Threes Breeze Home
Resolute football in a three-quarter arm wrestle and a last quarter blitz delivered the thirds our fifth win on the trot. In blustery conditions both sides missed their share of scoring opportunities and struggled to counterattack but the OMs withstood a third quarter assault before producing arguably our best quarter of the season in the last to run out winners by 41 points.
In a tough day for forwards the Slippery Eel was at his mercurial best, his three goals putting the anxiety of his rigorous Thursday night fitness test to rest. Petso's Coleman medal rival Tom Healey was again on song as he surged forward to snag three goals and take, in his own words, 'the best goal square hanger you'll ever see'. Back from injury, Lachie Bennett got into his rhythm as the game wore on and showed that he has the dukes and kicking boot to match his Fevolution rig and personality.
Before round 1 some pundits predicted that Will Harris' callous act of betrayal would leave a gaping hole in our ruck division but the continual improvement of Moose Yenken and Brent Townsing has been a key part of the thirds' success this season. The midfielders were made to work hard for their kicks against some strong bodies but rose to the challenge well. The Weapon fired a couple of deadly bursts from the centre square and the Spirit again set the standard for our attack on the footy. Matt Maragon was a class inclusion and his hard running proved a telling factor in the last quarter blitzkrieg.
The Blues kicked 2.9 with the third quarter wind and whilst this was partly a reflection of the swirling Albert Park Doctor it also showed the influence of the backline's chase and tackle pressure. When everything clicked in the last, the combination of poise and dash shown across half back by Jonos Phillips and Gooley was instrumental in turning defence into attack and these two should find themselves among the votes once again.
Next week the Thirds face De La at Dairy Bell park. This is another opportunity to measure ourselves against a quality opponent and attain redemption for last year's prelim heartbreak. If we can start next week's game like we finished this one then the bandwagon should roll on.
Old Melburnians 15 13 103
Uni Blues 8 14 62
Best Players- J. Gooley, J. Philips, J. Slade, M. Marangon, M. McCoy, L. Bennett
Goals- S. Petsinis 3, T. Healey 3, L. Bennett 3, J. Cooper 2, M. Marangon 1, J. Slade 1, C. Baillieu 1, A. Gregory 1