Swinburne Razorbacks match report

This article appears in situ on the Swinburne Football Club website http://swinburnerazorbacks.com/

A best on ground performance from forward Ben Mason has guided the Swinburne Razorbacks to an opening round victory over the Manningham Cobras at St James Park.

Mason booted 11 goals, including five in the fourth quarter, as the Razorbacks pulled away in the final term to record a 10-goal victory, 19. 11. (125) to 9. 11. (65).

Played in warm and sunny conditions, the Razorbacks seized control early in the battle between the VAFA Division 4 teams. But they were unable to make that domination count on the scoreboard until a relayed free kick enabled Mason to kick the first goal of the match.

Mason finished with four goals for the quarter, and Swinburne six, as the Razorback midfield took advantage of the ruck work from ruckman Jeremy Brun to consistently launch the ball forward.

 The Manningham forwards were starved of opportunities, with the only Cobras goal for the quarter coming from a clever snap by Chris Jolly.

In a reversal of the first quarter, much of the second term was played in the Cobras forward half, with Cobras midfielder Stephen Rose having an impact around the stoppages. However Manningham were unable to make the most of their opportunities, kicking a wasteful 2.7.

 Swinburne were dangerous on the counter attack, repeatedly slicing through the middle of the ground to boot four for the quarter and take a 37-point lead into half time.

Two quick Razorback goals to Jackson Manning and Luke McManus at the start of the third term threatened to kill off the contest. But Manningham responded by pushing more players into the midfield, making a contested battle of attrition.

Clearly relishing the tougher conditions, the Cobras midfield, led by Brendan Helme got on top late in the quarter, enabling full forward Scott McPherson to kick two quick goals.

The game opened up in the final quarter due to the gruelling nature of the second and third quarters, and the warm conditions the match was played in. Two goals from dubious free kicks brought Manningham back within 33 points, but that was as close as they got, with Mason clearly enjoying the extra space to kick five for the quarter, despite appearing to suffer from cramp. McManus, who grew more influential as the game wore on, added his second, while Damon Green became the Razorbacks seventh goal kicker.

 Chris Kilmartin also provided a valuable foil to Mason, taking a number of strong marks and setting up numerous scoring opportunities.

The result capped off a successful day for Swinburne, with the reserves earlier recording a resounding 115-point victory over the Manningham reserves.

*Pictures are not from last weekends game