It was cold, it was windy and in the end, it was a disappointing day for the Monbulk Football Netball Club up at Olinda. The two rivals at either end of the Olinda-Monbulk Road renewed their battles in another chapter of a story that has been going on for 114 years.
The Monbulk Seniors had a chance to entrench themselves amongst the leading teams in Premier Division but ultimately fell short. Olinda started with the end favoured by the wind and registered a couple of early goals to start proceedings. The margin then hovered around that mark until just before three-quarter-time when the Hawks had reduced the lead to just seven points and kicked towards the scoring end in the final term. Monbulk had a majority of the play in the last quarter but was under constant pressure from the Olinda backs who didn’t allow any easy shots on goal, restricting the Hawks to 1.6 from numerous chances while making the most of their own forays forward to secure 2.1 for themselves, and more importantly the 4 premiership points on the ladder.
Olinda-Ferny Creek 9.6.60 def Monbulk 6.16.52
Best: Joshua Spencer, Lochlan Beecroft, Jared Major, Pat Barge, Taylor Joyce, Thomas Taylor
Goals: Taylor Joyce 1, Glenn Strachan 1, Nicholas Wall 1, Max Thornton 1, Jared Major 1, Lochlan Beecroft 1
The Reserves were again undermanned. Of the 18 selected on Thursday, there were 3 withdrawals but 6 emergencies were found on the day. Hamish Emmett made his first appearance for the year, which was also his 50th Senior/Reserves game. Olinda managed to find scoring avenues at regular intervals and had racked up 8.10 to 1.1 after three quarters. The tiring Hawks salvaged some pride in the final quarter when they rattled on 4.2 to a single point to finish the game with enthusiasm and run.
Olinda-Ferny Creek 8.11.59 def Monbulk 5.3.33
Best: Aaron Smith, Lachlan Hancock-Wolfe, Michael Davies, Dylan Goldberg, Joshua Hill, Dale Ross
Goals: Matthew James 1, Aaron Smith 1, Ben Amos 1, Dylan Goldberg 1, Hamish Emmett 1
The Under 19s were the sole bright light on a gloomy day on the hill, even if they held on by their fingernails to scratch out a win. The Hawks looked in control with a 22 point lead heading into the final term. A tenacious Bloods team would not be denied and managed to get within a kick while there were still about 7 minutes on the clock. It became a struggle of inches gained as Monbulk raised their desperation and thwarted a dour Olinda side who threw everything at the contest in the closing stages.
Olinda-Ferny Creek 5.6.36 def by Monbulk 5.10.40
Best: William Henderson, Noah Rutherford, Ben Hughson, Coby Passingham, Tait Colee, Jai Farmer
Goals: Coby Passingham 2, William Henderson 1, Ben Hughson 1, Ziggy Hatherley 1
In A Grade Netball, the fifth-placed Monbulk had drawn with the second-placed Olinda combination earlier in the season. Playing the Bloods on their court this time would be a good chance to test themselves against one of the competition benchmarks again. For the first half of the match, there was little separating the two sides with Olinda holding a three-goal lead. The Bloods lifted their intensity in the second half and unfortunately, the Hawks were unable to keep pace as the game slipped away. Despite the loss, Monbulk is still 1.5 games clear of sixth-placed Pakenham.
Olinda-Ferny Creek 51 def Monbulk 35
Best: Stephanie Puopolo, Paige Whitworth, Jamie Clark
Goals: Stephanie Puopolo 28, Nicole Macdowell 7
The B Grade clash between the same clubs saw a battle of the main contenders to Narre Warren’s supremacy. This game ebbed and flowed as each team had stages where they controlled the game before the other side rebounded. The Hawks were up by two goals at three quarter-time but a concerted effort by the Bloods saw the home side snatch a win by 4 goals.
Olinda-Ferny Creek 39 def Monbulk 35
Best: Olivia Crook, Alice McCormick, Siobhan Munday
Goals: Iris de Wit 25, Olivia Crook 10
The C Grade game was a competitive and entertaining fixture for most of the match, although Olinda managed to break away in the last term to record an emphatic win. The strong wind made it tricky to lay up shots.
Olinda-Ferny Creek 39 def Monbulk 16
Best: Courtney Witt, Simone Beattie, Jessica Steele
Goals: Jamie Sands 9, Sammy Beecroft 7
