Footy season slips away for Jackas
AJAX's tilt at finals football is all but over, following a disappointing loss to bottom-placed Bulleen Templestowe on the weekend.
ASHLEY SHENKER
AJAX’s tilt at finals football is all but over, following a disappointing loss to bottom-placed Bulleen Templestowe on the weekend, 9.9 (63) to 16.5 (101) at Gary Smorgon Oval.
With just two games left this season, AJAX finds itself a game and a whopping 27.69 percentage points out of the top four and will need to win well in its remaining fixtures against Parkdale (eighth) and Mazenod (fifth) and have results go their way to sneak into the finals.
A win for fourth-placed Oakleigh against Old Geelong (seventh) this week, will put finals out of reach for AJAX.
The Jackas’ skill and decision making let them down, as returning veteran Mark Blashki along with teammates, Josh Kalmus and Gary Blieden, were the only players to offer any resistance as the team struggled to match the endeavour and intensity of its opponent.
After kicking the first two goals of the game through forwards Ben Hershan and Ben Kalmus, it looked as thought the game would go according to script for the home team.
Bulleen weathered the storm, adding four goals for the term and taking a three-point lead into the first break.
The second quarter was an arm-wrestle with both sides adding three goals including two to Sam Chester and one to Mark Segal reducing the margin to two points at half time.
In the third quarter AJAX conceded seven goals while managing just three behinds against a defence, which has leaked 91 more goals than any other team in C-section.
Unaccountable footy, skill errors and dreadful decision-making cost the team which trailed by 41 points at three quarter time and saw it hopes of a finals appearance slip away.
The final quarter was a stalemate with both teams kicking two goals each. Fayman put through his second and Ronen Heine kicked truly as the side capitulated.
The reserves went down by seven points to Bulleen Templestowe after trailing by 38 at three-quarter time10.11 (71) to 12.6 (78).
The under-19s regained top spot after annihilating an undermanned Melbourne High by 224 points 36.24 (234) to 0.0 (0). Josh Berlinski kicked 10 goals for the Jackas.
AJAX plays Parkdale on Saturday at Gary Smorgon Oval at 2pm.
Seniors
AJAX 4.1 7.3 7.6 9.9 (63)
Bulleen-Temp 4.4 7.5 4.5 16.5 (101)
Goals: B Kalmus 2, Fayman 2, Chester 2, Hershan, M Segal, Heine.
Best: Blashki, M Segal, Freed, J Kalmus, Marks, Blieden).
Reserves
AJAX 1.2 4.5 5.7 10.11 (71)
Bulleen-Temp 4.2 6.3 12.3 12.6 (78)
Goals: Peters 3, Nevezie 2, Kegen 2, Grof, Kagan, Shmerling.
Best: Grof, Godlewicz, Peters, Rosen, Nevezie, Steinberg).
Under-19
AJAX 12.6 19.14 28.19 36.24 (234)
MHSOB 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 (0)
Goals: Berlinski 10, Lew 5, Rischin 5, Segal 2, Nissen 2, Glass 2, Serry 2, Ludski, Levitan, Selzer, Wlosczowski, Mendies, Gross, Danby, Strauch.
Best: Selzer, Ludski, Rischin, Nissen, Berlinski, Kaye
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