Week Six Recap

It was the weekend of upsets and first up wins for many of our teams across Outer East FN over the weekend as the region once again braved some wet weather and got on with their football and netball competitions.

The headline act, without a doubt, is Yarra Junction getting the better of Kinglake in a match which has set the standard for the Eagles as they go up against its opponents for the remainder of the season.

Monbulk delivering the first loss of the season to Woori Yallock was also a shock, but to the Hawks’ credit, they worked really well as a team to beat the second placed Tigers to be deserving winners.

The Woori Yallock netballers and Pakenham Lions finally grabbed its first wins in premier division, while ROC turned it around in the last 15 minutes against Wandin to get the four points.

Emerald, Gembrook Cockatoo and Berwick Springs were the winners in Division One while Powelltown and Warburton Millgrove were the winners in the broadcast game on the football oval and the netball courts respectively.

In stunning fashion, Thornton Eildon took its first win of the season on its home deck while Upwey Tecoma gave Healesville its first loss of the season in the women’s football competition.

Read about all the weekends action across the region with the week six recap here:

Premier Data Premier Division Football

Playing at home for the first time this season, Pakenham took a big win against Upwey Tecoma to continue its strong run of form over the last month. Despite a slow start to the game with a three-point margin at three-quarter time, the Lions went up a notch from there kicking five goals to one in the second quarter and continued to build its lead as the match wore on, with eight goals to three in the second half. Despite its dominance after quarter time, the Lions wasted several opportunities to win by a bigger margin, as they finished with a score of 15.18-108. Cameron Debruin was the leading goalkicker with three majors while Liam Beacom kicked two for the Tigers.

Much like the game at Toomuc Reserve, Wandin and Officer were on even terms in the first 25 minutes, the Bulldogs taking a nine-point lead into the first break. From there, the home side stepped up to kick seven goals to none in the second quarter, effectively wrapping up the game by half-time. The Kangaroos put in a better performance in the second half to kick seven goals but were ultimately no match for Wandin as they took a 68-point win. Despite the wet conditions at different points throughout the afternoon, the Bulldogs will work on their scoring conversion in front of goal this week when they return to training given they finished with a score of 19.22.136. Patrick Hodgett and Clint Johnson kicked four majors each while Anthony Willenberg booted three goals for Officer.

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Ladder leaders Narre Warren were too good for Mount Evelyn when they travelled to the Yarra Valley to meet with their opponent for the first time, taking a 112-point win on a wet Saturday afternoon. The Magpies put in a consistent performance all day with an average score in each quarter of 45 points to build its lead throughout the game for what was a terrific team performance. The standout individual performances came from the likes of Will Howe, Jake Richardson and Kurt Mutimer who finished with seven, six and four goals to their name while Tom Miller, Declan Brown and Mitch Tonna were also named as their best players. On a tough afternoon for the Rovers, Michael Gibbons and Callum Urquhart tried their hearts out, kicking three goals each.

One of the big surprises of the weekend occurred in the upper Yarra Valley region with Monbulk defeating Woori Yallock by seven points to snap its unbeaten streak they held from the start of the season. With the momentum of the game swinging the way of each side, the Hawks were down by seven points going into the last break but worked hard to get themselves back into the contest, kicking five goals to three in the final 25 minutes snatch the result away from the Tigers. Taylor Joyce was a big influence for the Hawks up forward, finishing with four majors while Jude Hay and Josh Neal were big at the other end of the ground for the Tigers, sharing five goals between them.

BH Photography

Karcher Premier Division Netball

Pakenham Lions have grabbed their first win of season 2022 with an 18-goal victory against Upwey Tecoma on the courts of James Bathe Reserve. As the Lions controlled the game from start to finish, it was Mia Washington, Emma Jones and Caitlin Cooke who were judged as the best on court for the Lions, Washington herself finishing with 22 goals while Teah Edelmaier, Rachel Grawich and Charlotte Davies all put in their best efforts for the Tigers on a tough afternoon.

Despite being in front at every break, Wandin lost the lead in the final 15 minutes of its match against ROC, losing by five goals in what was a tough loss. Steely determined in its comeback to hit the front, the best performers for ROC came from the likes of Keeley Burgmann who shot 29 goals with great assistance from Sam Neil and Mikaela Dakic who were also named as their best players. For the Bulldogs, it was Emmalia Blake who was the leading goalshooter with 28 majors while Kali Dolphin, Maddy George and Madi Rouget starred for the home side.

