R8 2023 | Seniors vs Old Yarra

The Woodfull Miller Oval was treated to one of the games of the season, as the Seniors looked to enter the bye on a high but were met with an equally hungry Old Yarra Cobras side.

A tight opening term played out, the battle for dominance early being cancelled out by quality play from both sides. Captain and midfielder Julian Eimutis started strongly, as did Petro Pirozek, but at the whistle, the away side could certainly feel they should’ve been a goal or two to the good, with four more scoring shots, giving them a slender buffer of four points.

In stark contrast, the floodgates opened in the second, with both sides displaying quality forward entry and efficient conversion, with 11 majors kicked between them. For the Unicorns, Matthew Pereira and Larry Hanly kept the scorers busy, whilst on the opposing end Jack Hall was working incredibly hard, kicking multiple on his way to a tally of 9 for the match (in all, 18 of the 34 goals were directly attributed to these three key forwards). At the half, the scores read MHSOB 10.3-63, to Old Yarra 7.9-51.

Nathan Volk runs clear of his opponent. Image courtesy of Jim Wilson.

The second half of the game hung on which team could take their chances in a hotly contested affair that could swing either way. In the third, it was a near perfect effort by the Unicorns on the scoreboard, although they only had two more shots than their opponents. In a game which had been so tight, the margin grew to a 29-point buffer, 17.6-108 to 11.13-79.

The Cobras, to their credit, did not go away. In a dominating display, the margin was reversed over the course of the term, with a one-point margin going into the dying moments. Just before the siren sounded, Matthew Pereira marked, with a point to draw the tie, or a goal to win it. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the fairy-tale ending, as a gripping contest ended the way it started, in a draw.

Final Scores: MHSOB: 18.8-116 drew with Old Yarra: 16.20-116

Goal Kickers: M. Pereira 5, L. Hanly 4, W. Hellier 2, C. Tetaz 2, P. Pirozek 2, J. Eimutis, L. Littore, M. Fennessy-Kent

Best Players: J. Eimutis, W. Hellier, P. Pirozek, L. Hanly, M. Pereira, M. Wilson