Seniors crush Sharks, Scotch outpoint Reserves

The Seniors have kept their premiership aspirations alive and sent a warning shot to the other two remaining teams in the Premier B flag race, demolishing Beaumaris at Box Hill City Oval on Sunday.

With something to prove on the back of the last encounter between the two sides at the Main, Beaumaris started strongly with a couple of first quarter goals to trail the Blacks by just one point at the first break as the rain began to set in.

With the rain coming in as persistently in the second quarter, the Blacks began to flex their muscle around the contest, lifting a gear in the wet conditions. In the times where surging the ball forward was key, that’s exactly what the boys did to outstanding effect.

Charlie Richardson booted a couple to open up a scoreboard gap before Jordan Quaile, playing his first game back from a hamstring injury, lit up the contest with three goals in the space of six minutes to effectively put one foot into the preliminary final at half time – the Blacks 39 points to the good at the main break.

The second half was a fairly dour affair, but again it was the Blacks’ cleanliness under pressure with a wet ball which was the highlight. They summed up the conditions far quicker and more effectively than their Beaumaris opponents, who simply had no answers on the inside and outside of the contest.

Chopper McCullough jagged a pair of second half majors to help the Blacks stretch the margin even further and by the time the final siren sounded, the lead had blown all the way out to 82 points. The Blacks keeping the Sharks goalless after quarter time in the most clinical of performances.

With a matchup against Old Scotch looming this week recovery will be key for the playing group. On the back of Sunday’s performance, we should be in for a cracking preliminary final contest.

The Reserves will need to fight for their finals campaign this coming weekend after going down to Old Scotch on Sunday.

The Cardinals were on from the outset, booting four goals to the Blacks’ one in the opening term to put an immediate gap on the scoreboard.

Another four goals to one in the second quarter made life very difficult for the Blacks who couldn’t match the firepower of their opponents in the first half, which was played in predominantly dry conditions.

The rain set in in the third quarter and that almost seemed to lift the Blacks into the contest. The boys kicked two goals for the quarter through Locke and Saliakos, while barely giving Scotch a sniff at the other end keeping them to just one behind and reducing the three-quarter time deficit to 26 points.

But the pattern of the day resumed in the final term, Scotch booted another four goals to one to push the final margin out to 45 points.

All is not lost for the Twos, who will butter up again against Old Geelong who caused a huge upset in the other semi final to knock Caulfield Grammarians out of the finals race. OGs finished four games behind Caulfield, so the boys will need to be on their game to book a ticket to the Premier B Reserve Grand Final.