General News
8 August, 2024
Demons have sword drawn
FIFTH spot on the Loddon Valley ladder and a place in the finals is at stake on Saturday when Calivil and Newbridge clash at the Demons’ home ground. Calivil’s nine-point win over Inglewood in round 16 kept alive the Demons’ finals chances...
FIFTH spot on the Loddon Valley ladder and a place in the finals is at stake on Saturday when Calivil and Newbridge clash at the Demons’ home ground.
Calivil’s nine-point win over Inglewood in round 16 kept alive the Demons’ finals chances, while snuffing out the Blues’ faint top-five hopes.
Newbridge sits fifth, on the same number of points as Calivil but with a 12 per cent buffer that will be hard to make up with only two rounds remaining.
The Maroons face winless Mitiamo in the last round, while Calivil has a tough task away to Bridgewater, so the Demons will need to put Newbridge to the sword and hope for shock results the following week.
Inglewood started strongly against Calivil, with playing coach Fergus Payne prominent and young gun Gabe Nevins slotting a superb running goal from outside the 50m arc as the Blues held a one-goal lead over the visitors at quarter-time.
From there on, the Demons held sway, with only poor shooting for goal – they had 26 scoring shots to 18 – keeping them from a bigger win.
An outstanding goal from the boundary line after the three-quarter time siren by Ben Baker sent Calivil into the last term on a high, and although a Payne running goal narrowed the margin and gave Inglewood hope, a major from Thomas Piazza sealed the Demons’ victory.
Sam Maher, Cody Thompson and Lewis Fisher were best for Calivil, with Baker’s four goals also playing a significant part. Payne was excellent for Inglewood, with a towering mark in the third term a highlight, while full-forward Will Allen marked strongly on his way to four goals. Callum March and Luke Matheson also had good games.
Marong officially sealed top place on the ladder with a merciless 183-point win over Maiden Gully, while Bears Lagoon Serpentine went one better with a 184-point victory against hapless Mitiamo.
The Panthers led by more than 100 points at half-time, with Maiden Gully scoreless. The Eagles total score of 1.1 was kicked in the third quarter while Marong continued on its marauding way with eight goals in the third and six goals in the last term.
Jonty Davis was best afield for the Panthers, while Kain Robins’ six goals kept him in third place on the league goalkicking list. Todd Davies and Ryley Taylor also were dominant in the massive win. For Maiden Gully, Josh Worsley worked hard along with Ed Crisp and goal scorer Declan Phyland.
Pyramid Hill also recorded a percentage booster, thumping Newbridge by 115 points at the Maroons’ riverside home. The Bulldogs were always in control and led by more than 10 goals at the main break.
Bailey George, Ben Knight and Steven Gunther stood out for the winners, while the consistent Zach Alford kicked four goals. For the home side, Tyler McLeod, Kobe Friswell and Tyler Constable were best.
While Marong will finish top, the battle for the double chance is still alive, with Serp just four points ahead of Pyramid Hill but facing a bye in the final round.
Pyramid Hill, with matches against Inglewood and Maiden Gully and a much better percentage than the Bears, is favoured to finish second, with Bridgewater settled in fourth place barring upsets in the final rounds.