By JUDY ORREN
FINALS time is looming.
One more round to go for the Dandenong Ranges Juniors.
The veterans played their last round on Sunday and finals will start for them on Sunday 9 August.
Congratulations to Croydon North for finishing minor premiers.
The minor premiership looks all sewn up by Wandin in Division 1, while the reserves is still hotly contested between four clubs.
Healesville and Upwey Tecoma are likely to face up in the Under 18s big dance.
Division 2 seniors is a toss-up between Emerald and Thornton Eildon, while in the reserves it is clearly Emerald.
Netball sees Wandin and Olinda Ferny Creek fighting it out for top spot and it might come down to the last round.
A Grade Division 2 minor premiership belongs to Seville, which holds a healthy advantage, sitting on top of the ladder.
But, finals are different games, as we all know.
Division 1 seniors
Healesville 22.18(150) d Upwey Tecoma 6.12(48)
Healesville was brilliant in the first half as they piled on 8 goals to 2 in the first quarter and then backed that up with a 6 goal to just 1 point second term to race to a 78-point lead at the main break. Upwey did show a bit of fight in the third quarter and outscored Healesville 3 goals to 1, but Healesville showed their class in the final term, booting 7 goals to 1 to run out 102-point victors after a dominant performance for the majority of the game.
Healesville best players: R. Woodford (5 goals), A. Davies, A. Miller
Upwey Tecoma best players: N. Wale-Buxton, S. Dawson (1 goal), B. Duncan
Woori Yallock 15.26(116) d Yarra Glen 1.8(14)
Woori should have had this game completely wrapped up at quarter time but they booted 1.12 to just 1 point keeping Yarra Glen in touch. Woori did break away in the second as they completely controlled the play. They booted 5 goals to 2 points and went to half-time with a 49-point advantage. Woori continued to dominate in the third, booting 4.7 to no score and their lead was out to 80 points. Yarra Glen did eventually kick a goal in the last quarter, but unfortunately it was their only major for the day as Woori added another 5 goals to their total to win by what was an easy 102 points.
Woori Yallock best players: H. Smith, J. Coombs, C. Smedley
Yarra Glen best players: D. Hurley, J. Baughan, B. Ashton
Monbulk 16.17 (113) d Warburton Millgrove 10.6(66)
Monbulk had a really solid first half, which set up their victory. They booted 5 goals to 1 in the opening term and added another 5 goals to 2 in the second to jump out to a 42-point lead at half-time. The second half was actually a good contest as Warby played a more accountable brand of football making Monbulk work for every possession. Warby booted 7.1 to Monbulk’s 6.12 in the second half, and in reality Monbulk should have won by a greater margin, but was wasteful in the last term booting 3.8. But they were certainly the better side and deserved their 47-point win.
Monbulk best players: J. Anderson (2 goals), M. Langworthy (4 goals), S. Williams (3 goals)
Warburton Millgrove best players: J. Iacono (1 goal), T. Walker, D. Brookes
Olinda Ferny Creek 11.15.81 d Mount Evelyn 11.6.72
Olinda may have led this game all day, but Mount Evelyn certainly gave them bit of a fright late in the game. Olinda led by 26 points at the long break after an 8.10 to 5.2 first half and did look in control. Mount Evelyn did reduce the margin in the third quarter to 22 points after they outscored Olinda 3 goal to 2 to keep them within striking distance. The last term saw Mount Evelyn once again reduce the margin as they held Olinda to just 1 goal while they booted 3. Unfortunately for Mount Evelyn, time beat them, which saw Olinda celebrate a 9-point win in what was a very good contested game.
Olinda Ferny Creek best players: D. Noorda, N. Syme (1 goal), M. Mollica (2 goals)
Mount Evelyn best players: J. Gardam (3 goals), D. Kift (3 goals), S. Martin
Wandin 19.26 (140) d Belgrave 7.7(49)
Another dominant performance from league leaders Wandin as they handed Belgrave a 91-point belting. Wandin controlled play early and booted 9 first half goals to 3, but should have had a greater lead as they also booted 12 behinds. Wandin was once again wasteful in the third as they booted 10 behinds. They did, however, also kick 6 goals to go with that while Belgrave slotted three and Wandin’s lead was out to 74 points at the last change. The last term was a bit of a slog, but Wandin still outscored Belgrave 4 goals to 1 to win easily once again.
Wandin best players: R. Ross, J. Taylor, M. Polkinghorne (1 goal)
Belgrave best players: B. Dadswell (1 goal), P. Gough, D. Collins (3 goals)
Division 2 Seniors
Seville 13.9 (87) d Alexandra 10.7(67)
Alexandra started off well in the first quarter booting 5 goals straight to Seville’s 3 to grab a 12-point lead at the first change and give Seville plenty to think about. Seville was a lot more accountable in the second term and defensively was excellent. They kept Alexandra to just four behinds while they added 5.3 to go into half-time with a 17-point lead. The second half was a very even contest and went goal for goal but Seville was able to hold off any challenge that Alexandra threw their way and was able to hold on to win by 20 points in what was a hotly contested battle.
Seville best players: K. Mullett (1 goal), L. Aitkens, A. Wind
Emerald 17.22(124) d Yarra Junction 2.2(14)
Emerald was just way too good for a Junction side that struggled to match their dominant running power. Emerald led by 29 points at the first change and stretched that to 45 points at the main break. Emerald really put their foot down in the third as they hammered on eight goals while Junction scored 1 goal which was their first for the day. Emerald’s lead was 91 points at three-quarter time. The last quarter still saw Emerald control the play but they did finish with an inaccurate 3.7 to 1 goal in the final term, but, nevertheless, they won in a canter by 110 points.
