A 12 goal final quarter to Ormond saw them overpower the Rovers and reverse the Round 5 result to reduce the Rovers buffer on top of the ladder to two games.
It was one vs two and it didn?t disappoint with a great game of amateur footy on display at the E.E. Gunn Reserve between two very proud district VAFA clubs.
The Rovers kicked with the wind in the opening term towards the tennis courts end dominated play kicking seven goals to hold a 25 point lead at the first break.
The second quarter saw the home side respond with four goals to the Rovers one. At the main break the Rovers went in with a seven point lead.
The Rovers knew they had to have a strong third term and build a solid lead to defend in the last, while they kicked five, Ormond managed four and at the final change, it was the Rovers by just ten points.
It was always going to be a tough ask with Ormond kicking with the strong breeze in the last. The Rovers had been in front all day and it wasn?t until the 9 minute mark of the last that the home side hit the lead. What they achieved was quite unexpected, booting 12 goals to the Rovers 3 to blow out the final margin to 49 points, not a true indication of the game, however a fully deserved victory to the ?monds.
The Rovers dug deep all day and can now look forward to returning home for two consecutive games at Boss James Reserve after two weeks on the road. Best for the Rovers were Tom Curry, Anton Duddy, Stuey Burggraaff, Mark Devereaux, Matt Terech and Nathan Davidson who put in another good performance in his second senior game.
On the goals front, Nick Greenwood, Tom Curry, Rob Alexander and Nathan Davidson all kicked three each, with singles to Mark Devereaux, Leigh Fletcher, Ryan Semmel and Luke Dallas.
After their first two losses of the season, the Rovers are now two games clear on top of the C Section ladder. Round 12 sees a return to Boss James Reserve against Monash Blues followed by another home game against Melbourne High.
HAMPTON ROVERS 7.7 8.9 13.11 16.12 (108)
ORMOND 3.6 7.8 11.13 23.19 (157)
Goal Kickers: N. Greenwood 3, T. Curry 3, R. Alexander 3, N. Davidson 3, M. Devereaux, L. Fletcher, R. Semmel, L. Dallas
Best Players: T. Curry, A. Duddy, S. Burggraaff, M. Devereaux, M. Terech, N. Davidson
In the Reserves, Ormond were far too good scraping home by 94 points. Jason Giasoumi, Sean Durston-Ryan and Alex Ross were best for the Rovers with Alex Ross, Graham Davis and Leigh Cave kicking a goal each.
The Under 19Â’s took on top side Monash Blues at home and put in a good performance, in the end, going down by just 11 points. However it all came down to accuracy, with the Rovers having 28 scoring shots to the BluesÂ’ 19. Matt Law, Brad Trembath and Brenton Stevens were best with Trembath kicking 3 and Jesse Donald 2.
Next Saturday is a Triple Header and Boss James Reserve with all three senior teams at home. The Under 19Â’s commence at 9:20pm against Prahran-Caulfield, followed by the Reserves at 11:40am and Seniors 2pm against Monash Blues. As always, the Luncheon commences at 12:30pm.
