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A Grade Season 2005 - In Review
History | Memberships | Merchandise | Ground Locations | EPPSA
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SENIOR GRADE SCOREBOARD
| 3-1 |
4-6 |
5-6 |
9-6-60 |
| 4-4 |
6-6 |
8-10 |
15-13-103 |
BEST PLAYERS Michael Martin, Adam Contessa, Christopher Brincat, Lachie Richardson, Andrew Willoughby.
GOAL KICKERS Daniel Irwin 3, Adam Burns, Ashley Dickson, Michael Martin, Sam O'Meara, Tom Richardson, Matthew Tallack.
GAME REPORT It was a pleasure to watch a clinical display by two great exponents of the game. Even though the team failed to win, Michael Martin and Adam Contessa put on a show that was rich in entertainment, skill and hard nosed grit and determination to win. It was good just to watch Adam play without a tagger. Epping were too balanced enabling them to increase the margin in each quarter dispite the competitiveness of the game. It has been a disappointing season for the boys, one we certainly wish to improve from.
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RESERVE GRADE SCOREBOARD
BEST PLAYERS Michael Iddon, Andrew Moyle, Chris Morgan, Jack Richardson, Warren Evans.
GOAL KICKERS Mitchell Poulton 2, Gerard Moloney.
GAME REPORT Thanks to Greg Wilson for coaching the Eltham seconds for the last four years in what would best be described as trying circumstances for most of the period.
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SENIOR GRADE SCOREBOARD
| 2-2 |
6-6 |
7-8 |
10-10-70 |
| 5-2 |
8-7 |
13-9 |
18-12-120 |
BEST PLAYERS Lachie Richardson, Tom Richardson, Michael Martin, John Ghastine, Alastair
White.
GOAL KICKERS Justin Orwin 3, Matthew Tallack 2, Ashley Dickson, John Ghastine, Michael
Martin, Mark Minney, Alastair White.
GAME REPORT Outplayed by a better side on the day.
Pushed hard late in the second quarter scoring 4 in a row when
West Preston got out to a six goal lead but otherwise no gas
left in the tank for the last home game.
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RESERVE GRADE SCOREBOARD
BEST PLAYERS :
GOAL KICKERS :
GAME REPORT :
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SENIOR GRADE SCOREBOARD
BEST PLAYERS :
GOAL KICKERS :
GAME REPORT Eltham looks forward to the fixture against Heidelberg as the two clubs have come closer together since the introduction of the Overton Cup donated by mutual sponsor Overton Insurance Brokers. However, even with the pleasantries, party pies and free beer supplied by a wonderful host, the scoreboard allowed for little good humour from the Eltham supporters. There is very little to tell from the game except for the basic facts.
Heidelberg are almost the complete team, well drilled and highly skilled. If Ash
Dickson was allowed to swap his sash colour and he was plonked at full-forward
he may of kicked 8 odd goals himself. One team was priming up for the finals and
the other was looking forward to the end and starting afresh. Eltham were once
again well serviced by Adam Contessa, Michael Martin, Lachie Richardson, Tom
Richardson, John Ghastine. It was only really in the last quarter Eltham put up
a little resistance but maybe that was when the Tigers cared less.
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RESERVE GRADE SCOREBOARD
BEST PLAYERS :
GOAL KICKERS :
GAME REPORT :
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SENIOR GRADE SCOREBOARD
BEST PLAYERS :
GOAL KICKERS :
GAME REPORT :
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RESERVE GRADE SCOREBOARD
BEST PLAYERS :
GOAL KICKERS :
GAME REPORT :
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SENIOR GRADE SCOREBOARD
| 0-1 |
5-3 |
7-6 |
11-8-74 |
| 5-2 |
10-7 |
14-12 |
20-14-134 |
BEST PLAYERS Marcus Pappa, Sam O'Meara, Adam Contessa, Mark Minney, Michael Martin.
GOAL KICKERS Lachie Richardson 3, Daniel Irwin 2, Adam Contessa, Hayden Dillon, John Ghastine, Trent Nichols, Sam O'Meara, Tom Richardson.
GAME REPORT In near perfect conditions the Panther took on the Bulldogs and over the course of the day North proved too quick and had the players up forward to kick a winning score. Eltham were not disgraced against the number two team in the competition. They had winners on the day and put together enough passages of play to encourage their Panther army to continue to keep the faith. Yes, it has been a season where not much has gone right and the luck never came Eltham's way. The Bulldogs got the early jump and set up the win in the first quarter. Eltham had only seven entries into the forward 50 and came away with a point.
