Frankston Bombers are going to take some stopping come finals time after proving their premiership-favourite status with a dominant 75-point victory over Pearcedale.
The Bombers are yet to lose a game in Mornington Peninsula Division 2 and have an average winning margin of 71 points this season, toppling their nearest contender, the Dales, by 36 and 75 points.
Frankston has played just one match which was decided by less than six goals, which was against Somerville (22 points) in round 11, where the Eagles actually led at three-quarter time.
Pearcedale forward duo of Brett Eddy and Cruiz West (99 goals between them) was kept to just one goal, while Jai Block (five goals) was hard to stop at the other end.
The formidable Bombers cashed in when they had the wind, scoring 11 goals in the second and fourth terms, whereas Pearcedale managed just four goals for the game.
A 40-1 final term blew the margin out to 75 points and boosted Frankston’s percentage even higher to 258.56.
Meanwhile, Devon Meadows got back on the winners’ list after losing three of its past four matches; defeating Rye by 29 points.
Panthers’ captain Joel Hillis (37 disposals, one goal, 159 ranking points) is no stranger to getting leather poisoning and again led the way for his team, while Jack Wilson (22 disposals, two goals) was named Devon Meadows’ best.
Arnold Kirby has been a huge recruit for the side and stood tall again with 24 disposals, one goal, eight marks and 38 hitouts.
The Panthers are in the top five by only percentage and their next two matches against Tyabb and Seaford are must-win games.
In other games, Karingal had its first win of the season as straight kicking and a strong first quarter helped the Bulls defeat Hastings by 22 points.
Zachery Holton was best on ground for the Bulls, kicking four goals from 22 disposals, also finishing with 11 tackles.
Seaford’s Ryan Jacobs had 44 disposals and 209 ranking points, but that wasn’t enough for his side to get the win as they fell short against third-placed Chelsea.
Brett O’Hanlon (four goals) and Harry Schaffer were the Seagulls’ best, while Jordan Kelly (26 disposals, 14 marks) and Todd Gardiner (33 disposals, two goals) were also important.
Crib Point is looking towards the pointy end of the season after a 76-point win over Tyabb, which has the Magpies sitting in fourth spot on the ladder.
Daniel Farmer added another four goals to take his season tally to 27, while Noah Wisken (three goals), Harrison Dekleuver and Miles Shepherd kicked two apiece in the cruisy victory.
For the Yabbies, Matthew Clark kicked four of his team’s six goals, while Thomas Hose was their best player on the day.
Somerville is out of the top five by percentage but is searching for a spot come the end of the season after recording a hard-fought 14-point win over Bonbeach on the weekend.
Mitch Mantell backed up last week’s dominant performance for the Eagles, while captain Mason De Wit led from the front with two goals – Joseph Fisscher (three goals) and Ben McLean (two goals) were the Sharks’best.
MPFNL DIVISION 2
PEARCEDALE 2.4 2.5 4.8 4.9(33)
FRANKSTON 2.1 7.5 10.8 16.12(108)
Pearcedale Goals: Robbie Arnott, Luke Daniel, Shane Davidson, Cruiz West. Best: Mitch Davis, Shane Davidson, Trey Robertson, Archie McGuiness, Robbie Arnott.
Frankston Goals: Jai Block 5, Brody Smith 3, Khan Haretuku, Jason Kingsbury 2, Wilson Fletcher, Samuel Latreille, Spencer Robertson, Flynn Wood. Best: Jason Kingsbury, Flynn Wood, Harrison Prior, Matt Chen, Jai Block.
DEVON MEADOWS 3.3 6.4 6.6 9.10(64)
RYE 2.0 2.0 3.4 5.5(35)
Devon Meadows Goals: Jack Wilson 2, Nick Battle, Joel Hillis, Rory Hillis, Arnold Kirby, Hayden Murphy, Patrick Sinnema. Best: Jack Wilson, Joel Hillis, Arnold Kirby, Owen Hillis, Ky Williams.
Rye Goals: Ed Greene 3, Clayton Barnes, Jordan Nennstiel. Best: McLeod Jamieson, Billy Swayn, Taj Campbell-Farrell, Peter Hampton, Lachlan Croad.
Other Results – R14: Crib Point 17.18(120) def Tyabb 6.8(44), Karingal 11.5(71) def Hastings 6.13(49), Chelsea 15.9(99) def Seaford 8.10(58), Somerville 9.7(61) def Bonbeach 7.5(47).
Ladder: Frankston 56, Pearcedale 48, Chelsea 40, Crib Point 36, Devon Meadows, Somerville 32, Bonbeach 28, Seaford, Rye 20, Hastings 12, Tyabb 8, Karingal 4.
Fixture – R15: Bonbeach (7) v Frankston (1), Hastings (10) v Rye (9), Karingal (12) v Seaford (8), Pearcedale (2) v Crib Point (4), Somerville (6) v Chelsea (3), Tyabb (11) v Devon Meadows (5).
