All the BFL results from Anzac Day weekend
Drysdale is undefeated through four matches and one recruit is making waves, having claimed the best-on-ground medal on Anzac Day.
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Drysdale recruit Billy Beardsell continues to add an extra dimension to the undefeated Hawks after a best-on-ground display against Portarlington.
Beardsell booted five goals and brought his trademark pressure to the forward line to be handed the medal for the player best afield as Drysdale cruised to a 127-point win.
Having crossed from St Albans in the off-season, Beardsell kicked the winning goal last weekend Queenscliff and has quickly become a Hawks favourite.
“Billy was good, it was not so much the goals for Bill, it is the forward pressure that we really love and he brought that today,” Drysdale co-coach Ben Carmichael said post-match.
“When we got him down at the club we knew that was what he would bring, he has manic pressure and for a little guy he flies at the footy. It’s great for him to get on the end of a few goals today but it has been building with his pressure. He is a ripper.”
Beardsell was well supported by Mat Hebbard, who booted seven goals, while James Breust was wayward at times but finished with four of his own.
The Demons battled early and late but did have a strong second term, where they kicked three goals and ramped up their own pressure.
O’Connor was impressed with the work of fringe players Jake Cummins, Ryan Salvadore and Matt Carroll, while Sam Beeston performed well coming up from the reserves.
“Our tackle count went up, our effort went up and we had more of the ball and the game closed down a bit because of our pressure,” Portarlington coach Pete O’Connor said of the second term.
“After half-time we had the same plan but it just didn’t work as well and Drysdale used the ball really well and made it hard to score against.”
Carmichael said his side was “a bit patchy”, with room for improvement before a date with fellow undefeated side Torquay next week.
“We probably let ourselves down in that second quarter, we did start well and we probably gave them too much space in that second quarter and they managed to get forward and kick some goals,” he said.
“We were pleased with the start and in that first quarter we were kicking goals and taking our chances early but the second quarter we probably let ourselves down.”
Drysdale saw off a second-half challenge to claim the A-grade netball clash with Portarlington, winning 47-36.
The Hawks were sitting pretty with a nine-goal lead at half-time before the Demons netted 14 goals to eight in the third quarter to roar back into the contest.
But Drysdale held firm, with Mikayla Hellmann (15 goals) and Jaimee van Leerdam (16) strong under the hoop.
BROWN LEADS SEAGULLS OVER WARRIORS
Six goals to Barwon Heads forward Nathan Brown has helped the Seagulls upset the undefeated Modewarre in round 4 of the BFL.
Barwon Heads, which was 1-2 going into the clash against Modewarre, kicked five goals to one in the third quarter to set up a strong 15.15 (104) to 7.12 (54) win.
Seagulls coach Dan Donati said Brown was a catalyst for breaking the game open.
“He was awesome, it wasn’t even him kicking six goals but he competed in the air and was a real presence for us,” he said.
“I was really proud about how he went about it from a team perspective, he certainly got on the end of a few but he played a great game and was pretty selfless as well.
“It was great to see all the boys play a really team-oriented brand of football, especially coming off the back of a really strong win against Anglesea last week.”
The 50-point win puts Barwon Heads into fourth spot on the BFL ladder, with Geelong Amateurs, Newcomb and Queenscliff all 2-2 after the opening month of football.
Modewarre coach Chris Hickey said his players struggled to get their hands on the football after half-time.
“You can’t win games and control games without possession, and we struggled to maintain it in that second half,” he said.
“They won the ball a lot more than us, especially in close but also on the outside and on the spread too, that’s how good teams play and unfortunately they were better than us at that today.
“It resulted in a lot of inside-50s for them, and while our back six were fantastic in stopping it a lot, unfortunately it’s the story of supply and demand, if it goes in there enough they’re going to kick goals.”
Meanwhile, Geelong Amateurs beat Newcomb in a comprehensive 46-point win.
Ammos forward Harry Kershaw booted six goals and Brydon Barnett and Tommy Stephen chipped in with three each on the way to a 22.8 (140) to 10.14 (74) victory.
Queenscliff recorded another win, while Ocean Grove fell to a 0-4 start in their contest.
The Coutas kicked three goals to one in the final quarter to run out 12.7 (79) to 9.12 (66) winners.
Torquay monstered Anglesea to keep its undefeated start to the season alive, with the Tigers kicking 29 goals for the match.
The Tigers led by 46 points at half-time before finishing 29.18 (192) to 9.6 (60) victors.
Portarlington will host Drysdale at 2.10pm on Anzac Day to finish round 4’s fixtures.
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Originally published as All the BFL results from Anzac Day weekend
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