Other clubs are doing their homework on Eltham by consistently placing shut down rolls against Adam Contessa and Mark Minney. With the injuries and absences of other players Eltham become very restricted. Marcus Pappa had to file a role in the midfield but this takes away his goal kicking prowess. Sam O'Meara played one of his better games for the season in and around the packs. The Panthers got within 5 goals early in the last quarter kicking to the scoring end but the strength and evenness of North allowed them to coast to a well deserved victory.
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RESERVE GRADE SCOREBOARD
BEST PLAYERS Steven Russell, Jack Richardson, Grant Pittard, Andrew Moyle, Chris Wells.
GOAL KICKERS Phillip Graham, Brett Grant, Gerard Moloney, Andrew Moyle, Steven Russell, Michael Smith, Chris Wells.
GAME REPORT The boys keep sticking it out.
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SENIOR GRADE SCOREBOARD
| 3-1 |
4-4 |
6-6 |
9-8-62 |
| 2-5 |
3-11 |
10-12 |
16-18-114 |
BEST PLAYERS Adam Contessa, Adam Burton, Reece Bux, Justin Orwin, Daniel Irwin.
GOAL KICKERS Reece Bux 2, Daniel Irwin 2, Grant Baker, Adam Contessa, John Ghastine, Sam O'Meara, Marcus Pappa.
GAME REPORT Eltham were able to set the trend of the game in the first half winning most contested ball out of the middle and pressurising Montmorency when going forward. After half time Monty were able to break the shakles, win the majority of centre clearances and, therefore on a small ground, score heavily. Eltham are still looking for more consistancy and a settled forward line that produces results.
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RESERVE GRADE SCOREBOARD
BEST PLAYERS Andrew Moyle, Stephen Cordina, Leigh Miller, Brett Aldred.
GOAL KICKERS Andrew Boyle, Chris Wells.
GAME REPORT Down on numbers and is need of a rescue plan to revitilise a team culture.
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SENIOR GRADE SCOREBOARD
| 1-2 |
4-6 |
8-9 |
11-14-80 |
| 1-0 |
1-2 |
3-6 |
4-7-31 |
BEST PLAYERS John Ghastine, Tom Richardson, Sam O'Meara, Adam Contessa, Ben Verrall.
GOAL KICKERS Adam Contessa 2, Marcus Pappa 2, Grant Baker, Reece Bux, John Ghastine, Daniel
Irwin, Sam O'Meara, Shannon Strickland.
GAME REPORT : The Eltham Panthers got back on
the winning list on Saturday after a solid four quarter
performance against Northcote Park. As the players ran onto
the ground the precipitation turned from showers to rain so
the game was not for the faint hearted. It was a commanding
show from the Panthers who had struggled in recent outings to
finish off the opposition. After the Cougars got the first
goal the Panthers never looked back, controlling possession
for most of the afternoon. John Ghastine was under packs with
Adam Contessa, Sam O’Meara was lively and Tom Richardson read
the play best with Trent Nichols who both found plenty of the
ball from scurried kicks out of the countless packs. Lach
Richardson curbed the influence of the dangerous Adam Uze and
Steve Kilby held his own against Brett Jeffrey in the ruck.
Ben Verrall also played a strong and creative game at centre
half back. Northcote Park did have their chance in the third
quarter but Eltham answered every goal. The Cougars, looking
dangerous for the first time in the game, had their chance of
multiple goals when Jeffrey fired from 35 out but the hooked
kick, the three in a row from the Panthers and the weather
conditions ended any hope of last quarter heroics.
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RESERVE GRADE SCOREBOARD
BEST PLAYERS :
GOAL KICKERS :
GAME REPORT :
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SENIOR GRADE SCOREBOARD
BEST PLAYERS :
GOAL KICKERS :
GAME REPORT The Eltham Panthers finished up with another very
disappointing result last weekend when they took on Lalor at
Lalor. Eltham started the match with two morning withdrawals,
Chris Brincat and Justin Orwin. Dynamic forward Marcus Pappa
did not last much longer having to sit out the better part of
the last three quarters due to a facial injury. The Panthers
yet again dominated for long periods of the game but were
unable to put real scoreboard pressure on the opposition. The
lead was healthy at half time, 6 goals to 3, however as we
have seen in most games this year teams can easily catch
Eltham due to their inability to post a significant score when
in control of the game. It was no different on the weekend.
