Senior Men
Aquinas 16.14.110 defeated North Brunswick 10,11,71
Unfortunately our regular scribe for the senior team was on assignment in Bangkok covering a story about police corruption in the rice markets on Khaosan Road. Pretty stern stuff, tune in next week for that piece. This week’s match report is brought to you by the Scott Lycett of football journalism, he’s been waiting in the wings and he’s ready.
Heading to Allard Park in the picturesque surrounds of North Brunswick, the boys from Great Ryrie Street were coming up against a mob who’d won their opening round match against previously fancied Old Westbourne by 15 goals. The Bulls were also sitting on top of the ladder, a tough task was ahead.
A decent start for Aquinas saw us with a small lead at ¼ time but it wasn’t until late in the 2nd that we really put our foot down. Hitting the contests hard and then spreading harder, this was the Aquinas football we’d come to expect. A 44 point lead at ½ time was well deserved.
Perhaps we were satisfied with our efforts because after kicking the first sausage of the 2nd half, we then allowed North Brunswick to slam on 8 unanswered goals in a putrid 20 minute effort from the Bloods. Importantly, calm heads eventually prevailed and we wrestled the game back in time on and managed 2 late goals which pushed the momentum back in our favour.
With a 9 point lead at the final break the final quarter was going to decide the match. An early Aquinas goal and then 10 minutes of possession football took the sting out of the contest. 4.7 to Aquinas in the last quarter meant the final margin could have been greater however 39 points was probably reflective of the game as a whole.
Multiple goal kickers were Cawsey with 6, O’Loughlin with 3 and Robertson and Di Donato with 2.
Best players were the little fella Tyson Noyes who starred in the middle, Jake Cawsey who could have had a huge bag had he kicked straight, Tim Christou who’s second half in particular was fantastic and the midfield trio of Ryan Fisher, Anthony Mattioli and James Wright.
Senior Women
Aquinas 4.6.30 defeated Old Westbourne 2.4.16
The women took on Westbourne Grammarians who were 2-0 going into the game. The girls were the only team playing at home this week and were hoping to keep the 4 points at Bloods Stadium.
A low scoring game, meant the women had to work hard to win the ball at the contests. The backline were very good on Saturday, keeping Westbourne to their lowest score for the season so far.
Mentions to Steph Barnes whom just like her brother directs traffic from the back, and Ella Furniss who played her first game for 2019.
Kaylen Winters and Laura McHugh played their first game for the Bloods, plenty of touches and creating scoring opportunities for the girls in red, black and green.
Goal kickers were Holly Spicer, Rach Iacuone, Monique Elliott and Molly Sheehan.
Molly earnt her nick name ‘Hot Feet’ in the last quarter, clearing the pack at the centre clearances. With just five minutes to go she kicked the goal that sealed the game for the women, allowing them to hold their spot in the top four.
Each of the women played their part in taking the win. The girls hope to take on Whitefriars this week with a strong game plan and take back what’s ours after going down to them in the practice match.
Reserves
Aquinas 17.7.109 defeated North Brunswick 10.2.62
The merry men of 2’s town marched out to Brunswick North to restart the season following an awkward 2 week break with the bye and easter.
It was hard to tell if we were in North Brunswick or the paddocks of Warragul, such was the noxious-weed state of the deck. It didn’t worry what was one of the strongest reserves teams that Aquinas has seen in it’s history, the likes of Jurkovsky, Foster and Burke gracing a team already stacked with talent.
We got off to a flyer with a bit of breeze, with good work at the contest complimented by some outstanding outside run and ball use.
Unfortunately this came to a crashing halt in the second quarter and the Bulls hit back hard, closing a 7 goal gap back down to 10 points.
Thankfully the lads returned to their best for the second half, running away comfortable winners.
It was a true team performance with everyone having a moment, or a quarter, though it was punctuated by outstanding performances from Coach Judge Judy, a dynamic finishing Poppy Mantel and a fine midfield trio in Haylock, Jurkovsky and our big captain Milesy.
U19’s
Aquinas 26.29.185 defeated La Trobe University 2.4.16
The Unders took on Latrobe on Friday night at the redeveloped University oval, which would have to now be the best facilities in the VAFA. With heated change rooms, 6 light towers, and an unmatched playing surface, it was the closest thing to playing on an AFL ground for the boys.
As for the match itself, it was a one sided affair, as the Young Bloods went on a rampage kicking 26 goals to 2 in a big percentage booster.
Best Players Dwyer, Lattimer, Thorsen, Cawsey, Walsh, Downes, Crouch and Freeman.
Goal Kickers Dwyer 7, Cawsey 5, Thorsen 3, Downes, Perna, Scagnetti, Quinlan 2.
The Unders now take on top side Old Scotch, a challenge they look forward to.