Oakleigh claimed their fourth win in a row in the first local derby of the season against old rivals Ormond at E.E.Gunn Reserve in Saturdays VAFA Premier C sixth round. In almost perfect conditions, save for a stiff breeze favouring the southern end, the Krushers took advantage of the breeze with a 6 goal opening term keeping Ormond to a goal and went to the first change with a 31 point advantage. However, the pressure was now on Oakleigh to contain Ormond and minimise any damage Ormond could inflict with the breeze and, despite Ormond booting 5 goals for the quarter, Oakleigh responded with 5 of their own, Aaron Cloke with his second goal to bring up his 300th goal for the club and went to the long break still with a 31 point lead.
The second quarter proved pivotal to the outcome of the match as the second half turned into an arm wrestle. The Oaks couldn’t repeat the first term heroics in the third quarter and worked hard to keep their hosts at bay and maintain their lead. Ormond went into the final quarter 32 points adrift but with the wind at their backs and were hoping to run down the Krushers, however Oakleigh cut loose into the wind opening up a 9 goal lead by midway through the term. Another change came over the game though and the home side lifted and slammed on 4 unanswered goals before time ran out and the Krushers emerged with a 30 point win. Aaron Cloke was on fire up forward for Oakleigh kicking 6 with Liam Hard chipping in with 3 goals. Gary Bennett, Dermot Cleary and Keith Paisley were among Oakleigh’s best.
In the early game, Oakleigh overcame a determined Ormond with a solid performance. After conceding a 7 point lead to the home side at the first change the Oaks made good use of the breeze to go to the half-time interval with an 18 point advantage. The Krushers managed to keep in touch during the third term and went into the last quarter a goal behind but with the last use of the wind which they took full advantage of with a 6-4 return keeping Ormond scoreless. Zac Thiessens led Oakleigh’s goal kicking with 3 and Blake Grizzell added 2. Rod Gonzalez and Andrew Murray were in Oakleigh’s best.
The U/19s travelled to Waverley Oval and a date with DeLaSalle in the U/19 South sixth round. In a low scoring affair, the young Krushers kept their hosts to one goal by half-time but only managed 3-8 themselves. The second half proved more fruitful with the Oaks adding another 6 goals to DeLaSalles 4 and came home with a 27 point win. James Grigoriou, Alex Seremelis and Michael Tate all booted 2 goals with Mason Ansell, Jake Benoiton and Scott Johnstone among the best.