Lalor came out of the blocks in the third quarter and headed
the Panthers within 10 minutes. Eltham’s defence was under
pressure causing many costly mistakes resulting in goals to
the Bloods. In the last quarter Eltham’s experienced players
in Trent Nichols, Adam Contessa, Mick Martin and Lach
Richardson led the charge but the order of the day prevailed where the Panthers
whittled away their own chances through sometimes inconceivable decision making
and skill errors. Eltham will be looking for a more even performance in its next
outing against Northcote Park at Eltham Central Park.
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RESERVE GRADE SCOREBOARD
BEST PLAYERS :
GOAL KICKERS :
GAME REPORT :
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SENIOR GRADE SCOREBOARD
| 3-3 |
8-11 |
11-12 |
12-12-84 |
| 3-2 |
4-5 |
7-11 |
15-15-105 |
BEST PLAYERS Steven Kilby, John Ghastine, Christopher Brincat, Lachie Richardson, Danny Strickland.
GOAL KICKERS Marcus Pappa 3, Christopher Brincat 2, Adam Burton 2, Michael Martin 2, Daniel Irwin, Sam O'Meara, Lachie Richardson.
GAME REPORT :The Eltham Panthers again failed to capitalise on their good work earlier in the game when they let highly fancied Bundoora overrun them in the last quarter. Eltham was in control of the game for the first three quarters because they controlled the midfield clearances, with Steven Kilby and John Ghastine playing well. Once the Bulls arrested the midfield scrimmages from the Panthers the game was theirs for the taking because of Bundoora's superior forward potency. Eltham lead by 30 points at half time, 24 at three quarter time and were kicking to the scoring end in the last.
Unfortunately the wind dropped with the Panther energy levels and Bundoora stacked on 8 goals to 1 in the last. Like many games this season Eltham's failure to post a winning score has let opposition teams, on the ropes and behind on the judges scoresheet, still able to deliver the knock-out punch. Bundoora were outclassed for most of the game and the Panthers should have been out of sight by the last quarter.
Eltham found out that you cannot dominate good opposition for the entire game. It becomes too taxing for the boys to maintain the intensity and Eltham tired letting Bundoora score four quick goals at the start of the last quarter to have them only trailing by two points. Eltham bounced back with a goal to Pappa which gave the Panthers a lift. It did not last long as Bundoora took advantage of an ugly scuffle and then ran away with the game.
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RESERVE GRADE SCOREBOARD
BEST PLAYERS Gerard Moloney, Nicholas Richardson, Luke Ferns, Reid Gardam, Andrew Moyle.
GOAL KICKERS Andrew Hall, Gerard Moloney, Byron Smith.
GAME REPORT :
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SENIOR GRADE SCOREBOARD
| 1-3 |
4-5 |
9-6 |
10-6-66 |
| 4-2 |
12-9 |
13-11 |
20-16-136 |
BEST PLAYERS :
GOAL KICKERS :
GAME REPORT : The Panthers were smashed by
Epping at Central Park on Saturday. Just before half time
Epping led by 12 goals to 2 and had total control of the
stoppages with their small men feeding off their ruckman King.
Eltham managed the next two goals before half time then the
first five of the third quarter. McCreery negated King’s
influence, Lach Richardson dominated in the centre and the
Eltham forwards received more fluent ball to score from. The
turning point that snuffed out Eltham’s challenge was a freak
smother at Eltham’s half forward which resulted in the Blues
only goal and the last for the quarter. It increased the
margin to 29 points at the last change. The first goal of the
last quarter was always going to be a major factor and Epping
got it early. Their confidence grew and they stacked on a
further six to record an emphatic victory. Eltham had a little
bad luck before the game commenced with Mick Martin unable to
take his place and Adam Contessa injuring himself during the
warm up. The break next week will give the club a chance to
get a few of the other injured player back.
