PENINSULA LEAGUE
IT took Mornington until the 16-minute mark of the final quarter to kick its one and only goal against Pines in MPNFL Peninsula Division on Saturday.
Billed as the match of the day, it was anything but that as Mornington struggled to get out of a canter.
Pines steamrolled the Dogs in every aspect of the game and in many instances, made the opposition look second rate. The score line of 13.14 (92) to 1.5 (11) was a true reflection of the contest.
Doggies coach Chris Holcombe described the performance of his side as “putrid”.
Holcombe said the team was made to “look slow and disinterested”.
Earlier in the day on the RPP Footy Show, Holcombe said that his side was much better placed this season than last and he was excited about taking on Pines at Pines.
Fast forward a few hours and Mornington suffered its worst loss in recent memory.
Holcombe agreed that it “was the worst performance from a Mornington side that I have seen since I arrived at the club more than 15 years ago”.
Take nothing away from Pines though.
Pines was well-structured, organised, committed and confident with ball in hand. It was a far cry from what it rolled out against YCW the week before although Pines was very ordinary against YCW, couldn’t have played much worse and still only lost by four goals.
Tim Bongetti and Aaron Edwards both came into the weekend’s game under an injury cloud but both impressed and booted seven goals between them.
Luke Potts in the middle of the ground was arguably the best player on the park while Nick Boswell absolutely dominated from half back. It took Mornington until midway through the last quarter to put a stopper on Boswell – it was way too late.
Corey Ash got the lockdown role on the dangerous Joel Miller and beat him, while Lachy Marshall and Jacob Boyle were super impressive.
Guy and Beau Hendry, along with Ben Thomas, completely shut down the Dogs forwards in Jackson Calder, Dale Whelan and Peter McGettigan. Calder only had a touch when he was moved back. McGettigan kicked the only Dogs’ goal and Whelan was nowhere to be seen.
Warwick Miller was head and shoulders better than any other Mornington player while Kalen Bird tried hard also. The Dog’s backs were under enormous pressure and Ryan Smith and Troy Kirwan did pretty well under the circumstances.
Seaford moved into the top three with a solid second half performance against Bonbeach.
While yours truly predicted before a ball had been bounced this season that Seaford would be the bolter, it was always going to take a game like this one against Bonbeach to get a true indication.
At half time, the jury was still out – the score was 2.11 to 2.4 with the Tigers winning more footy but not converting.
The Tigers though booted five unanswered goals in the third quarter and booted a further five in the last to Bonbeach’s one to win 12.14 (86) to 3.10 (28).
The Sharks were kept scoreless in the third quarter.
Damian Rayson arrived with big wraps this season and completely dominated on Saturday with three goals.
Rourke Fischer is back to his best and Dean Williamson is one of the best players in the competition. They were all dominant on Saturday.
Matt Douglas and Owen Hulett were the best of the Sharks, while Jackson Casey continues to put a case forward for an interleague call-up.
Chelsea made it two wins on the trot with a hard fought 7.14.56 to 8.5.53 win against Karingal.
The Gulls set-up the win with a three goal to zip first quarter. Karingal made a run in the last, keeping Chelsea goalless but four points was enough to give the home side a victory.
Daly Shannon was arguably the best player on the ground while James Brain and Simon Mitchelhill were also outstanding in the win.
Jake Kelly and Aisea Valenti were the best of the Bulls while Damian Ashcroft booted three goals and was lively.
Frankston YCW remains undefeated at the top of the ladder after knocking over Edithvale, 16.15 (111) to 12.5 (77).
The Stonecats had a number of their VFL-listed players running around, including Lachy Wallace, who booted four goals and BJ Credlin, who dominated across half back. Macklin Raine also dominated for the Stonecats and there’s no question that he’s ready to take over the mantle of Ash Eames when the time comes.
Steve Mannix and Craig Wray were the best of the Eagles.
Mt Eliza got the four points against Langwarrin.
The game didn’t reach any great heights with the Mounties keeping Langwarrin goalless in the opening half. The margin was 33 points at the big break.
The Kangas responded a little more in the second half, booting four goals to Mt Eliza’s six but still went down 11.13 (79) to 4.11 (35).
First published in the Mornington News – 9 May 2017
