By DAVID NAGEL
PAKENHAM warmed up for a tough month ahead with a resounding 119-point win over Hampton Park in round five of Casey Cardinia Football on Saturday.
The Lions were always expected to win the home clash with a leg in the air, but it’s the style of football they played that most pleased coach Steve O’Bryan.
The Lions face last season’s top four sides, Tooradin, Beaconsfield, Cranbourne and Narre Warren over the coming weeks so a defensive mindset was at the top of the agenda against the Redbacks.
“We wanted to really work on the defensive aspects of our game and limit their scoring opportunities,” O’Bryan said.
“Our score will look after itself if we do those defensive things well, that’s the game style that will be competitive against the better sides and I was happy with that aspect today.”
Another positive was the Lions applied consistent pressure over four-quarters; a three-minute lapse in the third term, where the Redbacks kicked two quick goals was a stark reminder of what can happen when the intensity drops just a fraction.
That’s been the frustrating part of the season so far, according to O’Bryan.
“It is frustrating because when we focus we’ve matched the better sides but we have a tendency to go in and out a bit,” he said.
“We’re working hard to make sure everyone is intense and involved all the time, doing all the little team things and not just going through the motions.
“Even if you’re not getting the ball, you can help a team-mate off the bottom of a pack, or continue to talk, they all help to keep up that intensity.”
The Lions steadily built their lead throughout the day, kicking five goals in each of the first three quarters before ramming home six in the last.
Paul Gramc was back to his mobile best up forward, kicking five for the Lions while O’Bryan, Corey Lenders and Jason Fisher finished with three each.
Kym Jones was outstanding in the ruck while Russ Lehman and Beau Wheeler controlled the outside ball.
Glenn Rees, Lionel Beniot and Mathew Collett were best for the Redbacks who face a massive challenge when they host Narre Warren on Saturday.
BEACONSFIELD moved into second position after a brilliant second half led it to a 71-point win over Tooradin at Holm Park Road.
Responding to a quarter-time bake from coach Clint Evans, the Eagles gathered their thoughts in the second term, went in nine points up at half time, before unleashing a scorching 7.7 to no score third term, with the wind, to take the game away from the Seagulls.
“Yeah, I gave the boys a spray at quarter time,” Evans said.
“We just weren’t accountable and weren’t manning up. Their full-back chipped out a few times and we just let him run on and get the handball receive, there were no blocks put on, nothing.”
Beacy had good players all over the ground with Troy McDermott (four goals), and Shaun Pollard (three), benefitting from the great work of Scott Meyer, Ben Kerrigan and Daniel Mislicki through the middle of the ground.
Tooradin mid-fielder Matt Wade tried his heart out while James Cottrell and Adam Galea were valiant down back.
BERWICK had its foot on the throat of Cranbourne, five goals up at the 20-minute mark of the third quarter, before it was over-run by the Eagles at Casey Fields.
The Wickers bounded out of the gates, using a strong breeze to full-effect, to take a 27-point lead to quarter time, a margin it held until deep into the third term.
Cranbourne responded for a gutsy win with Ray George, Nick Barker and Blake Pearce leading the way.
Madi Andrews, Chris McKay and Michael Harold gave their all for the Wickers while Cranbourne champ Marc Holt was the difference between the two sides with eight goals.
NARRE Warren won the battle of the two undefeated sides and moved to the top-of-the-table after it over-ran Doveton by 68 points at Fox Road on Saturday.
Two goals down at quarter time, the Magpies settled kicking 17 goals to four after the first break.
The big bodies of Kerem Baskaya (eight goals), and Lee Boyle (three), were huge targets for the Magpies who had Matt Lee, Ryan Morrison and Josh Tonna run hard all day. Skipper Shannon Henwood and ruckman Frank D’Agostino were best for the Doves.
KEYSBOROUGH won the close one of the day when it came from 15 points down at three-quarter-time to out-gun ROC by eight points at Rowley Allen Reserve.
In front of a staunch home crowd the Burra secured their first win of the season with a five-goal-to-one last term.
“I told the boys after the game that that’s what footy is all about,” Keysborough coach Chris Bryan said. “We got a couple of goals early in the last quarter, the crowd got involved and we just rolled on from there.”
Jayke Hopkins and Geoff Humphreys led the way for the Burra while Brendan Graham put on a virtuoso six-goal performance for the still winless Kangaroos.
