Image: Smile for Peter
It was a clash between two of the league’s in-form heavyweights but by the end of it South Melbourne ran out convincing 3-0 winners over Heidelberg in a clash that George Katsakis and his men will want to forget quickly.
Elsewhere on Saturday Bulleen Lions extended North Geelong’s misery with a 3-1 win at home, Avondale welcomed a couple of new recruits with a win, while Green Gully are emulating Manchester United of 2017 with a continuous run of home draws.
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There was plenty of interest in the traditional rivalry of Victorian and Australian football at the contemporary backdrop of AAMI Park.
Heidelberg had beaten South at the Olympic Village this season during South’s tough early run, but there were scores to be settled with Chris Taylor’s men – who had last week off due to a fixturing reschedule with Avondale – taking the first half lead.
It came via a piercing run from Marcus Schroen that left the Heidelberg defence exposed, teeing up Nick Epifano for a traditional inverted winger’s finish, cutting in and striking the ball into the back of the net.
Milos Lujic has been in tremendous goalscoring form of late and continued that form when Matt Foschini’s ball forward sliced through the Bergers backline and had the marsman through on goal, who made no mistake with the finish to make it 2-0 at the break with Hellas looking in ominous form.
The game was well and truly wrapped up in the 78th minute when Jesse Daley burst through the middle as well and thrust forward, squaring the ball to Epifano for his double via a simple finish.
The result means South move to within three points of the Bergers, who remain top but also have Bentleigh just a point adrift albeit with a game in hand on them.
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Avondale had a week off to do some soul searching – and sign reinforcements in the transfer window – after a 3-0 smashing by Heidelberg the week before, and their activity in the transfer window looks to have paid off with a new man on the scoresheet in their 2-0 win over Oakleigh Cannons.
Jip Bartels was an ex-Ajax youth signed from from Holland’s second tier, while Tyler Fisher was signed from Tasmania – both on deadline day.
But it was a more familiar face who got on the scoreboard first as Kaine Sheppard opened the scoring with a poacher’s effort, producing a snapshot from Jonatan Germano’s header in his path in the box.
The sealer came via new man Bartels who tucked away a Massimo Murdocca cross into a dangerous area.
It’s a welcome performance for Anthony Barbieri’s men who move back to within three points of Heidelberg with a game in hand on them and two games in hand on much of the rest of the competition.
The recent win drought continues for Oakleigh, who sit in eighth and whose recent charge at the top six has come to a bit of a hurdle.
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Bulleen Lions continue to make strides away from the relegation danger with another three points, all but ending North Geelong’s realistic survival hopes with a 3-1 win at the Veneto Club.
The task was made all the more difficult for the visitors early when Darren Lewis was deemed to have denied new Lion Lewis Hawke an opportunity on goal and was sent off.
From there the hosts opened the scoring when a clinical cutback by Hawke found another visa player in Oliver White for the finish.
The Warriors did show some fight and pegged one back when Andrew Doig nodded down a cross in the path of Josh Pugh who put away a decent left-footed finish.
But the Warriors were their own worst enemy when letting Jordan Templin dance through on goal and applying a finish to retake the lead.
The scoring was wrapped up with a Luke Gallo tap-in to see the Lions distance themselves from 12th spot in their bid for survival, sitting in ninth on 21 points.
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Green Gully once more had a frustrating night out in taking a draw against Port Melbourne, via a 1-1 scoreline.
They only had themselves to blame early when gilt-edged chances in front of goal from Kliment Taseski and Wade Dekker were off target.
Then Francesco Stella pounced on an errant pass out the back from the hosts to play a one-two and eventually play through Andreas Govas to deliver a hammer blow before the break.
The hosts did make amends later when new signing Dylan Smith got on the end of a cross from Josh Brindell-South to ram home the equaliser, and that’s how the scores stayed until the conclusion of the match.
It doesn’t get any easier for Gully who face off against the likes of Avondale, Heidelberg and South Melbourne next, which in itself presents a strong opportunity to propel themselves at the top four should they begind converting draws into wins. Meanwhile, Port edged another point away from 12th placed Melbourne Knights in 11th as they look to consolidate a mid-table position, with the Knights yet to play against Kingston tonight.