By DAVID NAGEL
CRANBOURNE’s desire to be a great football side – not just good – was the driving force behind the Eagles’ magnificent six-point victory over Narre Warren at Casey Fields on Saturday.
A heart-to-heart chat on Thursday night saw the Eagles shake-off the discord from seven days earlier against Pakenham, transforming back into the tight and tough unit of seasons gone by. A Ryan Jones goal, in the dying stages, ended the Magpies’ record-breaking run of 44 consecutive wins and breathed new life into the 2014 Casey Cardinia Football League season.
Cranbourne was harder at the contest than the Magpies in the first term which saw it dominate both the tackling and possession count. The Eagles were fired up all over the ground, with defenders Brandon Osborne, Matt Rus and Nick Barker linking beautifully with the midfield brigade of Michael Boland, Ryan Davey, Max Gearon and Curtis Barker to give their forwards a chance.
Michael Theodoridis kept up his end of the bargain, using his pace and aggressive nature to terrorise the Magpies defence.
The Eagles took a 22-point lead to the first break before the Magpies steadily cut the margin, back to 17 at half time, then again to 10 at three-quarter time. The last quarter was a cracker!
The Magpies are a champion team – their record proves that – and they lifted their rating to take a 14-point lead midway through the final term. The Magpies looked set for their eighth consecutive win over their arch-rivals … but the Eagles responded in kind.
Two quick goals saw the margin cut back to a point before a Jones free kick in the goal square gave the Eagles the lead which they held until the final siren. The match-winning goal capped off a best-on-ground display from Jones, who kicked four from the wing, while Theodoridis matched his team-mate’s output.
The Magpies were gallant in defeat. Jackson Parker led the way with three goals from the midfield while full-back Ryan Morrison – who did a great job on Cranbourne champ Marc Holt – joined Hayden Stagg and Col McNamara as the Magpies’ best.
Hampton Park finally had reason to cheer, scoring its first win of the season with a commanding 50-point win over Keysborough at Robert Booth Reserve.
The Redbacks trailed at quarter time, but kicked 12 goals to three after the first break to cruise their way to victory. Matt Cox kicked four, and Michael McDonald three for the winners, while ruckman Billy Thomas had a massive influence around the ground. Josh Craig, Rod Blackbourn and Nathan Allen were others who deserved to belt out the club song with pride. Tim Werner slotted four goals for the Burra.
Doveton pulled off the surprise of the round at its home ground at Robinson Oval with its lock-down nature leading to a low-scoring one-point win over Berwick.
The Doves looked in for a long day as the Wickers bounced out of the blocks with four first-quarter goals – but they kicked just two more for the match as Doves dug in for the fight.
Under-19 player Mitch Pierce kicked two on debut for the Doves, while Andrew Green and Michael Laszczyk – who kicked the only goal of the final quarter – were other valuable contributors. Nathan Waite slotted three for the Wickers and skipper Madi Andrews was once again superb.
Pakenham made it seven on the trot with an impressive 31-point away victory over Beaconsfield.
The Lions were just too aggressive and too switched on for the Eagles who kicked late goals to cut the margin to a flattering size. Full-forward Daniel Fry kicked six for the Lions while Dom Paynter, Dean Blake and Cory Lenders were dominant through the midfield and Nathan Brown used his experience to full effect down back.
ROC survived an after-the-siren shot at goal from Tooradin skipper Michael Hobbs to defeat the Seagulls by two-points in a scrappy, but close affair at Starling Road.
The Seagulls led by two points at the final break, but a Neil Adams goal gave the Kangaroos the edge they needed to bank a crucial four points. Tom Marks, Travis Woodfield and Blair Allan were the best performers for the winners while inter-league star Matt Wade continued his outstanding form for the Seagulls.
