NARRE Warren outscored Berwick 10 goals to four in the second half to defeat the home side by 27 points in glorious conditions.
Berwick has lost only once at Edwin Flack Reserve this year. By half-time, another win was on the cards but it wasn’t to be.
Andrew Tuck gave the Wickers a perfect start with a clever snap goal from a boundary throw-in.
Nathan Waite converted his chance from a free-kick, Paul van Schilt kicked truly from a 50m penalty and Andrew Morozoff goaled on a Berwick counter-attack.
Berwick was irrepressible; its ball movement was flawless and its players were prepared to run and link together.
Narre Warren settled with three of the last four goals of the quarter.
Berwick’s Nathan Page kicked the opening goal of the second term, before his direct opponent Josh Tonna quickly replied for the Magpies.
When van Schilt added two goals, Narre appeared in trouble, but the Magpies kept coming.
Goals to Col Harvey, Dylan Piening and a brilliant goal from the pocket by Justin Marriott closed the gap.
Berwick kicked the final two goals of the term, the last one from an undisciplined act and held a 13-point lead.
Narre Warren quickly overhauled its deficit, with two quick goals before Waite added another.
The Magpies claimed the lead with a long goal by Matt Olney and further goals saw Narre up by two goals at the final change.
Narre Warren controlled the final term and kicked four goals to two to seal the win.
Tempers flared on several occasions and as a result there were countless 50m penalties, which often resulted in goals.
Magpies champion midfielder Michael Collins further enhanced his Norm Walker medal fortunes with another dominant performance.
Collins won clearances, his field disposal was meticulous, and he slipped forward and kicked two goals.
Adam Giobbi was promoted from the under-18s three weeks ago and has played sound football at senior level.
Youngsters Ben King (half-back) and Josh Tonna (wing) played well, as did Col McNamara and Ben Wragg. Marriott kicked three goals.
“We probably didn’t match their desire in the second half. They just wanted it a bit more than us,” Berwick coach Dean Rice said.
“They were harder at the contest and ran harder. I thought our half was pretty good. We played the way we wanted to play. They lifted their intensity and we didn’t respond. We went back in our shell, which we’ve done a lot this year.”
Berwick’s inability to play the entire four quarters was costly.
“These guys are still learning, they’re a fairly young group,” Rice said.
“It has been an issue and it will always be an issue until the players really believe and understand what I’m trying to teach them. They played well for two quarters, dropped off for a quarter and then came back. It’s been that way for the whole year.”
Berwick’s high skill level, which was evident in the first half, fell away in the second half.
“Some players in our team make crucial mistakes at crucial times,” Rice said. “I said to them that Narre Warren is the type of team that really thrives on other teams turning the ball over and in the second half, we just made some critical mistakes and turned the ball over in critical positions and they pounced on it.”
Van Schilt was irrepressible for Berwick, kicking six goals from the midfield in a valiant display.
Wickers captain Jason Kelly and Adam Mott were sound in defence, while Brad Fowler and Jason Rahilly contributed around the ground. Ahmet Zijai was zippy around the packs.
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:ROC v PAKENHAM
PAKENHAM pulled away from ROC in the second half to record its sixth straight win. The Lions produced 13 goals to three after quarter-time en route to their 49-point win at Officer Recreation Reserve.
ROC took it up to its fancied opponents in the opening term, kicking five goals to three to lead by 14 points at the first change.
But with the Pakenham midfield getting first hands on the ball and Adam Cook, Cory Lenders and Joel Gibson forming a cohesive forward unit, the Lions slowly got on top.
Pakenham kicked six goals to one in the second term to hold a 22-point half-time lead.
The Lions outscored the home side seven goals to two to run out comfortable victors.
“I wasn’t overly pleased,” Pakenham coach Michael Holland said.
“We went over a few things on Thursday night and we really didn’t follow those plans until the last quarter.
“But in saying that, we played on a small ground against an opposition that I really think in the next couple of years will definitely be around the mark.
“If they can keep that core together, as well as Greg and Ben Tivendale, then they’ll be an exciting side.”
Holland said his team slowly worked itself into the game.
“We weren’t overly impressive early, but as the game wore on we started to play the brand of football we want to play and took control,” he said.
“The first quarter was them being good and us being lackadaisical. In the last quarter we played well, they started to run out of legs to a certain extent.”
Russell Lehman and Luke Walker formed a classy midfield duo for the Lions.
Other strong performers were the towering Kym Jones, the promoted Jason Williams, the versatile Nathan Lieshout and onballer Dean Blake.
ROC coach Greg Tivendale was injured before quarter-time and didn’t return to the field, robbing the Kangaroos of his drive and leadership.
ROC’s James Canty and Ben Johnson led their team with a strong showing in the midfield. Andrew Logan and Ben Tivendale were tidy in the back half, while Matthew Payne and youngster Blake Gilbert were serviceable.
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:HAMPTON PARK v DEVON MEADOWS
HAMPTON Park defeated Devon Meadows by 45 points in a dour affair at Robert Booth Reserve.
With just five goals kicked in the first half – three to the Redbacks – the home side was challenged by the lowly Panthers.
But a five-goal third term and an eight-goal second half secured the win for Hampton Park.
“It was just a game to be honest, we kicked the first couple and then it was a stalemate,” Hampton Park coach Clint Evans said.
“We played the first 15 minutes well and then we played well for 15 minutes in the third quarter and that was pretty much it.”
Devon Meadows’ spirit impressed Evans.
“They always have a crack and put you under pressure,” he said.
“They’re probably a couple of midfielders short, but they kept coming and they never gave up. It must be hard for them to be away from home all year, but they’ve stuck together, so credit to them.”
Despite having some of the competition’s premier forwards – Karem Baskaya and Kevin McLean – Hampton Park has kicked more than 100 points on just three occasions. It doesn’t have to rely on big scores to win games, as it has the stingiest defence in the competition.
Only one team (Pakenham) has kicked more than 100 points against the Redbacks.
“Our defence is probably our best asset,” Evans said. “I think at the moment we’re the best defensive side in the league and they say defence is better than good forwards.
“We don’t really smash sides, we get into a position where we’re five or six goals up, but we never seem to have a real big win.”
Evans is trying to alter the mindset of his players.
“The sides that are below us, the players sort of wait a bit and have a look at them and then go, OK, we’re good enough to beat them,” he said.
“Then when we meet the top sides, they think, right, we’ve got to be on our game all day. We’re 8-3 and we’ve been in every game, besides Paky, where we were beaten outright.
“We have been up for a while and injuries have played their part and it’s hard for blokes to keep it up every game. There was always going to be a downer and Pakenham were way too good for us.
“We came up against Keysborough and Devon Meadows and expected to come away with the points and that’s all we can do at the moment, keep winning.”
Michael McDonald, Luke Nunan and Jackson Dalton led Hampton Park consistently, while Dean Jamieson kicked four goals.
Devon Meadows’ better players were utility Taylor Kemp, hard-working captain Jess Dehey and ruckman Lukas Hoogenboom, along with Aaron Laing, David Velardo and Brandon Wapshott.
@BT Sub Sport Gaz:DOVETON v CRANBOURNE
CRANBOURNE shrugged off Doveton in the second half to record a 91-point win at Robinson Oval.
At half-time Doveton trailed by 14 points but was right in the game before fading badly.
“We expected a pretty tight start, which we got. They came out all guns blazing and we weathered the storm and then went on to a pretty solid win,” Cranbourne coach Doug Koop said.
“They had a really good desire to win the footy. They moved it quickly, they had blokes on the go and we found it hard to cover them. Unfortunately for them, they just couldn’t sustain it.”
