Ruthless Two Blues Crush Hawthorn

Seniors:

Prahran Assumption displayed the ruthless streak all top teams possess with a crushing 195 point win over undermanned Hawthorn on Saturday despite the confines of Rathmines Road reserve.

The winless Hawks were helpless in the face of an onslaught that started slowly at first but gathered momentum as the game progressed. Kicking  with the aid of a fierce northerly wind, strong enough to cause Caulfield races to be abandoned after race four, the Two Blues first quarter return of six goals was modest at best. But a further six into the gale, and keeping Hawthorn goalless, was a portent of what was to come. An 11 goal haul in the third quarter and another nine in the final stanza blew the margin out to cricket score proportions. Hawthorn posted its solitary goal half way through the last quarter. In the past eight quarters the miserly Two Blues defence has conceded a mere five goals. While the game was lopsided in the extreme the Two Blues showed genuine class at times. And supporters and players needed only short term memories to recall it was round 10 in June last  year the Two Blues were restricted to one goal v Old Mentonians, demonstrating how a team's fortunes can vary so wildly in such a short space of time and why the good times need to be savoured.

Best players were in abundance but John Simonetta with six silky goals in a career best was a stand out, James Musster, Paul Donahoo and Dan Freeman reigned supreme as on ballers receiving silver service from dominant ruckman Adam Sleight. In defence Blayne Dempsey and Tom Freeman were springboards for attack across half-back while full-back John Stocker thrilled the crowd with a long 'bomb' goal from beyond 50m in the third quarter. Stocker was just one of 13 individual goal kickers. A much sterner test awaits at Toorak Park next Saturday v second placed West Brunswick.

PRAHRAN ASSUMPTION 6-8 12-11 23-15 31-21 (207) d HAWTHORN 0-0 0-3 0-3 1-6 (12)

Goals: Simonetta 6, Maya 4, Adams,  J Hogarth 3, Donahoo, Musster , D Freeman, Leske, Sleight , Steinberg 2, J Taylor, W Brereton, Stocker.

Best: Simonetta, Sleight, D Freeman, Donahoo, Adams, T Freeman.

Reserves:

A 12 goal from Evan Scicluna highlighted the 100 point win.

PRAHRAN ASSUMPTION 3-1  12-8  15-12  21-20 (146) d HAWTHORN 4-2  4-2  7-4 7-4 (46)

Club XXIII:

PRAHRAN ASSUMPTION 6-5 (41) d BRUNSWICK ST PAT'S NOBS 1-3 (9).