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RESERVE GRADE SCOREBOARD
BEST PLAYERS :
GOAL KICKERS :
GAME REPORT :
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SENIOR GRADE SCOREBOARD
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9-5 |
11-9 |
16-11 |
19-13-127 |
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7-1 |
10-3 |
16-7 |
17-10-112 |
BEST PLAYERS : Steven Kilby, Mark Minney,
Marcus Pappa, Adam Contessa, Ashley Dickson.
GOAL KICKERS : Ashley Dickson 6, Marcus Pappa
4, Adam Contessa 3, Sam O'Meara 2, Justin Orwin, Lachie
Richardson, Danny Strickland, Alastair White.
GAME REPORT : In artic temperatures on Saturday Eltham travelled to J E Moore Park to take on West Preston. To come away with the four points in such dramatic fashion will be such a big lift for the team who have had to overcome their fair share of injury issues. The last quarter was just set up for the romantics. Kicking against the breeze and only four points up after conceding the last two goals of the third quarter, it was not looking good. The last quarter was a cracker. The Panthers threw themselves at everything. If it wasn't Ash Dickson diving full length and kicking long bombs from impossible angles, Ben Verrall punching the ball out of play in the dying minutes, Stef Courtot outpacing his opponent to see the ball clear the hot zone or Steve Kilby controlling the aerial contest, it was Mark Minney and Adam Contessa knocking up touches, Justin Orwin winning the ball at half forward or Marcus Pappa finishing it off when it his team needed it the most.The Panthers gritted their teeth and got the job done. Eltham kicked with the breeze in the first and banged through 9 goals, which was great but the Roosters kicked 7 majors themselves. Eltham went to shut down the game in the second limiting opportunities for both teams and Eltham went to half time 11-9 to 10-3. Kicking against the wind West Preston came out firing after the long break with their small players in the middle controlling that part of the ground. The Eltham backs were under enormous pressure with the amount of supply their opponents got. West forwards marked solidly and harassed mistakes out of Eltham, seeing them kick four unanswered goals. Eltham moved Kilby into the ruck, Minney onto the ball and freed up a few of their tags. It all worked and Eltham put through the next five to lead by 16 points. Not to be outdone West pushed harder and got back two of their own just on the three quarter time break.
In the last it became an arm wrestle with individual acts winning the game. Dickson, Orwin and Pappa kicked majors for Eltham after West kicked their only last quarter goal early. The Roosters were gallant to the end, played the corridor well and attacked fiercely, and were part of what was a good spectacle considering the conditions.
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RESERVE GRADE SCOREBOARD
BEST PLAYERS : Grant Baker, Reece Bux, Adam
Burton, Adam Burns, Matthew Tallack.
GOAL KICKERS : Michael Smith 2, Matthew
Tallack 2, Jayson Burleigh, Adam Burns, Adam Burton, Reece Bux,
Michael Iddon.
GAME REPORT :
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SENIOR GRADE SCOREBOARD
BEST PLAYERS :
GOAL KICKERS :
GAME REPORT : The Panthers got blown away in
the first quarter by hot premiership favourites Heidelberg
scoring one solitary point to 7-6. After composing themselves
at the first break Eltham persisted with their game plan and
executed it quite well. However they had to work very hard for
their scoring opportunities compared with the Tigers who
pounced on the most minute mistake and made their visitors
pay. It was only a matter of time before the flood gates would
open again as Eltham tired with Heidelberg finishing the game
full of running. Eltham could not take much from the game.
Even though they were brave, they were convincingly beaten.
Justin Orwin worked hard, the backline combination teamed well
but were overpowered, Hayden Dillon provided a target prepared
to lead demandingly toward the ball carrier and the on-ballers
most of the time matched it with their opponents.
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RESERVE GRADE SCOREBOARD
BEST PLAYERS :
GOAL KICKERS :
GAME REPORT :
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SENIOR GRADE SCOREBOARD
| 7-0 |
14-3 |
17-8 |
18-9-117 |
| 3-2 |
6-6 |
9-10 |
15-11-101 |
BEST PLAYERS : Ashley Dickson, Michael Martin, Adam Contessa, Lachie Richardson, Mark Minney.
GOAL KICKERS : Ashley Dickson 8, Shannon Strickland 2, Adam Contessa, Hayden Dillon, Daniel Irwin, Steven Kilby, Mark Minney, Sam O'Meara, Marcus Pappa.
