VAFA ROUND 2.indd - Victorian Amateur Football Association

DIVISION 3
Rich Hummerston
FIRST
REVELATIONS
Call me sad, socially inept, a recluse or any
other slanderous name you can think of, but
I enjoy nothing more then the first Saturday
night of the season, logging on to vafa.com.au
and trawling through the results.
Apart from identifying the biggest flogging of
the round, Round 1 results can be particularly
useful in dispelling the rumours and innuendo
from the long summer and identifying potential
candidates for your number 1 tagger.
In Division 3 last week we had an array of
results that perhaps created more questions
then answers. Where is Glen Francis? Has
the hype behind Prahran-Assumption been
unwarranted? Can the Gryphs go back-to-back?
All of these will undoubtedly be answered as
the season unfolds, but for now, let’s just stick
with round 1.
Google maps and car-pooling were the themes
of the week at Ivanhoe has they trudged out to
the far eastern suburbs to kick off their season
against D4 runners up Lilydale. Albeit with a
handy breeze, Lilydale soon asserted that they
could kick-it with the big boys, going into the
first break with a 4-goal buffer and looking
right at home in Div 3. But Ivanhoe, aided by the
Lilydale Doctor, and Julian Holland (7 goals) put
together an outstanding final term, booting 6
goals and inevitably a three goal victory.
In arguably the most anticipated game in
Div 3, the new alliance between Prahran
and Assumption were pushed right to the
dying seconds by Yarra Valley. Slotting the
first five goals of the match, it appeared the
early premiership favouritism was warranted.
However determined to give faith to the rest
of the competition, Yarra Valley stood tall and
exchanged goal for goal right until the final
siren, falling short by a mere 2 points. Damien
Pagan earned best afield honours while Peter
Cristoforo ensured Prahran got the 4 points.
In contrast to their D4 counterparts Mt Lilydale,
Monash got off to a slow start giving up the first
4 goals to Hawthorn and looking inferior to the
well-drilled Hawks. Bestowing it upon himself
to lead the team to victory as he so often did
last year, Lee Wells with his supporting cast put
the Gryphs in good stead for a round 1 victory
at the last break. It would be a lamentable
final term for the Hawks with wayward kicking
tainting the scoreboard, handing victory to
Monash by 13 points.
UHS-VU played host to Elsternwick in a game
that had the punters salivating, with both sides
pitted as premiership contenders. Determined
not to disappoint, both sides put on highly
skilful and well fought first term. Unfortunately
for the animated crowd and the ‘Wicks’ the
measly 9 points separating the two sides at the
first break would be the smallest margin of the
match owing to flawless delivery from Sean
Desbois and Thomas Godsell helping himself
to 4 goals and UHS-VU to a 51 point victory.
Kew and West Brunswick were rightly put in
their place with both teams proudly displaying
new recruits, coaches and game plans in a
free-flowing and entertaining contest. While a
dominant 3rd quarter lead by Anthony Gibson
for West Brunswick ensured the visitors would
take the chocolates, Kew can take plenty from
the game and will be better for the run.
TODAY
Selections in BOLD
ELSTERNWICK v KEW
PRAHRAN ASSUMPTION v MONASH GRYPHONS
IVANHOE v UHS-VU
WEST BRUNSWICK v POWER HOUSE
HAWTHORN v YARRA VALLEY
ALBERT PARK v MT LILYDALE
12 THE AMATEUR FOOTBALLER 2011
SPORTS INJURY CASUALTY - Get back in the game