Grubbers in no position to relax
OCEAN Grove will resist the temptation to look too far ahead despite going a long way towards securing its spot in the BFL’s top five on Saturday.
The gutsy 21-point win over Geelong Amateur puts the Grubbers eight points clear inside the top five and just four points behind second-placed Anglesea, who they play this weekend.
But coach Paul Lynch said the Grubbers would be punished if they lost focus on what they needed to achieve in the short term. “Anyone can beat anyone,” Lynch said. “You’ve just got to make sure you’re on your game. Seven sides are in that range to play finals. You need to make sure you win enough games to make (finals). We think 10 will nearly get you in this year, so we’ve just got to make sure we win enough games to make it.
“We are pretty much just trying to lock down each week at the moment. We have Anglesea this week, which is another big game.”
Despite controlling large parts of the game, the Grubbers never really buried Ammos. And their poor kicking almost came back to haunt them, with Ammos getting back to within two points with 10 minutes gone in the final term.
But Ocean Grove responded with the final three goals to ice the match on a bitterly cold day.
“It was a pretty good win in the end. I felt we controlled 70 per cent of the game and probably inaccurate kicking left them in it,” he said.
“They nearly pinched it off us in the end. I thought we were the better side all day and it probably would have been a bit of an injustice if they had got up.”
Ruckman Andrew Jarvis was dominant in the middle of the ground, as were midfielders James Linton and Jahd Anderson. Brenton Adams and Harry Kershaw led the way for Ammos.
Anglesea welcomed Portarlington back to earth, smashing the Demons with a comprehensive 115-point win at Alcoa Oval.
Just seven days after stunning league powerhouse Geelong Amateur, the Dees could not repeat their efforts against the Roos, who methodically went to work to avoid another BFL boilover.
Anglesea bagged eight unanswered goals in the first quarter to have the game in the bag by the first break.
Power forwards Jordan Erskine (seven goals) and Dale Carson (four goals) did the damage, while Matt O’Dwyer and Jackson Bews were key players in the big win.
Lachlan Fearnsides kicked two of Portarlington’s five goals, while Isaac Holroyd was the Demons’ best.
But the weekend was not a complete write-off for Port though, with Fearnsides, Brock Williamson, Luke Williams, John Olliff and brothers Jordie and Tom Sabell committing to the club for next season. Modewarre kept itself within striking distance of the top five, with a strong second half leading it to victory against Drysdale.
The Warriors led by just 17 points at the main break, but ran away to a 38point win at Mortimer Oval.
Mitch Fisher kicked six goals and Josh Bouwman five to be among the Warriors’ best. Jayden Cogan and co-coach Josh Finch were also dominant.
Mitch O’Dowd kicked four goals for the Hawks to be his team’s best player.
Torquay’s class prevailed after quarter time, dispatching Newcomb by 79 points.
Leading by 12 points at the first break, the Tigers built on the lead at every change on the way to a crucial win.
They are now the frontrunners for fifth spot (or better), sitting one win inside topfive. Tom Diamond kicked five goals, while Billy Henderson snagged three.
David Sanzaro was Newcomb’s best, while Zac Smith and Andrew MeadHarding both kicked three goals.