ROC buries Burra’s season

ROC effectively crushed what little hope Keysborough had of making this season’s finals in a barnstorming 12-goal final-term blitz at Starling Road on Saturday.
The Kangaroos rampaged to a 51-point victory in the inaugural Ian McLean Cup game, after trailing the visitors at the final change and sounded a warning to their Casey Cardinia League rivals that they can no longer be classed as the league’s easy-beats.
Keysborough competed well for the first three quarters and held a slender advantage at every break, which could have been greater but for some wayward kicking for goal in the first half.
Key Burra forwards Luke McGuinness and Tyson King were creating headaches for the Kangaroos, who were without regular full-back Jye Healey, however that meant little in the final term, because the ball was seldom in their vicinity.
ROC coach Kris Fletcher gave his troops an emotional address as they trailed by 15 points at the final change and suddenly it all fell into place for the Kangaroos.
Callum White booted the first goal in the opening minutes of the final term and players ran from everywhere to congratulate him, starting a quarter-long goalfest.
White booted five of his nine goals for the game in the last quarter and the Kangaroos powered away to a stunning win that ruined Keysborough’s hopes of a mid-season revival and left the 2008 grand finalists wallowing in last place on the table.
The Burra simply had no answers as ROC ball magnets Ben Tivendale, teenager Steve Hawkins, Ash Comer and Tyler White showed their opponents a clean pair of heels.
Fletcher made special mention of White’s effort after the Kangaroo premiership veteran was forced to return to the senior side via the reserves after injury recently.
“We have to be prepared to do that and change the culture if we want to be a good side. We have set the rules and made them for everyone. Cal was probably not that happy about it, but backed me up, came back and really turned it on this week,” he said.
Fletcher was thrilled for his players and the club and said better things were in store.
“Everybody stood up and that’s what we have to do every week,” he said. “We put ourselves in position to win again, but this time we did it, so that’s really pleasing. We have to work on our consistency. We still didn’t play four quarters, but the players are listening and they proved to themselves what they were capable of this week.”
McGuinness, Ryan Goodes, Will Gayfer and Davor Rajic were among the Burras’ better performers on the afternoon.
Doves drub Seagulls
TOORADIN made a meal of their clash with Doveton at the Robinson Reserve, capitulating badly after half time and going down by 104 points.
The Doves started well and kicked away to a four-goal quarter-time lead, but the new-look Seagulls reacted and lifted their intensity to draw level half way through the second term.
The momentum swung the visitors’ way and they had their tails up when play was halted after Tooradin defender Chris Barker crashed to the deck with a broken ankle after a marking contest with Dove spearhead Danny Casset.
Barker was stretchered from the field and Doves assistant coach Clint Wilson said that was the catalyst for his side’s revival. “It broke their momentum. I gave them a bake on the ground while he was being carried off and we snapped into our game and that was it really,” he said. The Doves banged on four goals before the half-time break and then came out and put on an awesome display of power and dominance in the second half.
Ryan Hendy went forward and did as he pleased, finishing with eight goals, while Russell Gabriel took control of the air and fed the ball to playmakers led by Justin Hill, Aaron Henwood, Michael Henry and Daryl Thomas.
On the downside for the Doves Wilson broke his hand after getting it caught in a tackle during the third quarter and will likely miss several weeks, however he was upbeat about the effort, in particular the way the forward line operated.
“It was good to prove that we’re not a one-man show. We played Adam Dean out of the square with (Danny) Casset next to him and that worked well,” he said. “The most pleasing part of it was that we played four quarters. We have to make sure we maintain pressure on other sides and we did that this week.”
First-half injuries to Barker and Rod Cochrane took their toll on the Seagulls, but excluding Michael Hobbs, Denee Lalouette, Jack Cole and hard-working ruckman Steve Arvanitis, few Seagull players showed much fight after the first half.
Lions rout Redbacks
THE difference in the top and bottom of the ladder was evident at Hampton Park on the weekend, when the undefeated Lions methodically dismantled the winless home side by 64 points.
The margin was comfortable and should have been greater, given the Lions had 38 shots at goal for an inaccurate return of 17.21, however the result was never in doubt after the first 20 minutes when the visitors peppered the goals after dominating at the fall of the ball.
Pakenham ruckman Jeremy Everett gave his teammates, led by Jack O’Rourke, Anthony Young and Jared Goldsack, an armchair ride around the ground and the Lions took full toll, increasing their lead at every change and using the ball with purpose.
Defenders Nathan Brown and Tom O’Loughlin rebounded well all day, but had to remain vigilant with Redback forwards Matthew Shorey (four goals) and Kevin McLean (two) making the most of their limited opportunities.