By Cameron Hutchison
It was a weekend off from local footy as the best of the best played against each other in the WorkSafe Community Championships.
The AFL Yarra Ranges travelled to Beaconsfield to take on the South East Football Netball League in Seniors and Under 19s; and, in the netball, Open and Under 17s.
The senior football game was the curtain-raiser to the VFL match between Richmond and Sandringham.
Unfortunately, on the football field, the AFL Yarra Ranges had no success.
The netball court, however, saw the Under 17s defeated, but the open team was triumphant.
Seniors
South East FNL 16.13.109 d AFL Yarra Ranges 10.13.73
Both sides came out full of run. South East got the jump on the Yarra Ranges before they made a late-quarter comeback. Scores at quarter time were SEFNL 5.2 to YR 4.5, taking a slim lead of three points into the second. The Yarra Ranges should have been in front but were wayward with their kicking. South East turned the screws in the second, holding Yarra Ranges to only 1.1 while they increased their lead to 18 points at half-time by kicking 3.4. Yarra Ranges were still in the game and just needed to regroup. They came out with more run in the third, but South East again got the early jump and kicked away with 5.1. Even though Yarra Ranges kicked 3.3, it would take a big effort to get the job done in the final quarter. The never-give-up attitude of the Yarra Ranges is to be commended but wayward kicking in general play and in front of goal meant the South East were just far too strong on the day coming away with a solid 36-point win. Although the final score wasn’t flattering for the Yarra Ranges, the game was played at a really high standard by both sides and some better kicking at goal by the Yarra Ranges would have seen a better reflection of the difference in the two competitions.
South East FNL
Goal Kickers: Tim Gunn (Berwick; 4 goals), Ryan Jones (Cranbourne; 3 goals), Marc Holt (Cranbourne; 1 goal), Ash Smith (Berwick; 2 goals), Luke Sheppard (Berwick; 1 goal), Trent Cody (Narre Warren; 1 goal), Brad Scalzo (Narre Warren; 1 goal), Mitch Cotter (Doveton; 1 goal)
Best Players: Tim Gunn (Best on Ground; Berwick), Michael Riseley (Berwick), Michael Collins (Narre Warren), Mitch Cotter (Doveton), Troy Tharle (Cranbourne), Brad Scalzo (Narre Warren)
AFL Yarra Ranges
Goal Kickers: James Charge (Olinda Ferny Creek; 3 goals), Patrick Bruzzese (Wandin; 1 goal), Kody Busoli (Woori Yallock; 1 goal), Ben Monkhorst (Woori Yallock; 1 goal), Chris Graham (Yea; 1 goal), Ethan Greenall (1 goal), Jake Matthews (Woori Yallock; 1 goal), Dylan Wilson (Olinda-Ferny Creek; 1 goal)
Best Players: Patrick Bruzzese (Best on Ground;Wandin), Robbie Allen (Woori Yallock), Marcus Hottes (Olinda Ferny Creek), James Charge (Olinda Ferny Creek), Ethan Greenall (Olinda Ferny Creek), Jake Pedder (Emerald)
Under 19s
South East FNL 12.11.83 d AFL Yarra Ranges 3.7.25
The AFL Yarra Ranges found it tough going against a talented Under 19s side in the South East. It was a low scoring first quarter but South East had a lead of 15 points going into the second. The Yarra Ranges were held at bay in the second and could only kick three behinds to the South East’s 2.3. The lead had blown out to 27 points and was going to be a hard job from here. South East found the goals in the third, with another 2.4 to The Ranges 1.1 and it was game over. South East got a few junk time goals and finished with 5.1 to 1.3 to register a good win. The AFL Yarra Ranges boys never gave up, but South East was fittingly a two goal per quarter better side on the day.
South East FNL
Goal Kickers: Myles Currie (Beaconsfield; 3 goals), Kane Tyrrell (Berwick; 2 goals), Jack Docherty (Beaconsfield; 2 goals), Luke Bettio (Beaconsfield; 2 goals), Max Sheppard (Narre Warren; 1 goal), Brodie Entwistle (Beaconsfield; 1 goal), Harrison Paul (Beaconsfield; 1 goal)
Best Players: Tom Miller (Narre Warren), Brodie Entwistle (Beaconsfield), Jafar Ocaa (Pakenham), Connor Guley (Beaconsfield), Myles Currie (Beaconsfield), Jahvon Bergman (Berwick)
AFL Yarra Ranges
Goal Kickers: Tallin Brill (Mt Evelyn; 1 goal), Jordan Hattwell (Mt Evelyn; 1 goal), Hunter Greenall (Olinda-Ferny Creek; 1 goal)
Best Players: Daniel O’Dwyer (Best on Ground; Yea), Dante South (Gembrook-Cockatoo), Braden Wood (Emerald), Matthew Brierley (Mount Evelyn), Jackson Merrett (Mt Evelyn)
Open Netball
AFL Yarra Ranges 48 d South East FNL 43
The AFL Yarra Ranges has an amazing record in the Open Netball in the WorkSafe Championships and their record lives on with another win by five goals over South East FNL. They got off to a good start shooting 13 goals to 8 and in Netball and advantage of 5 goals is always hard to run down. The second quarter was tight with 23 goals being shot and neither side really getting an advantage. The margin had only grown to 6 goals and it was going to be a tough second half. The third quarter did not disappoint with it being touch and go all quarter but Yarra Ranges managed to increase their lead to 8 goals. South East FNL got a run on in the last out shooting the Yarra Ranges 14 goals to 11 but their run was left too late in the end.
AFL Yarra Ranges
Goal Shooters: Sinead Lumsden (Wandin; 22 goals), Georgia Marsh (Mt Evelyn; 14 goals), Madeline Hargrave (Woori Yallock; 12 goals)
Best Players: Serena Gibbs (Best on Court; Mt Evelyn), Sinead Lumsden (Wandin), Jacqui Black (Mt Evelyn)
South East FNL
Goal Shooters: Bianca Sanzaro (Beaconsfield; 18 goals), Alexandra Duff (Tooradin-Dalmore; 14 goals), Lauren Spinks (Pakenham; 11 goals)
Best Players: Caitlyn Cooke (Pakenham), Bianca Sanzaro (Beaconsfield), Sara Duncan (Tooradin-Dalmore)
Under 17 Netball
South East FNL 30 d AFL Yarra Ranges 21
The South East FNL proved too strong for the AFL Yarra Ranges young netballers. They certainly got the early lead shooting 13 goals to 4 in the first quarter and it was a game of chase down the lead after that. The second quarter was tighter but Yarra Ranges could not get the turnovers they needed to eat into the South East lead. The second half was a low scoring even test of skills with the Yarra Ranges outscoring the South East by 10 goals to 9 but he damage was done in the first quarter and South East came away with a good win.
South East FNL
Goal Shooters: Tahlia Coates (Cranbourne; 16 goals), Mia Washington (Pakenham; 10 goals), Yasmin Dickson (Cranbourne; 4 goals)
Best Players: Melissa Webster (Doveton), Charlotte Petelinek (Beaconsfield), Tahlia Coates (Cranbourne)
AFL Yarra Ranges
Goals Shooters: Sophie Hennessy (Wandin; 13 goals), Shona Gesler (Alexandra; 5 goals), Keely Farrow (Healesville; 2 goals), Monique Lee (Woori Yallock; 1 goal)
Best Players: Mia Sudomirski (Best on Court; Woori Yallock), Sophie Hennessy (Wandin), Alana McGurgan (Woori Yallock)
