PUNDITS were treated to a game of old-fashioned football at Lionheart Reserve on Saturday as Taylors Lakes pipped Hadfield by a point in Essendon Region Football League division 1.
It was tough, it was hard and it was physical, and went right down to the wire. With the Lions trailing late in the final term it was club champion Mark De Sousa who got them back in front with a goal, edging out a brave Hawks outfield.
The win had extra significance with Jesse Greenwood playing his 300th and David Jackson his 200th.
Once again poor kicking hurt Taylors Lakes. In the past three rounds it has kicked 36.54. This week it had just 2.7 on the scoreboard to trail by 17 at half-time.
The Lions were better in the third, leading by seven at the final break, and held on late to get the four points.
“We were lucky to get out of jail in the end,” said coach Steve Burns. “We didn’t play that well in the first half and in the end we were lucky to win the game.
“Hadfield made us play bad, they were physical, tackled hard and used the ball well. It was a really old-fashioned game of physical footy, both teams were rapt with the way the players went about it.”
In the premier division, Keilor sunk to third last when it went down to Maribyrnong Park, its fifth loss of the season. The Blues led by three points at three-quarter-time but the Lions booted five goals to three in the last to run out 10-point winners.
In division 2, Hillside bounced back from its loss to Moonee Valley with a thumping 85-point win over Jacana. Seven goals for Keilor Park’s Luke Walsh was not enough to get the Devils over the line against Coburg Districts, going down by 14 points.
SCORES: Taylors Lakes 10.17 (77) d Hadfield 11.10 (76), Maribyrnong Park 12.12 (84) d Keilor 10.14 (74), Hillside 20.19 (139) d Jacana 7.12 (54), Keilor Park 15.7 (97) d Coburg Districts 17.9 (111).
