By MICHAEL HABER
IT WAS a very cold and windy day at Ormond Park on Saturday as Moonee Valley and Keilor Park went to battle.
Shane Barry managed to kick the first goal of the match but it was all Moonee Valley after that.
They capitalised on their strong wind advantage and locked the ball in their half of the ground.
The Fog kicked goals from everywhere – one a 60-metre monster from Connor Ahern.
Stuart Taylor kicked three of his side’s seven goals in possibly one of the best quarters of his footballing career.
The Devils found it hard to get a touch after their first goal and went into the first change down by 42 points.
Keilor Park looked to turn things around in the second quarter, now that they had the wind advantage.
They began doing what Moonee Valley did to them in the first term, kicking three big goals at the start of the quarter.
Jordan Garita kicked the biggest goal of the game as he kicked from almost the middle of the wing to have the ball bounce through for goal.
Moonee Valley managed to get a goal of their own to keep their lead comfortable.
They contested well and the wind was almost too hard to deal with but Keilor Park’s poor ball usage, especially up forward, kept their lead strong at half time.
Keilor Park’s defence was set for a showdown in the third quarter. The wind had died down a little bit but it was still strong.
Both sides lifted the intensity and became very vocal as Moonee Valley found it difficult to sneak a goal through the Devils’ impeccable defence.
The only goal of the quarter for either side came from Trent Gleisner.
The match became much more physical with many tackles and smothers being laid.
Despite their great defensive efforts, Keilor Park was not able to kick a goal and went into the final break 26 points down.
Michael Bourke scored a fantastic goal at the beginning of the final term which cemented his dominance as the best player on the ground, much to the delight of his side’s supporters and teammates.
Keilor Park attempted to quicken up the pace and managed to kick four goals in the final quarter but it was too little too late.
Moonee Valley managed to hold off a spirited Keilor Park side and come out with a 14-point victory.
MOONEE VALLEY | 11.11-77
Goal Kickers: S. Taylor 3, R. Potter 2, T. Gleisner, C. Ahern, M. Bourke, Z. Bunge, B. Fennell, B. Padmore
Best Players: M. Bourke, T. Edwards, N. Wilson, B. Padmore, S. Taylor, M. Wenlock
KEILOR PARK | 10.3-63
No goal kickers nor best players provided
