Hot and cold Banyule can’t quite get going in Northern Football League Division 3

BANYULE  coach Jason Plant stood on the sidelines after halftime and witnessed his side play its best quarter of football for 2016. Thirty minutes later, the Bears trudged off 38-point losers.

Banyule coach Jason Plant. Picture: Stuart Milligan

BANYULE  coach Jason Plant stood on the sidelines after halftime and witnessed his side play its best quarter of football for season 2016.

Thirty minutes later, the Bears trudged off the R.J. Brockwell Oval 38-point losers against South Morang.

That half of football on Saturday seemed to sum up Banyule’s Division 3 season so far, having lost three games to the top sides all by less than a goal, thumping two of the lower teams and losing their way against other mid-table sides.

After an even first quarter, South Morang slammed on 10.2 in the second, then Banyule responded with 9.6 of its own in the third before the Lions closed out the match with 8.4 in the last to win 22.12 (144) to 16.10 (106).

“What could have gone wrong, did go wrong in the second quarter,” Plant said. “Then we played the best quarter of footy for the year.

“But I think we’d burned our tickets by then. The ball seemed to be always coming in cleanly in the last and we were pretty undisciplined.”

Plant said it was no secret “we have to bridge the gap between our worst and best football”.

He praised the work of ruckman Andries Jurgens and the consistent pair of midfielder Luke Giles (five goals) and youngster Riley Williams, who shut out the dangerous Anthony Capeci.

Heidelberg West will have to wait another week for a crack at a win after Watsonia handed it a 17.18 (120) to 7.7 (49) defeat. Liam Pender, Tim Amor and Josh Smith-Thompson battled gamely.

North Heidelberg took a half to shake Lalor in ­Division 2, then helped itself to a 67-point win, 18.17 (125) to 9.4 (58). The Bulldogs were best served once again by Michael Florence and Dan Bramich.

The match-up may have looked lopsided, but Division 1 pacesetter Heidelberg certainly didn’t have things all its own way against eighth-placed Montmorency, finally winning 13.15 (93) to 11.4 (70). Paul Bower, Josh Gribben, Sam Gilmore and coach Charles Gaylard proved the difference for the Tigers.

Macleod, led by key forward Matt Clark’s nine-goal haul, blitzed Whittlesea, 25.14 (164) to 9.14 (68).

The ’Roos slammed on 7.5 in the second term and 10.5 in the third to finish the contest.