A mostly disappointing day on Saturday with the Seniors going down to Old Camberwell, while the Under 19s flew the flag, defeating Old Xavs to leapfrog them into third on the ladder to secure a finals spot.
It was a triple header at the Boss on Saturday and the penultimate home game luncheon of the 2023 season.
It was always going to be a tough assignment for the Seniors, up against the clear number one side in Premier C and they just had too many of their guns playing and firing for us to have a chance. This was compounded by the continuing unavailability for the Rovers, primarily due to overseas travel as well as suspension. On a positive note, against the number one side this week we held them 4.6 to 5.6 in a great second half effort by our boys.
Even so, the game was a dour struggle, played in probably the best conditions for the year so far but with few highlights. In the first half, Old Camberwell seemed to be on top all over the ground and in that time kicked 11 goals to our 3 goals to establish a match winning lead. Tredders met his nemesis in the ruck for the second time this year and battled hard. While his taller opponent probably had the better of him, Tredders did a mammoth job.
Jacko gave the supporters something to cheer about in the first quarter when he kicked his first goal in the seniors. A contested marking contest where he recovered quicker than his opponent and kicked over the right shoulder for a miraculous first goal. The skipper was again closely tagged and on a number of occasions. It was the last 5 minutes of the first quarter and the first 10 minutes of the second where OC kicked 8 goals straight to snuff out any chance we had. Harry McIntyre was prominent in the midfield and around the ground, Lucas Sharp whether in defence or attack was using his speed to advantage and James Prosser was busy in the centre square and around the ground all day.
After half time the game really tightened up. I’m not sure whether it was Camberwell relaxing or us pushing harder but while we seemed to have more of the play, some simple errors were jumped on by the opposition and resulted in easy goals whereas we just didn’t seem to capitalize on the opportunities Camberwell gave to us. Luke Nixon-Smith with the blond locks flowing was roaming from the wing to the square and while not as effective as previous weeks always looked dangerous when he had the ball. Will Crawford continued to pull down those big marks but just didn’t have his kicking boots on this week, but still kicked two majors, as did Harry McIntyre. Great to see both Joel Melnjak and Chris Perkins back in the team after lengthy holidays in Europe, and more to come in to the side.
Next Saturday, the Rovers travel to Bullen to take on Old Carey in the third last game of the season.
Hampton Rovers 2.1-13 3.4-22 4.8-32 7.10-52
Old Camberwell 5.5-35 11.7-73 14.11-95 16.13-109
Goal Kickers: H. McIntyre 2, W. Crawford 2, J. Prosser, C. Carnovale, N. Jackson
Best Players: J. Keys, W. Crawford, L. Sharp, J. Prosser, H. McIntyre, L. Nixon-Smith
SENIOR WOMEN
Saturday was effectively the women’s last game of 2023 as they’re unfortunately forfeiting the final game of 2023 due to the unavailability of players through injury and overseas travel. It’s been a tough year after being promoted to division 1. On Saturday, the Rovers had a number of 15 and 16 year olds playing against a very experienced Old Brighton side. The scoreboard tells a strange tale. We were really unable to score for most of the game, yet we held the opposition scoreless for half of the game!
Great to see a large number of the women coming back to the Boss after their game and relax with a few drinks while watching the Senior men and later the Under 19s. Great to see Kara in a BOG performance following on from her nomination as last week’s VAFA Rising Star nominee!
Hampton Rovers 0.0 1.1-7 1.7-13 1.7-13
Old Brighton 4.2-26 4.4-28 9.10-64 9.10-64
Goal Kickers: A. Price
Best Players: K. Galaminda Gellar, J. Andros, P. Ward, H. Gould, M. Brown, O. Tuppen
UNDER 19s
A fantastic game by the Rovers against our main rivals for a final’s berth in 2023, under lights following the Seniors at the Boss in front of a good crowd in what was a perfect night for footy. In front all day, Old Xavs had no answer to the Rovers determination and we ran out relatively easy winners. Hugo Garrow, having played a number of games in the seniors, back in the U19s to ensure final’s eligibility picked up BOG honours. Charles Kilburn with 5 goals has jumped to the lead in the Div 1 goal kicking table. Will he be able to hold on until season’s end? Let’s hope the team can as the returning U19s from the seniors in the next couple of weeks will no doubt strengthen their side. The finals should be an interesting contest.
Hampton Rovers 3.5-23 6.10-46 10.11-71 11.14-80
Old Xaverians 1.3-9 3.4-22 6.6-42 7.9-51
Goal Kickers: C. Kilburn 5, B. Klingwort 2, C. McSwain 2, J. Grima, L. Coughlin
Best Players: H. Garrow, O. Horigan, B. Seddon, D. Hall, P. Somogyi
SENIOR RESERVES
Hampton Rovers 3.1-19 5.2-32 6.3-39 7.6-48
Old Camberwell 1.5-11 1.8-14 4.12-36 7.16-58
Goal Kickers: N. Murnane 3, T. Galloway, J. Bull, S. Somogyi, D. Merlo
Best Players: N. Murnane, W. Cowie, J. Smith, J. Bull, T. Stephens, S. Somogyi
THIRDS/DEVELOPMENT SQUAD
Ormond AFC 5.7-37 10.9-69 15.12-102 20.15-135
Hampton Rovers 1.1-7 5.3-33 6.3-39 10.4-64
Goal Kickers: O. Brown 3, J. Campion 2, J. Ilias, A. Steedman, A. Culvenor, J. Young, C. Ellison
Best Players: O. Brown, J. Campion, J. Ilias, L. Jarvis, C. Ellison
