Round 12 of the Outer East Premier Division was a big day for the Monbulk Football Netball Club. Monbulk and Mt. Evelyn met for the second annual Community Bank Challenge Cup, sponsored by both the Monbulk and Mt Evelyn Bendigo Bank branches.
Shane Van Seters also played his 300th Senior/Reserves match with Monbulk while a large crowd was present as various premiership reunions from between 10 and 50 years ago had old teammates catch up with each other.
The Monbulk Seniors had been disappointed with their effort last week and were determined to put up a good showing on their home deck against the Rovers. Overnight rain and occasional drizzly patches during the match meant that the ball was greasy and harder to handle. Both sides missed some relatively gettable chances early but it was Monbulk who were able to find the goals to establish a well-earned lead by quarter time. The Hawks then blew the contest apart in the third term which yielded 16 scoring shots to none but, without their kicking boots on, the return was 5 goals and 11 behinds for the quarter.
Monbulk eventually tripled Mt. Evelyn’s scoring forays and, but for poor accuracy, could have won by far more than the eventual 72 points to retain the Community Bank Challenge Cup and move up to third spot on the ladder. Congratulations to Dylan Werts who was awarded Best on Ground by Bendigo Bank.
Monbulk 14.26.110 def Mt. Evelyn 5.8.38
Best: Dylan Werts, Lochlan Beecroft, Thomas Taylor, Steve Oates, Benjamin Grimes, Mitchell Dekker
Goals: Ashley Beck 3, Glenn Strachan 3, Mackay Bateson 2, Taylor Joyce 2, Kai Linde 2, Lochlan Beecroft 1, Mitchell Dekker 1
The Reserves clash was to see popular veteran Shane Van Seters reach his 300th Senior/Reserves game milestone with the club. The match enticed some former players out of retirement to be on hand for the occasion. Apart from the second quarter, where Mt. Evelyn managed to kick 6 goals to none, it was a very even match for the rest of the game.
Monbulk 7.4.46 def by Mt. Evelyn 11.12.78
Best: Josh Rak, Shane Van Seters, Tyrone Vear, Ben Amos, Dylan Goldberg, Dale Ross
Goals: Michael Langworthy 4, Shane Van Seters 2, Dean White 1
The Monbulk Under 19s won their fifth consecutive match to retain third spot. After quarter time it was the system and ball movement of the Hawks that came to the fore as they were able to extend the margin during each quarter to eventually run out well-deserved winners by 57 points despite spirited opposition from Mt. Evelyn.
Monbulk 10.12.72 def Mt. Evelyn 2.3.15
Best: Max Thornton, Benjamin Smith, Noah Rutherford, William Henderson, Jai Farmer, Jameson Wrigley
Goals: Max Thornton 3, Noah Rutherford 3, Harry Fleming 2, Coby Passingham 1, Jake Niclasen 1
The Monbulk Women’s team were to again play in the colder night conditions as a steady rain began to fall. The weather did not dampen the enthusiasm of the Hawks as they were to put in one of their most impressive and even performances for the year. The girls teamed together beautifully and moved the ball as if it was dry at times. The four-quarter performance never allowed Seville a sniff as the Hawks dominated from start to finish.
Monbulk 9.13.67 def Seville 0.1.1
Best: Shania Turner, Indy Bakker, Kathryn Gow, Shaye McLean, Simone Beattie, Madison Mauchline
Goals: Kathryn Gow 3, Emily McKay 2, Maddison Dodd 1, Brooke O’Loughlin 1, Grace Emmett 1, Laura Gillard 1
In netball Mt. Evelyn has been Monbulk’s nemesis over the years, having won 26 of the 31 clashes between the two sides in A Grade since their first meeting in 2006. The losses by the Hawks included the previous seven matches leading into this game and 18 in a row between 2007 and 2016. Having been flat after their loss last week, the Hawks put in a big week and set themselves for a better showing on Saturday, despite missing star goal shooter Tarnee Adams with a knee injury. What transpired on the court was nothing short of a sensational all-round performance where Monbulk was able to eclipse Mt. Evelyn by 30 goals. Congratulations to Paige Whitworth who received the Best on Court medallion by Bendigo Bank. Former Australian Under 21 captain Stephanie Puopolo was also deadly under the ring, shooting 47 goals for the match. The score and winning margins set new club records against the Rovers in a match where every player made major contributions in a real team effort. Monbulk now holds the Community Bank Challenge Cup in Netball for 12 months.
Monbulk 62 def Mt. Evelyn 32
Best: Paige Whitworth, Stephanie Puopolo, Jamie Clark
Goals: Stephanie Puopolo 47, Sophie Stubbs 15
In B Grade, Monbulk’s winning run came to an abrupt halt at the hands of Mt. Evelyn. The Rovers gained the ascendancy in the opening quarter and the Hawks played catch-up netball for the rest of the day, going down by 7 goals eventually. Monbulk remain a game clear in second place and faces third-placed Olinda this week in what amounts to an eight-point game.
Monbulk 33 def by Mt. Evelyn 40
Best: Rihanna Kelly, Olivia Crook, Georgia Himmelreich
Goals: Dayna Walsham 24, Olivia Crook 9
The C Grade match was a game of two halves. In the opening 2 terms, Monbulk produced some well-executed passages of play and was largely controlling the game as they looked to cause a big upset against the third-placed Mt. Evelyn side was on the cards. The Rovers applied greater pressure in the second half to run out comfortable winners in what was a disappointing result after the initial gains from the hard work evaporated.
Monbulk 23 def by Mt. Evelyn 34
Best: Rihanna Kelly, Jamie Hicken, Sammy Beecroft
Goals: Jamie Hicken 18, Chloe Schmidtke 5