GAME REPORT : Veteran Ash Dickson kicked 8 goals in a best on ground performance to help the Panthers record their second win of the season after beating neighbours Lower Plenty. The B grade team may not see much of their captain after a faultless display of strong leading and straight kicking. Ash provided a much needed target for the midfielders who won plenty of the ball in the first half. The two seven goal quarters set up a half time lead that was going to be hard for the young Lower Plenty combination. Not to be out done Lower, in the second half got on top of the midfield, limited their errors and frustrated their more fancied opponents by breaking down their attack across the Panther half forward. After kicking the first goal of the last quarter the Bears kicked the final six goals of the game. Most spectators felt if the game went 5 minutes longer the Panthers may have been in trouble.
Eltham again found plenty of run through Mick Martin and Tom Richardson. Hayden Dillon took a few nice grabs up forward. Mark Minney, Adam Contessa and Reece Bux got plenty of touches around the packs. Ben Gellie and Ben Verrall were as usual solid pillars of the Eltham defence.
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RESERVE GRADE SCOREBOARD
BEST PLAYERS : Nicholas Richardson, Alastair White, Adam Burton, Andrew Willoughby, Brett Aldred.
GOAL KICKERS : Alastair White 5, Paul Currie 4, Adam Burns 2, Adam Burton 2, Michael Smith 2, Brett Grant, Craig Haydock, Michael Iddon.
GAME REPORT :
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SENIOR GRADE SCOREBOARD
BEST PLAYERS :
GOAL KICKERS :
GAME REPORT : Eltham is struggling with their attack and could not control the big forward power of North Heidelberg at the Kennell. Shannon Strickland is providing a good small option in front of goals but it's the tall timber that the Panthers desperately need to fire. The midfield are finding plenty of the ball and giving the forwards opportunity, the forwards must work harder to keep the ball alive in the Panther forward zone and manufacture goals through pressure and second efforts. This weeks game against Lower Plenty at Eltham Central Park is going to be a no holds barred affair as both sides push to keep pace with the competition. See you on Saturday.
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RESERVE GRADE SCOREBOARD
BEST PLAYERS :
GOAL KICKERS :
GAME REPORT : It was a ripper of a day for footy down at the kennel. With four losses under our belt, we were in need of a win. Unfortunately today wasn’t our day. But with the injury situation down at the club it was great to see some blokes put their hands up and play for Panther pride. The game started off well enough with great defensive play and we were able to hold them to a couple of goals in the first quarter. It hit home that we didn’t have to be so defensive as our attacking game, once it got going, was superb. Stricko was playing well off the wing creating the loose man and giving the midfielders someone to link up with. Our use of the ball along the flanks was the main reason we were so close and I think at times we underestimate our running style of play. We are not a tall side so we need to rely more on this type of footy.
Across our backline we were solid but on the kickouts we need to head to the flanks instead of going down the middle. They had far too many easy opportunities when we delivered the footy straight to their talls. Last quarter was set up to be a ripper but we let them off the hook in the first ten minutes. From then on we played a little catch up footy but it was inspiring that we never gave up. Again we linked up well from deep in the backline with three kicks into our forward line but we were beaten by the siren. A tip for next week’s game against Lower Plenty; run, run, run. They won’t catch us. The VB’s were beautiful and cold after the game. Imagine what they would have tasted like if we had won.
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SENIOR GRADE SCOREBOARD
BEST PLAYERS : Adam Contessa, Lachie Richardson,
Michael Martin, Shannon Strickland, Alastair White.
GOAL KICKERS :
GAME REPORT : Eltham squandered a fantastic
opportunity to break the 29 year hoodoo in their big clash
at home to Montmorency on Sunday. After coming back once
again from the brink, two goals down with 10 minutes to
play the Panthers hit back when Shannon Strickland slotted
through his fourth for the day and Mick Martin willed
through a team lifting goal on his left foot to level the
scores. A certain goal went begging when Adam Burton was
wrong footed ten metres out and put the ball the point
side of the big ANZ stick. That would have put the
Panthers 6 points up. Minutes later captain Lach
Richardson marked 45 degrees 30 metres from
goal, but on his wrong side. The Can Hill boys would have
cheered it home but it was ugly off the boot and it left
Eltham with a 3 point lead with 90 seconds to go.
Montmorency took the ball from the kick out and with some
good play found themselves with a loose man with pace who
put through the winner.
