After a number of near misses, Melton South was back on the Ballarat Football League winners’ list with a 68-point victory against Sebastopol on Saturday. The Panthers jumped out to a 12-point lead at quarter time before producing some of their best football in quarters two and three.
Melton South booted five goals in the second term followed by six in the third to blow the game apart. While goals were coming easily at one end, it was a different story for Sebastopol.
The Panthers managed to shut the Kookaburras down defensively, conceding just five goals up until three-quarter time and eight for the match. The 17.22 (124) to 8.8 (56) win is the second time Melton South has had the better of Sebastopol this season.
Melton South was forced to win without playing coach, Mathew Sutton, who injured his hamstring in the game’s opening stages.
Panthers president Peter Earl was rapt to get the four points.
“After Matty Sutton pulled a hamstring in the first couple of minutes, all the boys rallied, and they got the win,” Earl said. “It was just a matter of playing a little bit better than we have been and getting a bit of percentage.
“We’ve won two and have a bye next week which is our first bye for the year so we will finally get to 12 [ladder] points.”
Reece Miles was outstanding for Melton South, booting four goals to be named best on ground. He was well supported by Simon Collis, who kicked three. Earl is hoping his players can take the momentum of the weekend’s victory and turn it into a strong second half for the season.
“The bottom line is that in the remaining six games we play four at home, one at Melton and one at Sunbury, so we don’t need to travel up the Ballarat Road again,” he said.
“I would expect that out of the last six games we might win two or three.
‘‘We’re not out of the ball game. The boys got a bit of motivation out of the win yesterday.”
In other BFL results, Darley was too good for Lake Wendouree, Ballarat just got over the line against Sunbury, and East Point defeated Melton.
