By MICHAEL HABER
ROXBURGH Park completely dismantled East Keilor in their 50-point victory on Saturday.
The win in the Qualifying Final saw the Magpies earn a week off and a spot in the Grand Final.
It was all Roxburgh Park in the first quarter of the game. They piled on five goals, two of those from their superstar forward, Luke Capuano.
Harley Short was doing what he did best in setting up his forwards and the East Keilor midfield couldn’t keep up.
East Keilor’s only goal came through Jordan Madden. He was doing most of the heavy lifting for his side not just throughout the quarter but the game.
Roxburgh Park were able to lock the ball in their forward half and easily nullified any attempt the Cougars made in going forward.
Roxburgh Park were much more composed and ready for the occasion, setting up a 25-point lead at quarter time.
East Keilor managed to stem Roxburgh Park’s flow of goals in the second quarter but still made many mistakes themselves.
Many of their efforts up forward were quickly halted by the strong Magpie defence. This had a strong impact on the mentality of the Cougars.
There were many instances where they had a chance to go inside 50 and score a goal but opted to pass sideways or go for the quick handball instead which commonly resulted in a turnover.
Despite looking calmer in the term, East Keilor were their own worst enemies.
Roxburgh Park managed to creep ahead ever more slightly with a two-goal-to-one second quarter, giving them a 34-point lead at half time.
Tempers flared in the third quarter.
Many fights broke out across the ground, mainly in East Keilor’s defence. East Keilor looked a different side as they buckled under pressure early in the quarter and took their anger out on their direct opponents.
Roxburgh Park used this to their advantage as they continued to stay composed and continued to win contests and put more goals through the big sticks.
Reece Tarczon kicked a huge goal after the third quarter siren that looked to seal the match.
East Keilor had a 38-point deficit facing them at three-quarter time. What was worse was that they had not yet overtaken the Magpies’ first quarter score.
The final quarter was much of the same for Roxburgh Park.
They piled on five goals to East Keilor’s three, one of those goals coming via a cool check side from Ryan Kannegiesser.
Roxburgh Park ran out the game with a comfortable victory to take them through to the Grand Final.
Their fast start and strong finish was too much for East Keilor in the end, leaving the Cougar’s with much to think about before their Preliminary Final against Moonee Valley.
ROXBURGH PARK | 15.8-98
Goal Kickers: T. Hamza 3, L. Capuano 2, R. Micallef 2, J. Caruana 2, T. Blacker 2, R. Tarczon 2, R. Kannegiesser, B. Dimech
Best Players: R. Tarczon, F. Kaakour, T. Blacker, J. Grant, B. Dimech, R. McGill
EAST KEILOR | 7.6-48
Goal Kickers: V. Madaffari, B. Lucas, L. Conidi, P. Grampas, D. Lysaght, G. Whelan, J. Madden
Best Players: J. Madden, V. Madaffari, P. Grampas, G. Whelan, J. Carey, C. Bryant
