De La Salle re-asserted their right to joint VAFA ‘A’ Section premiership favouritism with Old Xaverians when they demolished St Bedes/Mentone Tigers by 87 points at East Malvern on Saturday.
De La were quickly out of the blocks and had 3 goals 3 on the board before the Tigers had troubled the scorer but from this point the quarter became a contest with the Tigers beginning to control the home team’s run and this reflected on the scoreboard.
Again De La started the second quarter with a flourish and banged on three unanswered goals as St Bedes struggled to keep up with the locals’ pace, precise ball movement and constant motion.
As the quarter wore on the Mentone team managed to get more of the football and get the scoreboard ticking only to see De La roost one through from outside the arc on the half time siren to take a well-earnt 42 point lead into the long break.
After half time the Tigers, with only James Tyquin, Sam Anstey and Hiwad Shakaib at all prominent, were powerless to staunch the flow as De La’s hard running enabled them to blow the lead out to 59 points at the orange break.
In the last quarter, the Malvern team continued to carve through the Tigers to take home an outstanding 87 point victory and bragging rights into September.
The Tigers’ Reserves went down by a single goal, scored a minute before the final siren, and thus unfortunately missed a place in the finals by percentage after a very solid year.
Next Sunday the Tigers take on University Blues at Elsternwick Park in the cut-throat first semi-final in their bid to defend their 2008 title while Old Xaverians are pitted against De La Salle in the major semi-final on Saturday for the right to automatic entry into the 2009 Grand Final.