By Jonty Ralphsmith
Skipper Nick Battle and star recruit Brendan Hermann have led Devon Meadows to a steely 13.15 93 to 7.7 49 victory over Somerville at a blustery Glover Reserve.
A six goal to one second quarter set the tone for the Panthers, who were able to withstand a Somerville surge early in the third quarter to cruise home.
The hosts’ first goal didn’t come until the four-minute mark of the second quarter, with Somerville snagging the only major in a slugfest of a first term.
Stepping up in the absence of Patrick Ryder for the second consecutive week, Patrick Harmes kicked the first two goals for Devon Meadows, and created a contest all day.
Patrick Sinnema connected and delivered well inside 50 throughout the second quarter, finishing with 14 disposals and playing a key role to kickstart the Panthers’ momentum.
Joel Hillis, too, was instrumental through that period, a goal from outside 50 capping off a quarter which blended clearances, defensive application and smart ball-use.
Leading by 28 points at halftime, Devon Meadows were left stunned early in the third, giving up four goals in the first eight minutes.
Smashed in centre clearance and unable to get their hands on it, Somerville were able to deliver it to their forwards’ advantage, who took marks for fun.
Slowly, Devon Meadows were able to stem the bleeding, increase the pressure and shift the momentum.
“We had to start getting the ball on our terms,” said coach Ryan Hendy.
“We had to get a couple of repeat stoppages and hold on to the ball with kick control and slowly get the ball on our terms and build momentum in our favour.”
Hayden Murphy kicked a crucial settler midway through the third, courtesy of Ryan Koo who opened up the corridor and moved the ball quickly.
The teams then exchanged goals, before Koo, who finished with 23 possessions, kicked one on the run from 30 deep in stoppage time to give Devon a 17-point three-quarter-time lead.
By that point, the Panthers had staved off the major challenge, with Somerville still behind on the scoreboard and kicking to the more challenging end for scoring in the last quarter.
Alex Canal and Tyler Hunter both kicked goals early in the fourth to seal victory.
“Early on it looked like it would be a game of who wanted to win the contested footy more but as the game wore on, we adapted to the conditions and we started to use the ball a lot better, especially in the last quarter,” Hendy said.
“We didn’t want to get lost playing on one side, we wanted to open up the attacking side of the ground and take a few more risks than normal and the boys to their credit held shape and we were able to use the corridor going forward.”
Winger Riley McDonald was a key catalyst of that ball movement with his smart running patterns on the wing, finishing with 21 disposals to cap a strong fortnight of form.
Hendy was also full of praise for Battle’s performance, singling him out in the team address post-game.
The co-captain’s clean and hard-working first quarter amid torrid conditions set the scene for an enormous day.
He finished with 38 disposals, 14 contested possessions, 10 inside 50s, seven tackles and nine clearances – all team-high numbers – while Hermann bounced back from a quieter fortnight.
Battle was excellently fed by Riley Simmons, who was too physical and crafty for his direct opponent, finishing with six clearances and 41 hitouts – Somerville had just 22 as a team.
“Nick was really great especially around the stoppages and I thought all our on-ballers were really good, ‘Baz’ Hermann was really good and Riley gave us first use.
“We lowered the eyes going forward and a lot of credit needs to go to the forwards who were really busy today leading at the ball carrier where they were a bit stagnant last week.”
Patrick Harmes played as the deepest, while Jack Wilson bounced back, Hunter got rewarded with two last quarter goals for presenting all day, while Canal was typically dangerous.
“We had to adapt and play with a smaller forward line today and they did that really well.
“We adapted better without Paddy (Ryder) – last week we were rolling because we’re used to getting it into him long so we knew we couldn’t do that today.”
Kent’s absence left a leadership hole in the backline, with Jayden Sullivan (nine intercept possessions, including six marks) leading with his words and actions, alongside the experienced Dylan Gregson.
“We addressed that before the game – (Kent’s) a leader and is the one who gathers the group so we knew we had to have a couple of blokes stand up in that area and they really did today – you could see them getting together after goals and driving high standards
“Jayden is a really underrated footballer, we hold him in high regard at the club.
“He’s a courageous footballer, he reads the play well, puts himself in good areas and his intercepting marking is good.”
The Panthers sit second on the table with the best percentage in the competition, behind only the undefeated Chelsea, ahead of a clash with the struggling Rye.