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The matchup between Mount Evelyn and Narre Warren was a great spectacle for those who turned out at Mount Evelyn Recreation Reserve, but it was the Magpies who came away with the four points, keeping their noses in front by a slim margin for the entirety of the match to finish with a seven-goal victory. With regular goal shooter Erin Bell missing from the action, it was Chelsea Tonna and Jemma Osborne who stood up in her absence as they shot 17 and 13 goals respectively while Gabrielle Dwyer and Brittany Lamont were the best players. For the Rovers, it was Kaitlyn Black, Jacqui Black and Kaila Swindell who were best on court.

Woori Yallock have grabbed its first victory of season 2022 with a tight four-goal win over Monbulk on the courts of Don Road Sporting Complex in Healesville. In front for most of the match, the Tigers were deserving winners as they worked together throughout the game to keep their noses in front, as Elizabeth Murphy and Mia Sudomirski shared the goals between them. For the Hawks, it was Nicole Macdowell and Sophie Stubbs who put in their best efforts all day while Stephanie Puopolo finished with 37 goals.

Travelling down the hill to Holm Park, Olinda Ferny Creek took a big win over Beaconsfield with the final score showing 54-23. In a dominant performance where they fielded some players from its B Grade squad, the Bloods put in a good team performance where they worked well together across the day to produce the big score come the end of the day. Krista Tomlinson and Jessica Horner were the best on court for the Bloods while Hayley Howard shot 44 goals.

Community Bank Division One Football

Berwick Springs have made it two in a row with a 63-point win over Belgrave that pumped up its confidence levels further. Tom Nelson was the sharpshooter in front of goal with four majors but was closely joined by his teammates on the scoreboard with three each to Corey Green and Blake Simondson. With the Titans controlling the match from start to finish, they were well led by the efforts of Riley Hillman, Jayden Malek, Dysan Morris and Jarrod Hocking who were named as the best players. For the Magpies, it was Cal Stirling, Jayden Wood, Daniel Bennett, Brad Raaymakers, Aaron Johns and Byron Finnegan who put in their best efforts to be named best afield.

Emerald had the upper hand in its match against Healesville with a 56-point victory in the wet at Don Road Sporting Complex. In a match where the Bombers were in control for its entirety, Jordan Donadel, Dale Karacsoyni, Jarrod Donders, Callum White and Kieren Burns put in their best efforts for the Bombers to be named as the best on ground while Patrick Chin was an influence again in front of goal with four majors. For the Bloods who struggled to get going and lost all touch with their opponents, despite finishing better with three goals in the final quarter, they were well held up through the efforts of Dale Senior, Shaun Donkin, Tennyson Amarant, Cameron Nyko, Campbell Frazzetto and Will Kristelly-Kelety.

Kylie Rowe Photography

Gembrook Cockatoo continued to put its foot down in stamping themselves as a quality team in Division One, with a big win over Yarra Glen in wet conditions on a Saturday afternoon. Despite both sides starting slow in the first quarter, the Brookers took the momentum from there to maintain a five-goal buffer for two quarters before extending the lead again in the final quarter to finish with a 41-point win. Again, the Brookers had some prominent figures in front of goal with Jay Verhagen booting six majors while Myles Wareham finished with five goals. For the River Pigs who bounced back well after a big loss to Berwick Springs last week, they were well represented with Nathan McCulloch, Jason Godfrey, Sam Wood, Marcus Kikidopoulos, Sam Horsley and Jayden Schille starring as their best.

Karcher Division One Netball

Belgrave grabbed win number three of the season in its matchup against Berwick Springs over the weekend, beating the Titans 47 to 26. Playing on their brand-new netball courts for the second time, the Magpies performed with great pride in its quest to claim its first victory on its new court which brought great excitement to the home crowd. Ashlee Murphy was the leading goal shooter with 39 majors while Anna Carroll and Amy Robinson were named as best on court.

A close matchup between Yarra Glen and Gembrook Cockatoo was a great contest, with the River Pigs overturning a two-point deficit at half-time to hit the front and eventually win by five goals. Stephanie Gibbs was dominant in front of goal again as she scored 29 majors while her teammates in Jacqueline Hibberd and Lara Wandin Collins were regarded as the best players. For the Brookers, who are struggling to get a good run at it in the A grade competition, another loss was hard to absorb and they will work hard to turn things around to get themselves back on track if they are to be contenders later in the year.

The matchup we have all been waiting for between first and second on the ladder, Berwick and Seville, both of which were undefeated finally took place over the weekend, with Blues taking a superb victory on its home court. Despite closing the margin back in the final quarter from eight goals to put themselves in with a shot of potentially overruling the home side, the Wickers couldn’t quite pull it off come the final siren and will settle for second on the ladder. Gabrielle Duncan, Erin Baker and Emily Wicks were the best for Seville on a great afternoon while Emma Clarke, Kyla Quinn and Olivia Macente were the shining lights for Berwick.