It was a tight, physical game all day with Eltham most of
the times playing catch up. Monty opened up a three goal
lead by quarter time which was matched by Eltham in the
second with Eltham leading at the main break by 2 points.
Monty kicked the first three goals of the third quarter
with Eltham squaring it by the final break. It was a game
where Eltham never gave up the fight, focused and stayed
true to their game plan but did not take the game when it
was within their grasp.
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RESERVE GRADE SCOREBOARD
BEST PLAYERS :
GOAL KICKERS :
GAME REPORT :
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SENIOR GRADE SCOREBOARD
BEST PLAYERS :
GOAL KICKERS :
GAME REPORT :
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RESERVE GRADE SCOREBOARD
BEST PLAYERS :
GOAL KICKERS :
GAME REPORT : After the loss to Bundoora we were 0-2 and this was a must win for us to get one up on the board. Dicko was back from injury and we picked up Bakes and Bucks from the firsts, so we had a lot of talent running around. The game started well, and when we had the ball we played smart footy. We kicked it long down the guts and we were very direct on our approach to goal. Our accuracy was so spot on that we hadn’t kicked any behinds for the first half of footy.
The game was close and at half time we were only two scoring shots away from taking the lead. Everyone put in the first half, the forwards, centres and backs were all doing their job. But like last week we started the quarter slow and when we woke up we were playing catch up footy and our two scoring shots turned into about 6 shots to take the lead. We didn’t stop with out a fight and we kicked a couple of goals in the last quarter but it was too little to late. After the game Willo said that he can safely say that every bloke out there gave it the best and we should walk off with our heads held high.
Now I said this last week but I’m going to say it again this week; Monty is a MUST WIN for us. We will know if something is wrong if we start the season 0-4.
But on the lighter side of things Leigh Howse played his 100th game for the Panthers, good on ya mate; let’s hope he has got another 100 in him. Well that’s all I have got to say this week .Don’t forget to get down to Monty this Sunday and watch the Panthers get there first win and show Monty how to play some good aggressive footy.
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SENIOR GRADE SCOREBOARD
| 8-1 |
12-5 |
14-11 |
20-13-133 |
| 2-2 |
4-3 |
5-7 |
11-8-74 |
BEST PLAYERSSam O'Meara, Shannon Strickland, Ben Verrall, John Ghastine, Benjamin Gellie.
GOAL KICKERSMarcus Pappa 4, Shannon Strickland 4, Daniel Irwin 3, Sam O'Meara 2, Justin Orwin 2, Lachie Richardson 2, John Ghastine, Steven Kilby, Michael Martin.
GAME REPORTIn defeating Lalor on the weekend, Eltham ended a losing sequence of 11 and recorded their first win over the Bloods since 1983. Eltham looked well on the way to recording a massive victory with 8 goals in the first quarter. The ferocious tackling and pace of the Panthers stunned Lalor which allowed the home team to dictate the play. Marcus Pappa was a pocket dynamo across half forward and had 4 goals on the board midway through the second quarter. Shannon Strickland was again lively and was under the radar for most of the game, chiming in with 4 himself.
Full back Ben Gellie lined up on AFL Coleman Medallist Scott Cummings and restricted him to 3 goals. At centre half back Ben Verrall played a solid game and was a strong catalyst for limiting Lalor's scoring opportunities. The game was brought to life in the last quarter as Lalor pushed for an unlikely comeback win. Opening up with the first 4 goals and a shot to get within 4 goals, Lalor saw an opening. But the Panthers responded and ran home with 6 of their own in a 14 goal last quarter.
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RESERVE GRADE SCOREBOARD
BEST PLAYERS :
GOAL KICKERS :
GAME REPORTWhat a beautiful day for football. The conditions were great, the sun was shining and the stage was set for a great day for the Eltham footy club. The seconds game started fast but unfortunately we lost one of our main men in the opening minutes, the irrepressible Leaping Leroy. The great man’s groin gave him some grief and he couldn’t see out the game but our enthusiasm was fantastic and we certainly matched them in the first quarter. Our team effort in the second put us in a great position and should have set us up for the rest of the game.
We went into the rooms at half time in the lead. Willo gave us a bit of a rap up about the first half. At this point I think we did a Patty Rafter and we saw the win before we got it. Coming out from half time we were very slow and they kicked a bundle of goals in a short amount of time. We were thinking we had the game won and we weren’t trying to make things happen, we were waiting for them to happen.
