Panton Hill: 6.9-45
Whittlesea: 24.14-158
Goal Kickers: B. Gill 2, R. Woods 2, J. Whitcher, M. Layt
Best Players: D. Strickland, W. Box, B. Brown, J. Whitcher, B. Strongman, R. Woods
Saturday’s drubbing at the hands of Whittlesea signalled the Hill’s second heavy loss in consecutive weeks at home. In a week where the axe was swung at the selection table there were some new faces in the line up raring to go and make a good impression on the coaching staff. While there were some good performances and memorable moments for those individuals, the team unfortunately did not function as well as everyone had hoped or expected.
A couple of the more familiar faces in Stricko and Boxy were the best players in the guts for the Redbacks, and tried at every contest to get the Hills forward in typically reliable fashion. Browny, Whitcher and Strongy also put in the solid performances that they are known for.
Ricky Woods returned to the side after a few weeks in the twos, and managed to kick a couple of goals, while Noodles kicked a goal and provided some dash in his first senior match in the red and black.
With only three games remaining before the creation of Division 3, the task is starting to look unlikely for the Hills to avoid the mid-year relegation by jumping the purple line by the end of round 13, as the image below demonstrates (click it to enlarge).
Ladder after round 10:
Whittlesea: 24.14-158
Goal Kickers: B. Gill 2, R. Woods 2, J. Whitcher, M. Layt
Best Players: D. Strickland, W. Box, B. Brown, J. Whitcher, B. Strongman, R. Woods
Saturday’s drubbing at the hands of Whittlesea signalled the Hill’s second heavy loss in consecutive weeks at home. In a week where the axe was swung at the selection table there were some new faces in the line up raring to go and make a good impression on the coaching staff. While there were some good performances and memorable moments for those individuals, the team unfortunately did not function as well as everyone had hoped or expected.
A couple of the more familiar faces in Stricko and Boxy were the best players in the guts for the Redbacks, and tried at every contest to get the Hills forward in typically reliable fashion. Browny, Whitcher and Strongy also put in the solid performances that they are known for.
Ricky Woods returned to the side after a few weeks in the twos, and managed to kick a couple of goals, while Noodles kicked a goal and provided some dash in his first senior match in the red and black.
With only three games remaining before the creation of Division 3, the task is starting to look unlikely for the Hills to avoid the mid-year relegation by jumping the purple line by the end of round 13, as the image below demonstrates (click it to enlarge).
Ladder after round 10:
Even if the Redbacks cannot remain in Division 2 the focus will undoubtedly be to place highly for a red-hot crack at the Division 3 finals series, and the only way to do that is to keep playing hard and winning a few more matches, so rain hail or shine, get to the games and support our boys.ERRORS COST RESERVES THEIR 3rd WIN
Panton Hill: 6.6-42
Whittlesea: 8.11-59
Goal Kickers: T. Gilmore 2, T. Dunn, J. Hendry, D. Collins, S. Northrop
Best Players: S. Northrop, M. Lawn, M. Poulton, N. Duffell, A. Boyle, L. Scully
This is a game that was not decided until there were about 2 minutes left in the match when the Eagles kicked a late sealer against our twos who were committed and eager, but made some silly mistakes that may have actually cost the 4 points.
Panton Hill had Whittlesea rattled, as they had expected to dominate the contest from the outset. What actually transpired was an epic struggle that was at times very much like watching a game of tennis - just with a lot more players and different sporting instruments and rules.
Regardless of the differences, there was a defensive-style battle out on the ground that lasted the full distance. Unfortunately for the Redbacks, their relentless pressure at the contest was undone by a few errors in decision making that probably kept the Eagles in the game, and when the tired legs crept in it was Whittlesea that managed a couple of late majors to clinch victory.
One man who did everything he possibly could to save the match for the Hills was Steve Northorp, who managed to get on the end of most of the Whittlesea attacking plays, and rebounded tirelessly out of the backline, pushing through the pain barrier at times due to an ongoing injury. Steve was clearly best on ground for the spiders, and certainly gave his all.
Lawny saw what Steve was serving up and did the same through the middle of the ground and was well aided by Stumpy and returning Redback Numa Duffell, who almost took the mark of the year – so much so that this reporter instinctively exclaimed “holy [expletive]!” My sincere apologies to the Church and any other offended parties. Numa dropped the attempted mark, but it looked great.
Andy Boyle is continuing his solid run at full-back, and had another great performance on the weekend, while first-year player Leighroy showed more enthusiasm than a cat in a mouse factory (the place where they make mice) and provided excellent forward pressure that rubbed off on several players.
The coaching staff were of course disappointed, but pleased with the endeavour that was shown by the group. Let’s hope that the intensity doesn’t drop off, as this weeks coming match will be big for the Redbacks as they try to make up for a shellacking that Mernda dealt last season at their home ground. Be there by noon to show your support.
