By DAVID NAGEL
PAKENHAM will have to make the South East Football Netball League finals series the hard way after going down to Doveton by 34 points at Toomuc Reserve on Saturday.
Doveton, on 36 points, has a tough run in, with games against fourth-placed Narre Warren, ladder-leader Berwick and second-placed Cranbourne, but does have the luxury of a bye, where four premiership points are guaranteed.
It means the Lions, on 32 points, will need to win two of their last four games, against third-placed Beaconsfield, Berwick, eighth-placed Tooradin and seventh-placed ROC, to draw level with the Doves and hopefully scrape through on percentage.
The Lions led at the first three changes but the Doves kicked 6.6 to 0.2 in the final term to give them their second win over the Lions this season.
The consistent Cory Lenders was once again Pakenham’s best, while Andrew Humphries and Shannon Henwood were terrific for the Doves.
A mesmerising 20-minute burst from Berwick half-forward Tim Gunn led the Wickers to a 34-point victory over Beaconsfield at Edwin Flack Reserve.
Saturday’s Battle of the Creek looked like going down to the wire at half time, the Wickers leading by a kick – 4.5 to 3.5 – a margin that was wiped away with an early third-quarter goal to Beaconsfield’s Troy McDermott.
But Gunn went bang, with goals at the 7, 11, 13, 19 and 25 minute marks, before trumping them all with a left-foot snap that pierced the middle as the three-quarter time siren sounded.
“I’ve seen on-ballers have quarters like that, but for a half-forward flanker to come out and play that sort of quarter, that’s the best I’ve seen at local level,” Berwick coach Rhys Nisbet said.
Gunn finished the day with seven, while Jimmy Phillips, who battled manfully against Meyer, was joined by Lucas Jellyman-Turner, Tom Brennan and Ash Smith on the Wickers’ best players list.
Jordan Stewart was sensational for the Eagles, keeping Berwick danger-man Mitch Johnson goalless for the afternoon.
Narre Warren full-forward Kerem Baskaya kicked his biggest bag for the season, a nine-goal haul that led the Magpies to a rampaging 127-point victory over Tooradin at Westernport Oval.
Jackson Parker and George Angelopoulos kicked three each for the Magpies, who need to win their last four games to grab hold of a double chance.
It might all come down to their last game of the season against Beaconsfield.
And finally, Cranbourne champion Marc Holt kicked six goals in the Eagles’ 81-point dismantling of ROC at Starling Road. Brandon Osborne, Troy Tharle and Chace Struth were best for the winners.
Hampton Park had the bye.
