By MICHAEL HABER
KEILOR Park needed to win to finally catch fourth-placed Coburg Districts and possibly steal the finals spot from under their nose.
Jacana needed the win to catch Keilor Park and put them in striking position of the top four.
Jacana started strong with Bryce Kimuliatis scoring the first two goals for the day.
Keilor Park didn’t fall far behind though, with their first goal coming through John Carlo Ravanello.
Kimuliatis dominated the forward line and commanded the ball come his way but Keilor Park managed to take the lead by two points at quarter time thanks to two goals from Nate Trotter.
Both teams remained vocal going into the second quarter but it was Jacana who stormed out to a three-goal lead early, with Kimuliatis adding more to his tally.
Jacana were controlling the midfield and making life hard for Keilor Park, outnumbering their opponents at every contest.
Nate Trotter went to put an end to this with his great play through the middle.
A goal to Aiden Cassar brought the Devils right back into the game just before the halftime siren.
Jacana still had the upper hand however, going into them main break with a 14-point lead.
The third quarter was Keilor Park’s time to strike.
Despite being quiet early, Kirk Wintels lifted in the quarter and scored two goals which helped his team romp out to a six-point lead at three-quarter time.
Jake Thomas and Peter Corredig lifted for the Devils and controlled the midfield, which severely dented Jacana’s morale.
Jacana weren’t out of the game yet and went goal-for-goal with the Devils in the final quarter.
An amazing jumping volley goal for Ryan McCawley revved his team up but they ultimately couldn’t get the job done with Keilor Park kicking the final goal of the game to win in an absolute nail-biter.
The win took the Devils to fourth place on the ladder thanks to Moonee Valley’s drubbing of Coburg Districts.
The loss left Jacana wondering what could have been, leaving them two games off the pace of fourth.
JACANA | 12.13-85
Goal Kickers: B. Kimuliatis 8, R. McCawley 2, M. Sinnett, B. Morrison
Best Players: M. Evans, B. Morrison, A. Austin, J. Austin, B. Kimuliatis, C. Poynter
KEILOR PARK | 15.7-97
Goal Kickers: N. Trotter 5, K. Wintels 5, K. Thomas, A. Cassar, J. Thomas, J. Ravanello, J. Garita
Best Players: D. Gila, N. Trotter, A. Porco, K. Wintels, P. Corredig, S. Frederickson
