FOUR quarters of class football and a tengoal haul by Matt Castricum gave ROC seniors a percentageboosting 152point win over Keysborough on Saturday.
ROC was too strong all over the ground for the home side although it did offer some resistance in the first quarter.
Ben Tivendale had an outstanding game on a wing and his pace and positional play was too much for the undermanned opposition to match.
The skill and experience of Clint Williams, the attack on the ball by Brenton Cowell and the strength of Matt Castricum were highlights of a good team effort.
The task now remains for the Kangaroos to continue their current form and maintain a tough mental approach in the two remaining homeandaway games.
With a number of players still to return to the squad, pressure for places in the senior team will intensify over the coming weeks as the fight to gain a finals’ spot hots up.
Scores: ROC 28.26.194 d Keysborough 6.6.42.
Goals: Matt Castricum 10, Jarrod Goodes 3, Ben Tivendale, Brenton Cowell, Steve Pursell, Dean Blake and Callum White 2, Clint Williams, Dan Johnson, Kevin Quinn and Nathan Jones 1.
The Elders WGF Player Awards went to Ben Tivendale, Matt Castricum, Clint Williams, Jarrod Goodes and Brenton Cowell.
RESERVES
ROC hit the front early against Keysborough with a fivegoal firstquarter burst and ran out easy winners.
The windy conditions made accurate kicking difficult, but the Kangaroos played the conditions well and with their multipronged attack simply had too many options up forward for Keysborough.
Luke Byrne starred in the centre and was easily best on ground, beating several opponents as he gathered possessions at will.
Peter Tucker celebrated his 21st birthday with a strong game around the ground and continually drove the ball towards goal to the advantage of the leading forwards.
Steve McIntyre had another big game, bagging seven majors with Chris Jones and Andrew Tucker also among the goals with four each.
Scores: ROC 21.17.143 d Keysborough 2.7.19.
Goals: Steve McIntyre 7, Chris Jones and Andrew Tucker 4, Steve McIntyre and Luke Byrne 2, Jarred Day and Scott Haughton 1.
The Shanika’s Restaurant Berwick Player Awards went to Luke Byrne, Chris Jones, Steve McIntyre, Scott Haughton and Brendan Stanton.
UNDER 18
The final score didn’t do justice to the young Kangaroos’ efforts against Keysborough, as the home side powered away in the last quarter after a close struggle for most of the game.
ROC opened the scoring with the first two goals before Keysborough was able to get its running game going and turned the match into a tight and entertaining contest.
The size and experience of the opposition began to tell as it gradually wore the smaller Kangaroos down and in the last quarter was just too strong.
Scores: Keysborough 16.13.112 d ROC 7.4.60.
Goals: Steve Borlase and Nathan Phillips 2, Jamie Glen, Brendan Graham and Max Sanderson 1.
The Hermitage Homes Player Awards went to Sean Sullivan, Nick McLennan, Max Sanderson, Tyson Carey and Nathan Phillips.
