Despite a slow start, Hampton Rovers made light work of Glen Eira, defeating the reigning Division 1 Premiers by 58 points at Trevor Barker Oval on Saturday. A great day for the club, with all five teams winning, and another big lunch at Sandy by the Bay with 100+ in attendance.
The Reserves got the day off to a flyer, with a comprehensive 27 goal win over the Gryphons, allowing the opposition to only kick 2 behinds for the day. However, despite a quick start in the main game and peppering the goals in the first few minutes, the Rovers accuracy on goal was poor.
Ant Folino kicked the first of the game about 4 minutes in after taking a strong mark under pressure. But overall the hard work wasn’t rewarded, Hugo Garrow took a gutsy mark and missed followed by James Keys making a strong lead, taking the mark and playing on only to push the shot on goal through the behinds. Hampton’s backs held firm and while Glen Eira kicked a couple of goals you could see that Max VDS had the measure of their key forward. Oscar Roberts and Harry Crisp were mopping up well and speedsters Aussie Parker and Lachy Costello were running the lines. At the break, with the Rovers down by three points, the coach rightfully wasn’t happy and the boys needed to lift.
The Rovers switched on in the second term and a 5.6 to 0.1 quarter resulted. Ant Folino kicked his second and Dillon Melnjak weaved more of his magic in a pass to Clinton Young, who hit Ant Folino for his third. The Glen Eira boys were in trouble and had no answer for Hamoton’s fast ball movement. The goals kept coming as the game opened up.
When the third quarter commenced you could sense that the game was over. The boys kept running and moving the ball with precision and then shutting down and opposition forward thrusts with big spoils from defence and relentless attack on the player with the ball. Still, the Rovers held them to one goal while managing to kick four, but the nine behinds plus a couple of OOBs was where they were letting themselves down.
Still, a 10 goal lead at three quarter time was a fair return for effort. Marty Pask stressed the need to continue running, no camping and no slacking off. Well, in one sense, the boys did slow down and by the time the quarter ended, Glen Eira did win the term by a single point, but never was the game in doubt.
Difficult to pick best players as at various times they all did their bit. Speedy was back to his scintillating run of a decade ago when after half time he broke the packs with speed and his unorthodox kicks always hit their marks, Perko and Max Coughlin are two players who are clearly enjoying the freedom of their new roles this year in the midfield and this has given the opportunity to James Prosser to play a new role and given Lachy Costello the chance to make the wing his own.
The boys down back were looking good, the way the talls gave their opponents minimal free run at the ball and with Crispy and Jack Garrow playing hard and tight on their opponents the plan was working. Carny is finally getting more assistance in the middle and the sooner our mids increase effort in this area our clearances will become more accurate. Youngsters Jamie Delaney and Ben Seddon are learning more with each game they play and are improving. The twin towers of Hugo Garrow and Hugo Lay sharing ruck duties in Tredder’s absence have in the last few weeks just worn the opposition down with their height and spring.
Next up, the Rovers face top-four side Parkdale Vultures away at Gerry Green Reserve.
Hampton Rovers 1.4-10 6.10-46 10.19-79 13.21-99
Glen Eira / Old McKinnon 2.1-13 2.2-14 3.2-20 6.5-41
Best: Joshua McPherson, James Prosser, Max Coughlin, Max Van der Straaten, Harry Crisp, Chris Perkins
Goals: Anthony Folino 3, Ryan Leslie 2, Clinton Young 2, Max Coughlin 2, Christian Carnovale 1, Hugo Garrow 1, James Keys 1, Speedy McPherson 1
SENIOR WOMEN
Hampton Rovers 3.15-33
Old Camberwell/AJAX 0.3-3
Best: Natasha Morris, Millie Smith, Lizzie Dingeldei, Poppy WRreard, Bryanna Arnold, Daisy Ward
Goals: Maegan Miller 2, Bree- Anna Kavanagh 1.
RESERVES
Hampton Rovers 25.14-164
Glen Eira / Old McKinnon 0.2-2
Best: Andrew Woolston, Thomas Ellinghaus, Scott Ebbott, Peter Somogyi, Lucas Sharp, Nick Jackson
Goals: Seriously, 14 goal kickers, Andrew Woolston 6, Nick Jackson 5 and another 12 shared the rest between them!
UNDER 19’s
Hampton Rovers 15.10
Old Carey 4.10-34
Best: Dan Hall, Kai Carrigan, Zachary Ziesing, Oliver Horigan, Archie Steedman
Goals: Lachy Celantano 2, Mason Carrigan 2, Charles Kilburn 2, Will Rogacki 2, Kai Carrigan 1, Harry Block 1, Dan Hall 1, John Illias 1, Ben McGurgan 1, Oliver Horigan 1, Jake Taranto 1
DEVELOPMENT SQUAD
Hampton Rovers 13.9-87
Williamstown CYMS 4.4-28
Best: Daniel Osborn, Darcy Lyon, Matt Dixon, Will Cowie, Oliver Anderson, Samuel Horigan
Goals: MJ Green 3, Nick Anderson 2, Fin Concaig 2, Sam Horigan 2, Tom Folino 2, Billy Klein 1, Darcy Lyon 1
