VAFA ROUND 2.indd - Victorian Amateur Football Association

DIVISION 2
Jonno Nash
TOO CLOSE
TO CALL
And we’re off. The umpires have blown their
whistles and waved their flags. The supporters
ate their pies and even bought their raffle tickets.
Premiership flags were unfurled and new recruits
have been revealed. What happened during these
round one festivities?
If R1 is a true harbinger of the season ahead, then
we’re set for a season too close to call. Four of the
five games were decided by less than four goals in
unpredictable autumn conditions last weekend.
La Trobe University, the obvious exception,
trumped former Div 1 side Aquinas. Last year, two
divisions separated these sides but on Saturday it
was the distant margin of 95 points. Whether it’s
the feared fortress of La Trobe Uni or Aquinas’ early
season jitters, the true difference was La Trobe’s
ability to find scoring opportunities against a
strong breeze. Aquinas failed to influence the
scoreboard for half the game - scoreless in the
second and fourth quarters. No doubt La Trobe
will be excited about their triumph, particularly
with the balance of their team’s goal kickers.
Patten and Nalder booted three majors as
Toomey jagged a couple for the away side.
Sure, La Trobe University appears to be the beast
that every one wants to slay and after Therry
Penola’s strong win, their sword appears to be
the sharpest. In an arm-wrestle affair, Therry
Penola held off a resurgent South Melbourne
Districts by eight points. Recently appointed
captain Jarrod Eggleston lead from the front and
provided a platform for George’s six sausage rolls.
Mahoney was a consisted performer for South as
was Costello who jailed a lazy four. It was Therry
Penola’s five goal to two second quarter that
allowed the Old Boys to run away winners.
A second half revival helped Glen Eira overcome
St John’s by 11 points at Thomas Carroll Reserve.
In a game that gave the goal umpires a heavy
workout (an aggregate total of 33 goals), no one
could trouble the Boydster. His five goals along
with O’Donnell’s four proved to an unstoppable
powerhouse marriage that will challenge future
opposition defenses. Glen Eira’s O’Connor should
be expecting a call from Australia Post later this
week. His efficient delivery to teammate Costas
(three goals) was not even an express package and,
according to supporters, arrived instantaneously.
Emmaus St Leos controlled match their round
one play against Eltham, kicking away victors by
23 points. Eltham held a 10-point advantage at
the major break before Robin delighted Emmaus
fans, finishing with six goals. Richardson’s
forward delivery played a big part in Ciavola’s
bag of seven.
After leading for much of the game, Old
Westbourne fell short of a fairytale start to the
season, losing to St Mary’s Salesian by eight
points. St Mary’s played catch-up football from
as early as the first quarter, trailing by 23 points
at the first break. Stiles and Lockwood proved
barometers of a controlled Old Westbourne side
but were diffused by the ball-winning heroics of St
Mary’s Murphy and Dwyer.
TODAY: Weather could play a decisive role this
week, with precipitation heavier in some areas
than in others. Look for Aquinas to regroup and
recover from their horror season start. Eltham,
on the other hand, may be in a position to take
TODAY
Selections in BOLD
LA TROBE UNIVERSITY v ST MARY‘S SALESIAN
OLD WESTBOURNE v EMMAUS ST LEOS
ELTHAM v AQUINAS
ST JOHNS v THERRY PENOLA
STH MELB DISTRICTS v GLEN EIRA
10 THE AMATEUR FOOTBALLER 2011
SPORTS INJURY CASUALTY - 316 Malvern Road, Prahran