By Lachlan Mitchell
The gallant winning run of Doveton has come to a screeching halt at the hands of Keysborough on the Doves home deck at Robinson Reserve on Saturday.
Doveton led by seven points at three-quarter time before a four-goal final term from the Kookaburras saw them trundle over the Doves by five points.
Inaccuracy plagued the Doves in the first quarter with one-goal-six setting the muted tone.
The Doves eventually fell five points short in the 8.11.59 to 9.10.64 final score.
Doves’ player coach Michael Cardamone and exciting new-recruit Josiah Kyle kicked three goals to keep the Doves in the contest.
Cardamone sees the first loss of the season as disappointing, but agrees it does give the Doves areas to work on as they push towards finals.
“We just have to work harder and we will review the tape today,” Cardamone said.
“But full credit to Keysborough, they came to play, they are well coached and they were a very well drilled side and they are going to be hard to beat moving forward.
“We kicked one goal six in the first quarter so that doesn’t help us; if we convert it probably makes the difference.
“We didn’t take our chances and if we did that it could definitely be a different result.
“To their credit they just kept on coming and coming and they won the contested footy and that got them over the line.”
The loss gives Doveton something to work on as they push towards September.
“We will review and we know no one is perfect, we have to realise that we know what works and we have to resort back to that game plan,” Cardamone explained.
“We are not going to throw the toys out with the cot just yet.”
Cardamone doesn’t subscribe to the theory that a loss is good or beneficial for a side after an extended run of wins.
“I don’t believe in that saying that its always good to have a loss,” he said.
“I think that sometimes you can win and it can cover some cracks and we have got some cracks, but the loss isn’t a bad thing.
“We can go back to the drawing board and come back fully prepared.”
Hampton Park felt the full force of Chelsea Heights as the Demons breezed past the Redbacks by 58 points.
Chelsea’s Bradley Gilder and Shaun Chaseling kicked three goals each in the win.
The Redbacks could only conjure five goals for the match as they struggled to hit the scoreboard in the 14.11 (95) to 5.7 (37) final score.
The Caulfield Bears ravaged and tore apart Heatherton at Koornang Park Reserve.
The Bears clawed in 27 goals in the 148-point demolition of the Panthers.
Bears forward Chris Smith kicking eight goals in a complete and dominant performance.
East Brighton also had things go their own way as they ran rings over Highett by 62 points.
The Vampires were able to conjure 18 goals to take the result out of Highett’s hands.
The win leaves the Vampires knocking on the door of the top four.
SOUTHERN DIVISION TWO
RESULTS- ROUND 11
Chelsea Heights 14.11.95 v Hampton Park 5.7.37, Caulfield Bears 27.11.173 v Heatherton 4.1.25, Doveton Doves 8.11.59 v Keysborough 9.10.64, Highett 8.9.57 v East Brighton 18.11.119. Skye – Bye.
LADDER
Doveton Doves 36, Chelsea Heights 32, Keysborough 28, Caulfield Bears 24, East Brighton 22, Highett 16, Hampton Park 14, Skye 4, Heatherton 0.
FIXTURE – ROUND 12
Chelsea Heights v Skye, East Brighton v Caulfield Bears, Heatherton v Doveton Doves, Keysborough v Hampton Park. Highett – Bye.
