Dogs still barking at finals berth

By Ben O’Brien, YVMDFL CEO
THERE were two surprising results in senior YVMDFL football over the weekend but the irony is that only one appears to have had altered the status quo insofar as finals football is concerned.
Just when the word around the traps was ‘how far Monbulk?’ in the Compass Group First Division, along comes an away game for the Hawks at Wandin and a two-point defeat at the hands of the Bulldogs, 8.9.57 to 8.7.55.
The vaunted goal kicking power of Monbulk failed to fire on the tight confines of the Kennel as the home side slowly but surely strangled the life out of Monbulk in the second half in a game that never reached great heights as a spectacle but was still an engrossing contest.
Matt Mitchell was best for Wandin in a victory that actually failed to narrow the gap between the Dogs and fifth place, with Woori Yallock still holding a three game break after their decisive win over Olinda Ferny-Creek.
With only seven rounds remaining, will Wandin (or Olinda or Mt Evelyn) close that gap?
Both Woori Yallock and Olinda play the top four sides over those next seven weeks.
Wandin plays two of the top four and Mt Evelyn, three.
For Wandin supporters, it could all come down to Round 17, and an away game against Woori Yallock to decide their fate.
Monbulk has now lost two games for the year, both by two points, and both on grounds that are, even by YVMDFL standards, small.
Despite losing to Wandin, they have retained top spot on the ladder and host the second-placed Upwey this week.
The Tigers are coming off a morale-boosting nine point victory over Healesville after looking almost down and out midway through the third quarter.
That win sees Upwey two games clear in second place with Healesville now back in the pack with Silvan (21 points over Gembrook) and Woori all on seven wins.
The Cats have a slightly easier run home than others and could well be pushing for a top-two position come Round 18.
At the opposite end of the ladder, Mt Evelyn’s victory over Belgrave has just kept the Rovers faint finals’ hopes alive but they are 12 points and 35 per cent adrift of fifth place.
In the Commodore Press Second Division, Seville pulled off one of the upsets of the season with a hard-fought away win over Alexandra.
The Blues got away to a good start by kicking three goals in the first quarter while holding their hosts goal-less and that lapse by the Rebels proved fatal as they couldn’t make any significant inroads into that margin, eventually going down 6.10.46 to 9.9.63..
Alexandra has now lost three in a row, and its form at home would have to be a concern, dropping games to Junction, South Belgrave and now Seville, all sides with whom they are battling for a finals’ berth.
Seville’s win sees the team join Alexandra on five wins, albeit with a significantly inferior percentage, with both teams one win behind fourth-placed South Belgrave which suffered a 37 point loss at the hands of Yarra Junction.
With six rounds to go, that win almost sees the Eagles assured of playing finals but with games to come against Seville, Alexandra and Thornton-Eildon, its fate lies with its own players.
The top two sides, in Warburton-Millgrove and Thornton, played the two bottom teams, in Emerald and Yarra Glen, with predictably comfortable winning margins being the end result.
The ladder sees an undefeated Warburton on 12 wins, two clear of Thornton, which is three clear of Junction in third place.
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