Sharks come out on top: Thirty points was the comfortable margin at the end of of MPNFL Sharks and Northern League seniors clash. Picture: Scott Memery
Sharks to fight to be number one INTERLEAGUE
By Toe Punt THE MPNFL Sharks will play Geelong FL next year in a bid to claim the title of the best league in Victoria after beating Northern Football League on Saturday. Northern Football League beat the Amateurs last season and the year prior was too good for who many consider to be the best competition, Eastern Football League. Eastern Football league and Geelong Football league were considered the best two sides in the state and went head to head at Geelong on Saturday. The home side was convincing in its victory in that match. The MPNFL Young Guns side travelled to Healesville to tackle the Yarra Ranges, however, despite a gallant effort, went down by 10 points in the end. The main game at Rye didn’t attract much of a crowd but the football was quality. The locals went into the clash without the likes of Anthony Barry (was made to play at Western Bulldogs in the VFL), Luke Tapscott (neck), Rohan Heasley, Scott Simpson and Shane McDonald (all for various reasons) while Hastings’ Luke Hewitt was the emergency. Frankston YCW’s Scott McLeod was a late call up and his pressure was outstanding throughout while Dromana’s Christian Ongarello replaced Barry and he was one of the Sharks’ best. The home side got off to a slow start and trailed by 10 points at the first change. The visitors appeared to be more organised, always seemed to have a loose player behind the footy and when the ball went forward, they looked dangerous with their tall timber. Sharks’ coach John Hynes told his
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Frankston Times 23 May 2016
charges that ‘composure’ was required, especially moving the ball into the dangerous 50 metre arc. Hynes was also pushing home the fact that the side who pusher harder for longer would prevail in the end. The Sharks’ pressure was good for the first 20 minutes of the first quarter but a lapse in concentration saw the visitors kick three quick goals. The second quarter belonged to the Sharks, booting 8.3 to 3.1 to grab the momentum and take control of the match. Dylan Jones, who took the honours in the ruck with great support from Beau Hendry, started to get his hands on the footy and the likes of Kyle Hutchison, Dale Sutton, Ryan Santon, Tim McGennis and Luke Potts started to win the ball out of the middle and at stoppages. Pines teammates Tim Bongetti, Aaron Edwards and Guys Hendry, combined with the likes of Dan Gormley, Jimmy Cameron, Anthony Bruhn, Paul Minchington, Beau Cosson and Justin Van Unen, were a real handful in attack for the Sharks and the opposition was well aware of the forward power going into the match. Northern coach Robert Hyde, a three-time Northern League premiership coach and premiership coach at Calder Cannons, told the RPP Footy Show prior to the match that the game would be won or lost in the middle of the ground. “If we allow the MPNFL repeat entries into their forward half, I’m not sure how long our inexperienced backline will be able to hold them,” Hyde said. “You are very potent up forward with Bongetti, Van Unen and Edwards and we just can’t give them opportunity to get their hand on the footy,” he said. On the other side of the coin, Hynes
Young Guns fall short: Just ten points was the final margin in Young Gun’s match against Yarra Ranges. Picture: Andrew Hurst