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ATC Traffic Division Two Football

The match of the round contest between Warburton Millgrove and Powelltown was dominated early by the Demons who went into the quarter time break with a 32-point lead. Despite the best efforts of the Burras to try and get themselves back in the contest, who were without key players including superstar Mitch Bonuda, they were unable to stay in touch with the second placed Powelltown who did more than enough throughout the match to secure the four points. The Demons were well represented on the goalkicking list with five majors to full forward Michael Fowkes while Joel Perry, Garry Sheppard and Ben Wratten kicked four goals each. On an afternoon where the Burras’ effort could not be questioned, they also had some sharpshooters with Trent Elliott and Jack Farrigia kicking three each.

Without a doubt, the upset of the round across the Outer East FN region goes to Yarra Junction who got the better of Kinglake to record a 16-point victory in what is now regarded as a barometer for the Eagles which sets the standard for what they can achieve for the remainder of the season. In what was a terrific team performance, the Eagles got the game on their terms after half-time, overturning a seven-point deficit to hit the front but were well represented through the best efforts of Sam Cannon, Jared Derksen, Jesse Bombinski, Ewan Wadsworth, Tim Peters and Luke Spaulding, as Sam Morton led the goalkicking tally with four majors. On an afternoon where Lakers will rue its downfall in the second half, it was Leigh Gilbert, Matthew Coen, Aidan McErlain, Mason McAllister, Ethan Robinson and Bailey Robinson who tried their hearts out for them.

Karcher Division Two Netball

Warburton Millgrove were too good for Powelltown in the broadcast game of the weekend, taking a 21-goal victory on its home court at Mac Sparke Oval. In front from start to finish, the Burras had good influence from all players but it was Gabby Woods and Morgan Wyatt who were named on the best players list with Shae Gee being the leading goalshooter with 28. For the Demons, it was Olivia Caneva, Demi Barber and Maddalyn Beet who tried their hearts out while Amy Stanley shot 21 goals.

Yarra Junction grabbed its second win of the year with a nine-goal win when they travelled north to play Kinglake on their home court. Leading from start to finish, Claire Spicer and Stacey Davis were regarded as the best players for the Eagles while Jess Ellwood shot 32 goals. Billie Cvijetic, Natalie Gibson and Jacinta Benson were the best for Kinglake on an afternoon where they tried hard to keep themselves in it for much of the day.

In a one o’clock fixture on Saturday afternoon at Yea Showgrounds, Alexandra grabbed its third win of season 2022 with a 16-goal victory against Yea. With the scores level at quarter-time, the Rebels took the ascendency from there and controlled the match to the end and now sit in equal second with Broadford on the ladder. For the Tigers, it was another disappointing loss as they regroup and look ahead to its fixtures of this weekend.

Karcher Senior Women’s Football

Pakenham have continued its strong form from recent weeks, defeating Yarra Junction for the second time this season to the tune of 41-points. In what was the first match of the season on its home ground at Toomuc Reserve, the Lions were well represented through the likes of Courtney Stephens, Chloe Nagel, Abbey Tognazzini, Tayla Sbisa and Sarah Connelly who starred as their best players while Bianca Moody kicked five majors. On an afternoon where the Eagles put in their best efforts, it was Jade Radford, Michelle Goldsmith, Sarah Allsopp, Emily Spicer and Sarah Humphrey who were named as their best.

Thornton Eildon put in a huge effort over the weekend to grab its first win of season 2022, beating the travelling Seville outfit by 39-points. The Shinboners were in control for the entirety of the match, gradually piling on the goals throughout the game with Catherine Hoinville, Hannah Rusic, Lucy McRae, Emily Kerr and Auri Parker named best afield while Hilary Myles finished with four majors. For the developing Seville, it was their best performance of the season given they finished with its highest score to date.

For a match that started on relatively even terms with a one goal difference at quarter time, the remainder of the game between Olinda Ferny Creek and Belgrave failed to produce the spectacle that many were hoping for as the Bloods ran away with it in the end to take a 64-point victory, taking top spot on the ladder in the process. Phobe Dixon was the best on field for her side as she came up with four majors in front of goal while Maddie Collins, Vanessa Bateman, Lily Carlin, Alex Gunn and Casey Seymour were also judged as best afield.

The game to watch between Healesville and Upwey Tecoma was a great contest, as the Tigers got the better of the Bloods to put a stop to its unbeaten run. Kiana Oates, Cale McNess, Emma Caccetta, Rebecca Robinson, Corinna White and Leah Borg shone for the travelling Tigers as they slogged it out to put a terrific win together. Despite failing to kick a goal throughout the game, a loss of just 23-points and holding the Tigers goalless for two consecutive quarters meant it wasn’t a completely bad day for the Bloods as they showed they are still one of the better placed teams in the competition.

Kylie Rowe Photography