KRUSHERS GAME BUT EAGLES TOO GOOD
Oakleigh slipped out of the four this week after their second loss in as many weeks, this time to competition leaders Marcellin at the Bulleen Rd campus. With 4 players missing from last weeks nailbiter against Hampton Rovers, Oakleigh weren’t given much chance against the Eagles who had smashed both Peninsula and Banyule by 20 goals plus in the last 2 games and things didn’t look too bright early as the hosts put 2 goals on the board before the Oakleigh forwards had seen the footy. But the Krushers had come to play and hit back, and hit the front, with 3 goals of their own. After another goal each Marcellin went to the first change with a 2 point lead and a hint of a worried look. For the first 5 minutes or so of the second term, the ball went from end to end and side to side without troubling the scorers before the Eagles broke the deadlock with a few goals and things were beginning to look grim for the Krushers who managed to pull one back and go to the long break 18 points adrift.
The third quarter was much the same as Oakleigh battled hard but couldn’t make any inroads. Simple turnovers and fundamental errors were costing them dearly and Marcellin were taking full advantage of it. Though they were 25 points down at the last break, the Krushers were still in with a chance and set about the task of causing an upset with some vigour in the last quarter and had cut the deficit to 16 points when what appeared to many to be an Oakleigh mark wasn’t paid and the resultant goal was the first of 5 unanswered goals to the Eagles which effectively ended the game. The Oaks did manage to regroup and claimed 2 more goals before games end to finish 34 points down, disappointed but not disgraced. Tim Scott and Liam Hard kicked 3 goals each for Oakleigh with Luke Andreatta and Luke Daidone among the Krushers best.
In the early game, Oakleigh suffered the heartache of losing the game after the siren when, with scores locked together, a free kick to Marcellin in the dying seconds resulted in a match winning point. After fighting their way to the front at half time, the Oaks goal kicking went awry in the third term booting 2-8 and a lack lustre last term didn’t help their cause. Paul Tsoucalas celebrated his return to Oakleigh with 2 goals with Dan Mercuri, Will Manning and James Faranda among Oakleighs best.
The U/19s played host to Beaumaris at Scammell Reserve and after trailing by a goal at quarter time the young Krushers held the Sharks scoreless in the second term before running away with the game in the second half booting 9 goals to 2 and emerging victorious by 63 points. James Grigoriou led Oakleigh’s goal kicking with 4.
