VICTORIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Scorpion sensation

By ELISSA HUNT********************  

Folks who follow the VFL closely reckon there’s only one thing you can say with certainty each year.That is, never write off the Scorpions. At the start of the season, Springvale was said to be too old, too slow, and about to reach the end of an outstanding decade of success.

But yesterday’s 10-goal demolition of North Ballarat proved even the harshest critics wrong as the Scorpions earned their fourth flag in five years in convincing style.

After a tight first term, Springvale took control and kicked 16 goals to six on its way to a 19.11-125 to 9.11-65 victory. There was little between the two sides in the opening quarter, but with John and Damien Carroll busy early, the Scorpions always looked threatening.Only three points separated the teams going into the second term, but Springvale surged forward with quick goals to rookie of the year Mark Passador and wingman Kevin O’Donnell. Ruckman Craig Clarke came on during the term and created havoc for the Roosters, outmarking his opponents all over the ground.Wingman Daniel Donati was devastating with six kicks and four handballs for the quarter as Springvale leapt to a 32-point lead at the long break

.Hopes of a premiership were already slipping away for the Roosters after they were held goalless in the second term, and the Scorpions extended their lead to 45 points by three-quarter time.

 Despite kicking four goals in the last term, there was little the Roosters could do to stop Springvale’s onslaught.Scorpions full-forward Shayne Smith finished with five goals for the day, including the last of the match. Ruck-rover Denis Knight, who captained Springvale in its 1995 premiership, said youth and experience was the secret to the club’s lasting success.“A lot of the younger guys have come on, and it’s the best side I’ve played in over 10 years,” he said after the match.“Most of the good sides have 15 or 16 good players, but we’ve got 25.” 

Defender Jason Caples, who has played in all four premierships of the ‘90s, said the win ranked with the 1995 grand final.“This side and the 1995 side are pretty much on par,” he said.  “No one was going to beat us in ’95 , and no one was going to beat us this year.”North Ballarat, which was without key forward Julian Kirzner, was unlucky to lose replacement forward Tim Inkster before the match and struggled to find a strong marking option.Inkster was a late withdrawal after rolling his ankle while kicking a footy at the school where he works as a grounds-keeper.But coach Gerald Fitzgerald should take heart from the gutsy efforts of full-back Shayne Snibson and the versatile Travis Ruyg, who both had a sensational finals series. 

Springvale         3.0   9.3   13.7   19.11 (125)
North Ballarat   3.4   3.7   5.10     9.11 (  65) 

Goals: Springvale – Smith 5 O’Brien 4Ford 3 Sheehan 2 C. Clarke DelanueKnight O’Donnell Passador. 
North Ballarat – Sier 2 Furica Fisher Frith Clarke Smith G. Polkinghorne Edwards.

Best:  Springvale – O’Brien Donati Sutherland O’Donnell Caples Courtney Delanue Robbins C. Clarke. 
North Ballarat – Snibson Ruyg T. Polkinghorne Field J. Polkinghorne G. Polkinghorne. 

Injuries:  Nil.  Reports:  Nil

Umpires:  K. Nicholls, K. Callaghan, S. Jeffery.  Official Crowd: 6212 at Port Melbourne