Southern league: Chris Carey best-afield as East Malvern defeats Dingley

Former AFL player Liam Sumner and ex-VFL ruckman Chris Carey led East Malvern to a rousing win over the previously undefeated Dingley at Souter Oval.

East Malvern players sing the song after their win over Dingley.

The electronic scoreboard was on the blink at Souter Oval on Saturday.

Dingley supporters would say that was no bad thing.

The Dingoes went into the match against East Malvern unbeaten after the first three rounds but they took a pasting from the Panthers, 14.13 (97) to 6.14 (50), in the Southern league Division 1 game of the round.

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Nine goals to one in the second half made for a handsome winning margin for the visitors.

In terms of influence on the match, Panthers ruckman Chris Carey was more like Wayne Carey.

Owning the hit-outs, supreme in the air and kicking a crucial goal in the third quarter, he was best-afield as East Malvern squared its season at 2-2.

Carey was on VFL club Port Melbourne’s list in 2018, but is with the Panthers full-time this year, serving as an assistant to playing coach Nathan Robinson.

Robinson assessed Carey’s first two matches of the season as “patchy’’.

“But his last two weeks have been phenomenal,’’ the 29-year-old coach said.

“His dominance really set us up.’’

Chris Carey takes a breather after the match.

Making the victory the more commendable, the Panthers were without star onballer Luke Duffy and Robinson after half time.

Duffy suffered a knee injury in the second term and East Malvern fears his season could be over.

“Not 100 per cent sure but we think it’s an ACL at this early stage,’’ Robinson said.

“Yeah, not ideal. He’s one of our most important players. We’re hoping for the best. If it doesn’t work out that way, we’ve got guys who can come in and play roles.’’

The coach took a heavy hit in the second term when he courageously turned into a pack and flew for a mark. His right knee was too sore for him to go back out.

Despite being two players down, East Malvern broke free from the Dingoes with four goals to none in the third quarter when it had use of a gusty wind to the bottom end.

Alex Hywood and Luke Poustie made set-shots, Poustie pulled off a snap and then Carey marked and slotted another. It would have been five unanswered goals had defender Marc Lonergan’s long shot not hit the post.

As the wind kicked up and the lights went on early in the last quarter, Dingley couldn’t be discounted.

But Aaron French, defying the conditions, threaded a tight shot from the forward pocket to increase the Panthers’ lead.

And they turned what had been a struggle into a stroll, nailing four of the next five goals. Recruit Mackenzie Bristow set the seal on East Malvern’s day with a goal after the siren, his third for the game.

Seven-time AFL grand final goal umpire Luke Walker (right) is now a field umpire in the Southern league and controlled Saturday’s match at Dingley with the experienced Brett Chard.

Like Carey, former AFL player Liam Sumner was a dominant figure in the match with his class and composure off half back, Hywood booted four goals, the experienced Lonergan supervised the backline and Paul Fry was a rugged presence around the ball.

The Panthers were also chuffed with Tom Wilson’s role on Dingley ace Lucas Walmsley, who was moved into the middle in the final quarter.

Robinson said Wilson had been struggling for form and accepted the challenge to play on Walmsley.

“I said to him, ‘It’s a good role for you. You’re fit, your fast, he’s going to take you to the footy and you can match it with him’. I reckon Tommy had the better of that and that’s a big scalp for him.’’

Still, Dingley named Walmsley among its best, with Danny Ades and Jackson Peet.

Robinson said playing Dingley at Dingley was “no bigger challenge in Southern footy’’ and the Panthers gave a “really strong, committed, four-quarter effort’’.

It made observers wonder how last season’s grand finalists had lost their first two games.

“Well, we played one-and-a-half quarters against Mordialloc and we lost by a goal. We played one-and-a-half quarters against St Kilda City and lost by two points. Both games we were up by six goals at half time,’’ Robinson said.

“We retained everyone bar two players. With success comes guys wanting to play at your club. And we’ve got a lot of new guys so it took a while to find the cohesion. We had three or four out today. Justin Maddern is one. The key for us is to grind out a few wins and string a few together and build the confidence.’’

Dingoes coach Shane Morwood was impressed with East Malvern, saying it applied “finals-like pressure’’.

He said Carey was a “massive factor, hits to the spot and they’ve got quality on-ballers’’.

“They came ready to play and I think our boys got overawed early,’’ Morwood.

“We scored some goals in the second quarter but it was probably flattering to be only a goal down at half time.

“We played a poor third quarter with a lack of accountability in lots of areas.

“But that’s OK. It’s Round 4.’’

The Dingoes also suffered injuries, most notably to forward Sam McGregor (fractured cheekbone).

In other Division 1 matches, Sandringham VFL-listed Ryan Carroll booted five goals as St Kilda City defeated Oakleigh District (1-3) by 49 points to go 2-2; Mordialloc (3-1) nosed out Cheltenham (2-2) by six points in a low-scoring scrap; Lindsay Gilbee’s Port Melbourne Colts (2-2) handed reigning premier St Paul’s (2-2) a 38-point loss; and Bentleigh (2-2) hit back from its Anzac Day drubbing against Chelt to hold out Highett (1-3) by seven points.