By DAVID NAGEL
PAKENHAM may have become the latest victim of a rampaging Narre Warren but it can hold its head high, despite going down to the all-conquering Magpies by 57 points at Fox Road on Saturday.
The loss to the red-hot premiership favourites saw the Lions slip outside the top five on the Casey Cardinia league ladder but will give them confidence as they head into the second half of the season.
Only one team, Cranbourne, has got within eight goals of the Magpies, so the Lions’ performance stacks up pretty well.
Pakenham was once again well served by its youngsters, with Sam Blackwood and Jake Barclay shining against quality opposition while Anthony Young, Kym Jones and defenders Michael Taurua and Nathan Brown took the game right up the champs.
Jack Anning and Paul Gramc kicked three each for the Lions who had trouble containing Magpie star Michael Collins and full-forward Kerem Baskaya, who finished with eight goals for the afternoon.
ROC has well and truly broken its drought, the Kangaroos winning their second game in a row after a 57-point win over Hampton Park.
Just 13 points up at the main break the Kangaroos put their stamp on proceedings with an eight goal to one second half.
Matt Clarke was the most dangerous forward on the ground, kicking three for the winners, while Ash Brown and Blake Gilbert were terrific all day.
Luke O’Brien kicked two for the Redbacks while Jimmy Van Elewould and Tim Schwab were best of the beaten brigade.
BERWICK will enter Saturday’s Battle of the Creek clash with arch-rival Beaconsfield with confidence oozing from every pore after the Wickers handed Tooradin a 100-point belting at Edwin Flack Reserve.
The home-side kicked seven goals in the first and last quarters to bookend what was a dominant performance.
Nathan Waite with six goals, Jordy Andrews four, and Mitch Johnson and Tom Brennan with three each were the beneficiaries of some great play from Madi Andrews, Luke Sheppard and Michael Harold through the midfield.
Julian Suarez kicked three for the injury-prone Seagulls, last year’s preliminary finalist having won just two games for the season.
BEACONSFIELD moved back into the top five on percentage after the Eagles weathered a Keysborough storm in the last quarter, holding on to win by 17 points at Rowley Allen Reserve.
The Eagles looked to be cruising at three-quarter-time, with a 41-point lead, but they didn’t count on a spirited comeback from the Burra who closed to just 10-points with five minutes to play.
Only some late heroics from skipper Daniel Mislicki, who chased, smothered and finally kicked the sealer, allowed the Eagles to walk away with four crucial premiership points.
Mislicki was a clear best-on-ground while Troy McDermott, Ethan Clasby, Josh Dodsworth and Jesse Linkins were others to step up to the mark.
Clint Williams, with three goals, was important while Keysborough coach Chris Bryan contributed four goals to his side’s total.
CRANBOURNE clawed its way to another tough victory, the resilient Eagles overcoming a committed Doveton by 16 points at Casey Fields on Saturday.
The Eagles found themselves eight-points down at half-time against the Doves, who came with a fierce desire after their upset loss to ROC last week.
With full-back Daniel Zajac doing a wonderful job on Marc Holt – keeping him goal-less for the afternoon – the Doves looked a chance before the Eagles bared their claws in the second half.
Damien Whitnell, with three goals, kept the scoreboard ticking over as the Eagles cemented second place on the ladder.
Glen Osborne, Matty Weller and Ray George were other solid performers for the winners while Zajac was joined by Scott Dinsdale and the consistent Michael Laszczyk as the Doves’ best.
