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From Anthony Brady
Courtesy 97.7 Casey FM

In interstate action yesterday at Port Melbourne's TEAC Oval, the 97.7FM Casey Radio 3SER team saw the Victorian Football League (VFL) thrash the Western Australian Football League (WAFL) by 119 points in a record-breaking victory in the Herald Sun Cup before around 3,000-4,000 fans.

A sunny day greeted both teams, however a strong wind favouring the Williamstown Road end of the ground meant conditions were difficult for players, and made for a chilly afternoon for the sun-loving Sandgropers.

The toss was won by WAFL captain Shane Woewodin, who elected to kick with the wind.

The first quarter began at a cracking pace, with both sides proficient at getting the ball out of the centre and pumping it in long and direct to their forward lines. Victoria surprised many by kicking into the wind extremely well, with forwards such as VFL veteran Nick Sautner and Frankston's Justin Berry particularly good at negotiating shots on goal.

Both teams had seven shots on goal during the first term, but already the Big V had jumped to a 20-point lead, thanks to much more accurate kicking for goal. The stand-out performers early were Victorian defender John Baird, with nine possessions in the first quarter, while Woewodin had gathered eight for the Black Swans.

The second quarter saw the beginning of what has now been dubbed the "Melbourne massacre". With former Essendon player Tristan Cartledge dominating the hit-outs for the Victorians, giving first usage to such midfielders as James Byrne, Simon Rosa and David Spriggs, the Big V were away.

They ran the lines exceptionally well, tackled hard when they didn't have the ball, were efficient with their disposal and basically had winners all over the ground. The Victorians kicked a stunning ten goals to nil for the quarter, to go in at half-time a whopping 80-points ahead, and render the match all but over.

The only interest in the second half lay in whether the Victorians could amass a record winning margin, and whether leading forward Sautner could kick the magical figure of 10 goals.

Kicking into the breeze in the third term didn't quell the Victorians onslaught, they continued to run in waves forward of the football, allowing free men up forward to take advantage of the Big V midfielders winning most of the stoppages. Such players as Rod Crowe, Al Neville and James Podsiadly came into the game in a major way, with the Western Australians struggling to offer much resistance.

WAFL midfielders such as Adam Hay, Jaxon Crabb and amd Andrew Siegert tried hard, but didn't have enough helpers around the contested situations.

The final quarter was a bit of a drab affair, both teams relaxed somewhat, and the Victorians managed to extend the margin beyond the magical 100-point figure. For a while, it appeared as though it could nudge 130 points, however some late goals to the Black Swans avoided that.

The Frank Johnson medallist for best Victorian player was awarded to Neville, a Coburg stalwart who spent the majority of this game backwards of centre and around the midfield, finishing with 19 possessions for the day. Other major players for the Big V included Geelong captain James Byrne, who was the leading possession winner on the ground with 31, working hard around the stoppages with his grunt work and hard in-and-under possession-winning talents; full-forward Nick Sautner, whose efficiency rate was legendary, booting nine goals from just 11 kicks and providing a hard-leading target up forward all day; Berry, who worked well as a double act with Sautner, chiming in with four goals and should have had a few more, he is very good above his head for such a small player; tenacious Bendigo little man Rosa, who gathered 23 possessions across the midfield and pumped the Victorians into attack on many occasions; Sandringham's talisman Andy "The Axe" Biddlecombe, who used his height well as a roaming half-forward flanker; Bendigo ruckman Cartledge, who dominated the hit-outs with a whopping 36, giving first-usage to the prolific Victorian midfield, as well as resting up forward and chiming in with two valuable goals; and, David Robbins from Port Melbourne, who was tough in the clinches and finished with 17 possessions.

For the beaten and disgraced Western Australians, the Simpson medal was awarded to Hay, who tried his hardest across half-forward and forwards-of-centre, finishing with 11 disposals and kicking two goals in a lone hand. Others to try hard for the Black Swans included Chad Jones, who also tried hard up forward when the ball was in that area, finishing with two majors as well, and gaining nine possessions in trying conditions for WAFL forwards; Ben Colreavy in the centre worked hard, particularly at the stoppages, winning 12 possessions and moving the Sandgropers forward at every opportunity; Dion Fleay worked hard in the centre as well, amassing 12 possessions for the day and trying hard to win contested possessions for his side; and, Siegert, who was fairly effective out on the wings, providing some run and forward opportunities for the Black Swans, amassing 20 possessions, the most for the beaten WA side.

The quarter-by-quarter scores and goalkickers from this match are as follows:

Victoria               5.2     15.4     20.6    25.11 (161) 
Western Australia 1.6       1.8     3.10       5.12 (42)

Victoria goalkickers: Sautner 9 Berry 4 Byrne 2 Crowe 2 Johnson 2 Cartledge 2 Summers Spriggs Podsiadly Height.

Western Australia goalkickers: Hay 2 C Jones 2 A Jones.

In the curtain-raiser to this match, a match featuring Under-23 VFL-listed and AFL rookie players, combined with 19 year-old TAC Cup players put on a show for AFL recruiters. The teams were divided into teams coming from the north of the Yarra River, and teams coming from south of the Yarra. In a highly entertaining and quality game of football, the red-coloured South side got up by 26 points over a slightly more inefficient blue-colored North side. Players who impressed for the South side included Port Melbourne little man Robin Nahas, and his Port Melbourne teammates Dean Kelly and Julian Rowe, all working well in the centre and providing some good, hard work in the clinches. For the North team, they were served well by former Richmond-turned Williamstown full-forward Dean Limbach, who booted five goals, and he was ably assisted by Northern Bullants midfielder Adam Iacobucci and 19 year-old Western Jets (TAC Cup) over-age player Steven Morris, who is the son of Richmond premiership player Kevin.

The quarter-by-quarter scores and goalkickers from this match are as follows:

South     5.1     8.3     12.5     16.8 (104) 
North     1.7     6.9      8.12     11.12 (78)

South goalkickers: Nahas 3 Wheelan 2 Rowe 2 Langford 2 Gilchrist Johnston Moles Rosier Whish-Wilson Bonaddio Scheetz.

North goalkickers: Limbach 5 Anderson 2 Morgan Colbert Morris Hardy.

All-in-all, a terrific day for Victorian football, as both matches showcased the talent that the VFL has to offer. For the WAFL, it's back to the drawing board, in an attempt to regroup and see if they can improve on a loss which would shock Western Australian football to the core.

As far as next weekend goes, it's back to round eight in the TRUenergy Victorian Football League for season 2007. The Casey Radio 97.7FM 3SER team heads into inner-city Preston, for the Northern Bullants clash with Geelong on Saturday. Join myself, Kain Pollard, "Fabulous" Phil Pearce, Chris Weaver and Tristan Foenander from 1.45pm either on radio on 97.7FM in the Melbourne south-eastern area, or through our website www.3ser.org.au if you are anywhere else, and we'll ensure all your TRUenergy VFL action is covered.