The penultimate round of matches prior to the finals series in the Premier Division saw Monbulk travel to Officer. The Senior teams in both football and netball had the most important fixtures of the day to stay in the hunt for September glory.
The Monbulk Seniors had lost four successive games which had seen them slide from third to sixth. The gutsy Mitch Dekker notched up his 50th Senior/Reserve grade game. A highlight was Josh Hill having been promoted to the Seniors for his first-ever match at that level. Josh is a fifth-generation Monbulk footballer with his Great Great Grandfather, Edward Anderson, having played in Monbulk’s first ever team in 1895 and captaining the club in 1899. His father Dean, a dual League Reserves Best & Fairest winner, had chosen this week to travel interstate and missed the occasion, although Grandfather Barrie Hill, who had played in the 1950s and 60s with the Hawks, turned up to see Josh.
In a game that was dominated by a strong crosswind in the first half, the Seniors started off well enough by snaring the first four goals. Officer fought back and by halftime had levelled the scores as Monbulk had lost two players for the day with injuries. When the last placed Kangaroos kicked the first goal of the third term it looked like an upset was on the cards. From there on, however, the Hawks steadied, and with good ball movement kicked 9 of the last 10 goals for the match to run out winners by 49 points. Monbulk now faces Pakenham at home in a critical final round encounter with the simple equation being that they must win to see finals action.
Officer 8.7.55 def by Monbulk 15.14.104
Best: Lochlan Beecroft, Glenn Strachan, Joel Wensley, Nicholas Wall, Joshua Spencer, Taylor Joyce
Goals: Taylor Joyce 4, Lochlan Beecroft 3, Glenn Strachan 3, Kai Linde 2, Matthew James 1, Joel Wensley 1, Ben Hughson 1
The Reserves had their usual issue with numbers but were eventually able to field a basic 18 against a full complement of 22 from Officer. Although Officer were eventually able to double Monbulk’s score, the effort of the Hawks was a decided improvement on the previous week.
Officer 14.12.96 def Monbulk 6.12.48
Best: Aaron Smith, Steven Shankly, Harry Fleming, Brandon Shambrooke, Dean White, Dale Ross
Goals: Harry Fleming 2, Hamish Emmett 2, Tyren Utting 1, Dean White 1
Monbulk’s Under 19s had long qualified for the finals but the jostling for the double chance meant that the Hawks needed to win their final two games and hope for other results to go their way. While the Kangaroos offered stern resistance at times, the overlapping run of the Monbulk players kept their citadel under constant pressure. Numerous seemingly easy shots drifted wide as the wind had an impact on the straying kicks.
Officer 2.6.18 def by Monbulk 9.16.70
Best: Max Thornton, Riley Finlay, Noah Rutherford, Tait Colee, Jed Noar, Tahi Kostich Angerson
Goals: Harry Fleming 3, Jed Noar 2, Charlie Barge 1, Max Thornton 1, Riley Finlay 1, Jai Farmer 1
Monbulk’s A Grade netballers had secured a finals spot last week but came up against a team they might well meet in finals action. The third-placed ROC (Rythdale-Officer-Cardinia) were overwhelming favourites on their own courts amongst the tipsters in the Gameday Record. The Hawks were undaunted and, for the second time in three weeks, defeated a team above themselves on the ladder as visitors on away courts.
ROC 37 def by Monbulk 47
Best: Paige Whitworth, Nicole Macdowell, Tiana Mancarella
Goals: Stephanie Puopolo 35, Sophie Stubbs 12
Monbulk’s B Grade team was almost certain to meet ROC in the first week of finals as both were in line for the double chance in second and third spots respectively, so this fixture would be a test of strength and system. It was ROC who burst out of the blocks and established a 12-goal break by halftime. The Hawks clawed back some of the difference in the second half but the margin had been too large to overcome by then.
ROC 35 def Monbulk 26
Best: Siobhan Munday, Georgia Himmelreich, Rihanna Kelly
Goals: Iris de Wit 20, Dayna Walsham 3, Olivia Crook 3
In C Grade ROC was able to create more turnovers with an effective defence and capitalised on these.
ROC 52 def Monbulk 29
Best: Jamie Sands, Courtney Witt, Rhiannon O’Connor
Goals: Jamie Sands 18, Sammy Beecroft 11
