Many neutrals predicted St Bedes Mentones first loss of the season on Saturday however that didn?t eventuate with the away side taking the 4 points. They were far from convincing though, with the exception of a 7-goal blitz in the final 10 minutes of the game to blow out the margin.
The crowd wasn?t as big as expected at Boss James Reserve for a local derby, with a poor showing by the local away supporters, both during and after the game. Even after the Rovers supporters, as always, turned out in force in the opening round.
The Rovers went into the game without the services of several key players, however confidence was high after last weeks victory. The home side kicked with the aid of a strong 5 goal wind in the opening term and while they managed the first goal of the game through Nick Greenwood, the Tigers had the bulk of the play but struggled to find the big sticks.
After holding an 8 point advantage at quarter time, the away side kicked away in the second quarter to hold a decent lead at the main break. The Rovers had a much better effort in the third quarter and early in the final term, were only 4 goals down.
It all fell apart for the Rovers late in the game when St Bedes finally stepped up with a 10 minute blitz kicking 7 goals to make the final margin 79 points.
The defeat drops Rovers one spot on the ladder to 7th. C Section continues to be tight, with 2 other teams on the same points as Rovers, 3 teams one game ahead, and 2 teams one game behind.
Nick Greenwood finished with 3 goals, Nick Henry 2, and singles to Adams, Carr, Devereaux, Gribbin & Parkinson. Gary Carr was best for the Rovers with good efforts by Paul Adams, Nick Henry, Mark Devereaux, Michael Fletcher & Sam Parkinson.
Meanwhile, the Under 19s had an outstanding effort to win their second consecutive game defeating 3rd-placed De La Salle by 5 goals. Best for the Rovers were Tom Mitchell, Rory White, Alex Ross, Michael Davis, Lachlan Batt & James Marasco, while there were 9 single goal kickers.