For Round 11 of the Outer East Premier Division, Monbulk faced the most daunting of challenges – Narre Warren Magpies at Kalora Park.
Narre Warren was undefeated and on top of the ladder in each grade that Monbulk would face them in.
A calm and overcast day with sunny breaks was perfect for football, if not a little cold for spectators. The Monbulk Seniors had strung together three wins before the bye and felt ready for the challenge. The first quarter was competitive but Narre flexed their muscle in the second term and blew the game apart when they put on eight goals and two behinds to a solitary point for the Hawks. The Magpies kept on showing clean skills and systematic ball movement while being able to put Monbulk under constant pressure. The way that the Magpies were able to nullify the Hawks’ defensive structures, something that Monbulk had prided itself on, means that the Hawks will have to regroup this week to get back on the winner’s list. There were many encouraging passages of play though to suggest that it will require more of a tweak than a rebuild to get the Hawks back on track.
Narre Warren 21.15.141 def Monbulk 4.6.30
Best: Lochlan Beecroft, Jared Major, Pat Barge, Glenn Strachan, Bailey Rutherford
Goals: Glenn Strachan 2, Taylor Joyce 1, Hayden Finlay 1
The Monbulk Reserves continue to be a work in progress, Just 16 players were available this week, not the sort of handicap that you want to concede when it is the last placed team playing first. Coach Billie Hicken was also unavailable, assistant coach Brodie Emmett had been released from hospital during the week to fill his role and injured seniors’ captain Jonathon Hevern took the reins. The Hawks started off with plenty of spirit, led by their inspirational captain Matty James. They had a very respectable three goals on the board to Narre’s six by early in the second term. After that, the weight of numbers counted against Monbulk, although they fought the game out to the end.
Narre Warren 20.14.134 def Monbulk 3.2.20
Best: Matthew James, Thomas Trezise, Chris Separovic, Daniel Ruffle, Dale Ross, Aaron Smith
Goals: Matthew James 1, Steven Shankly 1, Dale Ross 1
Narre Warren might have been undefeated in the Under 19s but the Hawks had gotten within two points of them back in Round 2 and knew that if they could apply their game style then they could cause an upset and topple the ladder leaders. Injured and promoted players missing from the Monbulk side were replaced by four Under 17s from the Olinda-Monbulk team which fortuitously had a bye this week. An early lead by the Hawks was whittled away by the Magpies and it was goal for goal in a low-scoring arm-wrestle. Early in the last quarter, Narre hit the front with a long goal before Monbulk responded with three quick goals to establish a handy break, including one to an injured Noah Rutherford who sat in the forward line to free up the on-ball rotations. Narre kept attacking and wiped two goals from the deficit but some determined play by the young Hawks allowed them to hang on in a three-point thriller. This win will give the team great belief as they head into the second half of the year.
Narre Warren 7.1.43 def by Monbulk 7.4.46
Best: William Henderson, Riley Finlay, Noah Rutherford, Nick Taylor, Jayden Spencer, Jed Noar
Goals: Harry Fleming 3, Lachlan Smith 1, Noah Rutherford 1, Riley Finlay 1, Jai Farmer 1
The Monbulk Women’s team travelled further down the highway to Pakenham to take on the locals. Hard work didn’t translate into scoreboard rewards until the last quarter when the play opened up and the Hawks were able to break through for two well-earned goals.
Pakenham 5.8.38 def Monbulk 2.2.14
Best: Molly Horne, Jade McCormick, Maddison Dodd, Yanessa Hancock-Wolfe, Simone Beattie, Laura Gillard
Goals: Emily McKay 2
For netball, Monbulk fielded a strong squad against the all-conquering Narre Warren side which had former Australian representative Erin Bell on their side. Little separated the two teams in the first term but in the second quarter, a couple of turnovers cost the Hawks as this lifted Narre’s confidence. The Magpies eventually won by 12 goals as they were slightly more consistent in their ball movement but the Monbulk players know that their best will match it with anyone in the League.
Narre Warren 52 def Monbulk 40
Best: Nicole Macdowell, Paige Whitworth, Stephanie Puopolo
Goals: Tarnee Adams 22, Stephanie Puopolo 15, Sophie Stubbs 3
In B Grade it was a top-of-the-table encounter between another unbeaten Narre Warren team and a Monbulk side that had lost just once this year, to the Magpies by 16 goals on April 23. Since then Monbulk had steadily collected the scalps of the ensuing opponents and faced the return match with a sense of optimism that a hard four-quarter effort could deliver the goods. By quarter time it seemed that beating Narre might be a bridge too far. The Magpies led 13-7 at the first change but Monbulk rebounded in superb style with a 9-4 second term to nearly tie it up again. The second half was an enthralling tussle as the lead kept changing and no more than a couple of goals separated the sides for the last 30 minutes. Some brilliant defensive intercepts in the dying stages allowed the Hawks to grab the lead and hold on until the horn sounded. Monbulk has now defeated every other team in B Grade in succession and is equal first on the ladder with a two-game break over the chasing pack. The 9 consecutive wins are a club record for the B Grade team since it was formed in 2006, eclipsing the streak of 8 wins in 2019.
Narre Warren 34 def by Monbulk 36
Best: Olivia Crook, Dayna Walsham, Chloe Heppell
Goals: Dayna Walsham 17, Iris de Wit 10, Olivia Crook 9
The Monbulk C Grade team has been making steady progress during the season. Facing a dominant Narre team that had beaten them by 52 goals (68-16) earlier in the year, the girls played a hard game to trail by just 13 at three-quarter-time. The Magpies asserted their supremacy in the last stanza to sink the Hawks by 27. The improvement in team play has been noticeable with a losing by 25 goals less than their previous meeting.
Narre Warren 44 def Monbulk 17
Best: Tasha Selby, Jamie Sands, Chloe Schmidtke
Goals: Jamie Sands 15, Chloe Schmidtke 1, Lisa Boyle 1
