Casey Cardinia league – round 8

By Mark Gullick
KEYSBOROUGH stunned Beaconsfield with a comeback one-point win at Rowley Allen Reserve on Saturday.
The Burras kicked 3.3 to 0.2 in the final term to pinch the win.
Predictably, Beaconsfield got off to another great beginning, leading by 20 points at quarter-time and then 25 points at half-time.
Keysborough kicked three goals to two in the third term to trail by 18 points.
The final term was an exciting affair: Keysborough scored two goals before Anthony Brannan added another to place the Burras one point in the lead.
Beaconsfield quickly levelled the scores with less than one minute to go. Tyson King kicked long into Keysborough’s forward line where Corey Wilkinson collected the ball and quickly snapped towards goal.
Luke McGuinness saw it through for a behind. Beaconsfield attacked and had a chance to win the game after the siren.
Daniel Calteri took a shot from beyond the 50-metre line, but failed to make the distance after kicking into a breeze.
“It was one of the best finishes in local footy I’ve seen; it was a classic, close encounter,” Keysborough coach Brad Canavan said.
“I think Aussie talked to them at three quarter-time about playing tempo footy. To play good tempo footy you have to be highly skilled and we thought if we could keep the pressure on and play long, direct footy and get it into Greg Walker and McGuinness and let our crumbers do their work, that we could get on top of them.”
Keysborough went into the match without ruckman Shaun Witherden, who dislocated his ankle at training during the week.
Nevertheless, Keysborough pulled off a fantastic win.
“We started the game well. I thought our first quarter was fantastic but we just didn’t capitalise on the scoreboard. We were conscious that they are fast starters and like to hold that three, four-goal buffer for most of the game.
“We were three or four goals down all day, but we just had a renewed belief that we could get over the top of them being at home,” Canavan said.
The result keeps Keysborough one win clear in fourth place and arrests a two-game losing sequence.
“I was very upbeat after the Cranbourne game,” Canavan said. “There was no ranting and raving by me. We went back to basics and stripped it back a bit and made adjustments to our positions. We shuffled a few blokes around.
“We knew after our previous two weeks that we needed to find something and that was between the ears.”
Brannan was the best player for Keysborough and he played with his typical determination.
Other key players were midfielder Clinton King, replacement ruckman Mark Osborne, Greg Walker in the forward line, John McMurray who blanketed leading goalkicker Ryan Donaldson, and Waata Wells who continued his good form.
It was Beaconsfield’s first loss of the year.
“There were no sprays or yelling (after the game),” coach Aussie Jones said. “I thought our effort was OK. We were just off our best in a few areas. I felt it during the week.
“I challenged (the players) during the week, but I didn’t get much of a response. I just let them know that if we’re not at our absolute best, then we are vulnerable like any other side.”
As good as their starts have been, the Eagles have struggled to finish off games with the same intensity, although Jones is not that concerned.
“Other than (the Keysborough match) we’ve had a heap of injuries during games, which has left us with no bench to use,” he said. “It was probably the first time we felt we’ve been overrun.
“We’re not concerned about our finishing because there have been reasons on other days. The guys probably got a little bit comfortable and expected to win, but against good opposition, you can’t afford to take anyone lightly.
“We played a good opposition. They’re a really good side down there. They play their ground really well.”
Stand-in ruckman Matthew Kenny played his best game of the season for Beaconsfield, small forward Clint Setford was again very busy and finished with three goals. Mitch Collins ended up with four goals.
Defender Sean Alexander, Jesse Linkins and Daniel Battaglin played well.