Our kicking, unfortunately, let us down for the first three quarters and in the end resulted in our demise. This is a game we should have definitely won. We are a far better side than this. Everyone has to listen to and respond to the talking that is crucial to our game plan. Let’s improve next week and back each other up.
Some lighter moments though; who is going to look after Leroy’s groin? And Whiteys tan got some criticism from the crowd. Whiteys response; he flashed his arse to the crowd revealing a well rounded tan. Good one Whitey.
This week is a must win for the mighty Panthers and if we play out a whole game like we did the first half of footy against Lalor we can easily be a top four team.
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SENIOR GRADE SCOREBOARD
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4-4 |
4-5 |
5-7 |
10-10-70 |
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3-1 |
7-5 |
13-7 |
16-10-106 |
BEST PLAYERS : Lachie Richardson, Shannon
Strickland, Marcus Pappa, Ben Spoor, Andrew Willoughby.
GOAL KICKERS : Shannon Strickland 3, Daniel Irwin 2,
Stefan Courtot, Mark Minney, Marcus Pappa, Lachie Richardson,
Ben Spoor.
GAME REPORT : It was a disappointing display from
Eltham after a competitive first quarter. New recruit Trent
Nichols was controlling the play well from half back and
assisted in settling the team down. After he was forced from
the field through injury in the second Eltham seemed to loose
their rudder, and coupled with Bundoora’s stern physicality,
the game opened up for the visitors.
It looked as though the flood gates would really open in the
last quarter with the Bulls to run away with a thumping
victory, but to the Panthers credit they kept applying
pressure and restricted the final margin to six goals.
Eltham’s captain Lach Richardson was simply magnificent. His
attack on the ball and fierce determination was courageous in
a team that played well below their ability. Small forward
Shannon Strickland presented himself well and Marcus Pappa
caused Bundoora some trouble.
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RESERVE GRADE SCOREBOARD
BEST PLAYERS : Nicholas Richardson, Adam
Burton, Kalev Jones, Leigh Miller.
GOAL KICKERS : Kalev Jones, Leigh Miller, Brett
Strickland.
GAME REPORT : The Panthers started the first quarter
kicking against a slight breeze and with the efforts of a
determined backline, were able to withhold many early quarter
Bundoora attacks on goal. As McCreery became more familiar
with the new centre bounce rule, the Panthers found that they
too were able launch attacks on goal. However, missed
opportunities resulted in the Panthers taking a 9 point
deficit into the quarter time huddle.
In the second quarter, the Panthers were gain plagued by
costly errors resulting in turnovers that further set the
scene for the rest of the day. Bundoora, were able to run
freely across the half back line and constantly ran the ball
into their forward line giving their forwards numerous
opportunity to put scores on the board. To make things worse,
Zennon Eaton went down with a “Reiwoldt” like shoulder/collar
bone injury and the Panthers numbers were beginning to
dwindle.
This continued into the third quarter with the opposition
moving the ball unimpeded along the far wing, which really got
the ire of Coach Wilson. However, the never say die attitude
of players such as Nick Richo and Adam Burton, saw the
Panthers start to run the ball through the lines. This was
particularly pleasing although the team still found ways of
missing three shots on open goal within a couple of minutes.
The boys regrouped at 3 quarter time and ran out into the last
quarter determined to at least have a crack. There is no way
of knowing what might of happened though, as the game was cut
short due to an injury sustained to Walks, when he received a
heavy knock to the head and shoulder in a contested pack. An
ambulance was called as a precautionary measure and as such
the game was halted early.
It was a little distressing to see Walks lying there
motionless for a period of time, but hopefully his injuries
are not as serious as first thought. A positive sign of his
courage was the very nervous twitch & smile he gave, as a
burly veteran team mate quipped, “Mate, we will all be
thinking of you as we have a free beer at your bar tonight!”
On the positive side, the Panther crowd were able to catch a
glimpse of the future as the 17 year old “Young Guns” in Paul
Currie and Hayden Dillon, made their senior club debuts.
Despite limited opportunities, both showed that they could
play game. As too did Jack Richardson who showed ability to
make a contest with his 2nd & 3rd efforts?
Finally, we wish both Walks & Zennon a speedy recovery from
their injuries and look forward to their return later in the
season.
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