By Lachlan Mitchell
The nails on the fingers of Cranbourne fans would have been gnawed to the bone on Saturday after a thrilling two-point win over St Paul’s McKinnon.
An opening 10-goal shootout saw Cranbourne take a two-point lead at quarter time, before the Bulldogs managed to pop their heads in front by eight at the half.
The game continued to be played in Cranbourne’s forward-50, but the Eagles kicked a horrible 1.6 to 1.2 in the third term to narrow the margin to four points with one quarter to play.
A last-quarter swarm by the Eagles, led by champion full-forward Marc Holt, saw them kick 4.3 to 3.2 to scrape home 12.13.83 to 12.9.81.
Holt finished with four goals to take his tally to 46 goals for the season.
The Bulldogs put up an almighty showing on their home ground against the competition favourites and almost pulled off a famous win.
Eagles coach Steve O’Brien was relieved with his side’s ability to fight it out in tough conditions.
“We didn’t expect it to be so tight, but they have been playing some really tight footy,” he explained.
“We knew they play the ground (McKinnon Reserve) really well and they were the best side all day except for about 15 minutes…we just got out of jail.
O’Brien was proud of his side’s ability to stick things out and fight until the final siren.
“As I said to the guys pre-game we need challenges and we certainly got that on Saturday,” O’Brien said.
“Like I said they were the better side for 90 per-cent of the game, so it’s a good sign to win a game like that.
“We never give up and that’s been a trait of this footy club for a long long time…for its entire history to be honest.
“It’s a great sign that we are always in games and we are able to fight until the very end.
“I don’t think many people gave us a chance in the last quarter, when we were down, but we found a way.”
Tyson Barry kicked three goals for the Eagles, and recent Casey-listed Jake Carosella slotted two, to join Holt as multiple goalkickers on the day.
Jake Stephens and Jordy Bertrand were reliable figures around the ground.
One of the biggest signings of the week was ex-Carlton and Brisbane Lions power-forward Brendan Fevola, who made his way to the Port Melbourne Colts for the clash against Dingley.
The Fevolution reminded everyone of his class, booting four goals, and why he almost kicked 100 goals in an AFL season.
Fevola orchestrated the Colts 25-point quarter-time lead.
But a second coming from the Dingoes saw them lead by seven points at half-time, with Justin Van Unen kicking four goals to lead his side back into the contest.
Not even Fevola could lead the Colts over the line as they suffered defeat by 15 points.
Competition powerhouse Cheltenham once again flexed their muscle with a stirring 120-point win over Mordialloc.
The Rosellas had things their own way from the opening siren and continued to go from strength to strength.
A strong second-quarter performance saw the Rosellas lead by 65-points at half-time.
After the break things looked very much the same as Cheltenham ran in 22 goals to the Bloodhounds four.
Springvale took its opportunities as it raised hell to conquer St Kilda City.
The Demons were able to hold the Saints down and realign the stars on their season.
Demons Daniel Spence and Cory Hutchinson kicked three goals each to see them triumph by 31 points.
Bentleigh had no issues in striding over East Malvern by 26 points with Demon Thomas Wynne kicking five goals in the conquest.
SOUTHERN DIVISION ONE
RESULTS – ROUND 11
East Malvern 9.11 65 v Bentleigh 14.7 91, Port Melbourne Colts 9.6 60 v Dingley 10.15 75, Cheltenham 22.13 145 v Mordialloc 4.1 25, St Paul’s McKinnon 12.9 81 v Cranbourne Eagles 12.11 83, Springvale Districts 12.7 79 v St Kilda City 6.12 48.
LADDER
Cranbourne Eagles 40, Cheltenham 36, St. Paul McKinnon 32, St Kilda City 28, Dingley 24, Springvale Districts 20, Mordialloc 20, Port Melbourne Colts 12, Bentleigh 8, East Malvern 0.
FIXTURE- ROUND 12
Mordialloc v Port Melbourne Colts, Bentleigh v Cheltenham, Cranbourne Eagles v St Kilda City, St Paul’s McKinnon v East Malvern, Dingley v Springvale Districts.
