board. Craig Marshall pushed his case for the Bowen Medal with another best-on-ground performance for Diggers Rest.
Last Modified on 21/08/2012 11:59