St Bedes/ Mentone Tigers returned to the winning list with a solid 53 point win over bottom team Marcellin in spring-like conditions at Bundoora on Saturday.
After enduring a tough month against the top four teams, the Tigers came out of the blocks with some quality football, scything through the Marcellin defence early and with Simon Richards and Jack Hellier in the clinches and young Dan Garside running through the middle and delivering long and direct the Mentone team looked the goods and jumped out to a 30 point lead at the first break.
The second quarter was less attractive as both sides applied defensive pressure, minimising much fluid movement, which suited the Bundoora team who appeared stunned by St Bedes opening and struggled to get their first major on the board soon after the Tigers posted their seventh.
In the third, St Bedes were very wasteful with the football and only for the fierce defence of Hiwad Shakaib and Tom Garside the Eagles might have started to make an impression but instead the Tigers rattled on a couple of late goals to stretch the margin to 56 points.
With the sting out of the game, both sides traded goals in the last to add some respectability to the scoreboard for the home team as they now take the drop to Premier B Section while St Bedes taste the bitter pill of September without any finals action for the first time in what seems an eternity after 4 years in the heady air at the very top of the tree.
The Reserves also had an emphatic 86 point victory while the U19s lost a close one at home.
St Bedes take on Old Melburnians in their last home game of the season at Brindisi Street next Saturday as they blood some talented young players and attempt to finish their season off with a brace of wins.