Emerald best players: M. Dompietro (1 goal), D. Karacsonyi, P. White
Yarra Junction best players: C. Spaulding, E. Wadsworth, T. Cordwell (1 goal)
Kinglake 17.11(113) d Thornton Eildon 9.10(64)
Kinglake has bounced back to some of its best form with a 49-point win over the in-form Thornton Eildon. Kinglake started the day full of run as they booted 7 first quarter goals to 2 to lead by 31 points at quarter time. Thornton Eildon did bounce back hard in the second term and played direct football that paid dividends on the scoreboard as they kicked 5 goals to 1, which saw Kinglake lead by just 4 points at the main break. The second half really did belong to Kinglake. They won the majority of the one on one contests and had Thornton Eildon chasing tail. Kinglake booted 4 goals to 1 in the third to lead by 25 points at the final change and then finished off in great style with a 5-goal-to-1 last term to come away with a great victory and bounce back into top form.
Kinglake best players: T. Thone-Kain (1 goal), A. Whelan, J. Nixon (5 goals)
Thornton Eildon best players: Z. King (1 goal), R. Chapman, B. Musgrove
Gembrook Cockatoo 9.7(61) d Yea 4.6(30)
This wasn’t the prettiest game to witness as it was quite low scoring, with a total of just 13 goals scored for the day with seven of those goals coming in the first term. Gembrook led by eight points at the first break after a 4.2-to-3.0 first quarter. There was only one goal scored in the second term, but that did go the way of Gembrook and their lead was out to 18 points at the main break. The second half was a battle but Gembrook was the team that did control the tempo of the match. They booted 2 goals to 1 in the third and then added another 2 goals to just 1 point in the last to come away with a 31-point win in a game that didn’t have a lot of highlights but Gembrook won’t be too concerned about that as they’ll happily take the victory
Gembrook Cockatoo best players: R. Causer (3 goals), R. Pepi, C. Vernal
Yea best players: J. Marasco, E. Neilson, P. Evans (2 goals)
Powelltown: Bye
Under 18s
Emerald 16.8(104) d Woori Yallock 12.9(81)
Emerald best players: K. Asling (3 goals), J. Kruithof (1 goal), H. Lang (1 goal)
Woori Yallock best players: D. Benson, J. Collette (4 goals), L. Amarant (1 goal)
Mount Evelyn 17.33(135) d Powelltown 2.2(14)
Mount Evelyn best players: J. Thompson (5 goals), C. Ballard (1 goal), D. Nicholas (2 goals)
Powelltown best players: T. Robinson, B. Nightingale, C. Sutherland
Wandin 21.11(137) d Belgrave 4.3 (27)
Wandin best players: B. Lawrence, H. Byrne (3 goals), L. Jones (1 goal)
Belgrave best players: J. Lowe, D. Cook, N. Rowe
Olinda Ferny Creek 13.8 (86) d Yea 4.8 (32)
Olinda Ferny Creek best players: B. Cody (1 goal), R. Cottam-Starkey, H. McCollam (1 goal)
Yea best players: X. O’Dwyer (1 goal), L. White, T. Worthington
Monbulk 6.5 (41) d Warburton Millgrove 3.9(27)
This was certainly not the greatest game but it was a tough contest despite the low scores. Warburton led by just 4 points at quarter time after a 1.5 to 1.1 opening but it was Monbulk that broke the game open in the second as they spread their run. They booted 4 goals to 1 behind and led by 21 points at half-time. Monbulk only scored 2 behinds in the third but Warburton wasn’t really able to make an impact on the scoreboard as they only scored 1.1 and Monbulk held a handy 16-point lead at the final change. The last quarter was an arm wrestle and neither side could find any real ascendancy; both sides scored one goal which saw Monbulk come away with a well-deserved 14-point victory.
Monbulk best players: D. Chapman, J. Rak (1 goal), N. Wall
Warburton Millgrove best players: S. Wells, M. Edwards, J. McIntosh
Healesville: Bye
Division 1 A Grade Netball
Warburton Millgrove 39 d Monbulk Hawks 36
Warburton Millgrove best players: Mary McIntosh, Bridget Nix, Grace Barnard
Monbulk Hawks best players: Brooke Northey, Katrina Wragg, Paige Whitworth
Olinda Ferny Creek 54 d Mount Evelyn 43
Olinda Ferny Creek best players: Rhiannon Pendleton, Ashlee Howard (26 goals), Tamara Luke
Mount Evelyn best players: Elissa Dykstra, Kate Youlten, Sarah Graffen (17 goals)
Wandin 80 d Belgrave 18
Wandin best players: Tayla Harris, Ashleigh Saunders (49 goals), Samantha Coppinger
Belgrave best players: Kalen Winters, Lauren Read, Kristen Robinson
Healesville: Bye
Division 2 A Grade Netball
Seville 66 d Alexandra 16
Seville best players: Amy Gilmour, Rachael Goulding (32 goals), Zoe Abbruzzese (34 goals)
Alexandra best players: Caitlan Haggis (7 goals), Olivia Twining, Kim McDonald
Yarra Junction 50 d Emerald 32
Yarra Junction best players: Rachel Young, Catherine Cook, Amanda Finn (39 goals)
Emerald best players: Elise Borg, Megan Pearton (20 goals), Rachel Fox
Thornton Eildon 38 d Kinglake 26
Thornton Eildon best players: Anita Keddell (24 goals), Melinda Sier, Alesha Davison
Kinglake best players: Chantelle Brodie, Sian Eddington, Karsha Hoyt (4 goals)
Yea: Bye
Powelltown: Bye
