Olinda put up a good fight

By Bob Foletta
THIS past weekend of the Yarra Valley Mountain District Football League (YVMDFL) saw some very convincing wins by the top sides in both divisions while Olinda ended up a kick away from their first win of the season and causing the upset of the round against Mt Evelyn.
Mt Evelyn travelled to Mt Dandenong to take on bottom of the ladder Olinda but that was far from how the contest turned out to be. Mt Evelyn has been the big improver this season and all expected them to come away with a relatively easy win. Olinda had other plans and played some of their best footy for the year.
Their fight back to be in front at half time had the locals and the visitors wondering if an upset was on the cards. Mt Evelyn through the Tesoriero brothers, Steve and Chris, fought their way back into the lead by three-quarter time but that didn’t stop Olinda from coming home hard. Nick Broomhall, Scott Tregoning and big George Azzam got Olinda up and going again and turned the game into a real arm wrestle.
When the final siren sounded it was Mt Evelyn by six points but Olinda can come away from the game knowing that they can mix it with the top sides if switched on for four quarters.
Silvan showed that they are a definite class above the rest when they easily accounted for Upwey by 94 points. Silvan kicked 33 goals against the second place Upwey, which is a worrying sign for all other teams in the division.
Gary Moorcroft kicked seven while his main partner up forward this week was Owen Weatherly who kicked five goals of his own. Marc Bullen and Chris Goodlet were solid contributors all day for Silvan. Upwey were well served by Eamon Keogh, four goals, while Andrew McQualter and Dylan Sloan battled all day.
Woori Yallock got back on the winner’s list with a convincing 53-point win over Warburton. Woori had a number of goalkickers with Michael King and Daniel Ryan with two each, leading the goal kicking list. Tim Williamson and Tom VenVeen gave the forwards plenty of football as they continually drove the ball forward. Vin Muccitelli with three goals played a lone hand up forward for Warburton as Mick Walker and Scott Muir tried all day for the Burra’s.
Monbulk played host to Gembrook and after their come-from-behind-win last week Gembrook was heading into this game with extra confidence. Monbulk dented that confidence from the first bounce as they trounced Gembrook by 99 points. Michael Langworthy again found plenty of the ball up forward with five goals as Vin Dunstan and Matt Mullinder led they way again for the Hawks. Gembrook was best served by Matt O’Neill, Eric Pope and Liam Henzen.
Wandin travelled to Healesville to try and cause another upset for the round but when the final siren went it was Healesville celebrating a 68-point victory. Jye Conrau with seven goals and Sam Turner with four were dominant figures up forward for Healesville. Simon Gordon and Casey Adams were two of Healesville’s better performers for the day in a great team display. Wandin was best served by Daniel King, Glen Fieldew and the Bonsak brothers Adam and Richard.
In Second Division, Thornton played host to Kinglake with both sides looking to get back on the winner’s list after losses last week. When the final siren sounded it was Thornton who came out victors with an impressive 34-point win. Thornton was best served by Kevin Brown up forward with three goals while Zack Carden and Bernard Hourigan dominated around the ground. Adam Wolfenden and Craig Louak worked hard for Kinglake while Brent Gallicho with two goals again provided a target up forward.
Emerald continued their recent dominant run as they travelled to Yea and handed out a 129-point hiding. Leigh McCombe, nine goals, and Jason Cousins, four goals, led the way for Emerald up forward as Shane Williams and Shane Buhmann dominated the midfield. Pat McKenna and Ryan Akers did well for Yea alongwith Aaron Pacey, who kicked two goals.
Yarra Junction won for the first time this year with an 18-point win against Seville. Daniel Lever kicked seven goals for the Eagles as Rob Clarke and Justin Gates were solid performers all day in the midfield. Seville was aided by the performances of Paul Bailey, three goals, Shane Senior and Leigh Atkins.
Yarra Glen stopped any plans that Powelltown had of back to back wins as they defeated them by 66 points. Dean Selkrig, six goals, Ben Benson and Darren Edwards, three each, led the scoring for Yarra Glen while Ethan Shaw was again a solid performer. Luke Darwall, Sam Camilleri and Russell Cowan led the Powelltown charge with another improved performance but there just wasn’t enough in the tank to get them across the line.
In the last match of the round, Alexandra ventured to Belgrave and was able to head back through the Black Spur with a 30-point win. Marcus Hill with five goals was best afield as Luke Heard and Michael Bretherton were not far behind him. Jacob Meyer was again amongst Belgrave’s best alongside Ben Harris and coach Darren Sidebottom.