Geelong Amateur will enter the second half of the Bellarine season on top of the ladder with a two-game break on the chasing pack after overcoming a half-time deficit to beat Anglesea by 14 points at Ellimatta Reserve, 15.7 (97) to 12.11 (83).
The Pegs trailed by 14 points at the main break after being held to their lowest first-half score of the season.
However, two goals during time-on of the third quarter cut the margin to two points at three-quarter time and gave the visitors some momentum heading into the final term.
The visitors then claimed the lead for the first time since midway through the second term when Lachie Relly kicked one of his three goals.
Roos spearhead Ayden Gras threatened to take the game back away from Ammos with two of the next three goals.
But it was the Pegs who would have the final say.
Archer Hanegraaf gave his team back the lead with a goal following a 50m penalty, and he kicked the final goal of the contest with a nice snap.
“The response from after half-time was more pleasing than anything,” co-coach Riley Kershaw said.
“They really took control of the first half, and their contest work was superb, and it’s ultra consistent.
“To knuckle down after half-time and just slowly bite back at that and matching their contest work after that was the key.”
Kershaw says there was no panic despite finding themselves trailing at half-time for just the second time in 2025.
“Going into the break, two or three goals down, there can be a lot of opinions sometimes,” he said.
“It was about resetting, being calm, and just getting back to winning the contest – or at least matching it with them, because we weren’t up until that point.
“We were confident that if we could match the contest, our ball work, our ball movement is there to win games of football.
“It was all about playing your role; old cliché footy stuff, but it worked.”
One of those given a role was Jack Pickering.
Playing his seventh game after a decade-long absence from football, Pickering was tasked with limiting the influence of Anglesea’s playing coach Jordan Kers in the midfield.
“He had a run-with role on Jordy, and we thought he played super,” Kershaw said.
“I’ve played a lot of footy with Jordy and know exactly what he’s like.
“For ‘Pickers’ to go on to him and battle it out with him, particularly in those conditions, I thought that he played a super role on him.
“Jordy got a bit of the footy himself – he always does because that’s the calibre of player he is.
“But we thought Pickers played well.”
Spiro Alesios was given the job on Gras, and while the league-leading goalkicker finished with five for the afternoon, Kershaw was pleased with the defender’s efforts.
“I think it was a good battle between the two,” he said.
“Both guys played really well. But, we thought ‘Spizz’ played really well in his role.”
At the other end, Mitch Day kicked four goals for Ammos to take his season tally to 37, eight behind Gras in the race for the goalkicking title.
Queenscliff will enter the second half of the season as arguably the form team of the competition following a 28-point win over Barwon Heads in a free-flowing contest at Howard Harmer Oval.
Thirty-seven goals were kicked for the contest, with the Coutas clinching a fifth consecutive victory, 21.10 (136) to 16.12 (108).
Queenscliff opened up a 26-point buffer at quarter time, with Barwon Heads never getting any closer than four goals for the rest of the contest.
Off-season acquisitions Izaac Grant and Jayden McHenry, and Geelong Falcons listed Jordan Monahan kicked 14 goals between them, with Grant’s six-goal haul the highlight.
Angus Ford, Sam Witherden, and captain Kyle Polley each kicked three goals for the Seagulls, who are now a game outside the top five.
Portarlington has recorded its first win since the shock departure of former coach Darren Findlay late last month, beating wooden spoon-bound Ocean Grove by 14 points at Ron Evans Oval.
The 9.9 (63) to 7.7 (49) result gave the Demons consecutive wins and two victories over the Grubbers in the same season for the first time since 1983.
The contest remained in the balance at three-quarter time, with Portarlington holding a seven-point lead.
However, consecutive goals from acting captain Max Ruiter, followed by another to Leopold recruit Riley Hayden, pushed the margin to 26 points and ensured the Demons’ third win of the season.
Ruiter and Hayden were among Portarlington’s best, along with Braydon Poole and Bendigo recruit Caleb Kennedy.
Veteran Jye Walker was the lone multiple goalkicker for the Grubbers, who are two games adrift of the Demons, Newcomb, and Modewarre entering the second half of the season.
Torquay handed Newcomb consecutive triple-figure losses – and got some small revenge for its Round 2 loss – in handing out a 139-point hiding at McCartney Oval.
The Power kicked two of the first three goals of the contest, but from that point, the Tigers outscored the visitors 24 goals to two to record a percentage-boosting 25.16 (166) to 4.3 (27).
After kicking only two goals in the past five rounds, Banjo Dyer finished with six goals to take his season tally to 19.
Reigning Ash medallist Matt Boag, Tom Hooper, Jesse Dawson, and Tom Diamond each kicked three goals.
Jack Duke finished with two goals for the Power, whose 3-1 start to the season is now a distant memory.
Drysdale has made the most of a fast start to jump to second on the ladder after beating Modewarre by 25 points at Mt Moriac Reserve, 11.15 (81) to 8.8 (56).
After opening up a 21-point buffer at quarter-time, the Hawks kept the Warriors at arm’s length for the majority of the afternoon.
Luke Preece was again a standout for Drysdale, with James Robbins and Joel Watson each kicking two goals.
Scott Morter was again Modewarre’s best in front of goal with three majors, taking him to 24 for the season.
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