The Courier |
JACK Sheahan's Sunbury Lions' debut set a lofty standard when his team crushed Melton South by 80 points on Saturday night.
The 19-year-old out of Diggers Rest via the Calder Cannons kicked three first-quarter goals and five for the night in an impressive first showing in the Ballarat Football League.
Sheahan, VFL-listed with Bendigo Gold, held a key forward post in the absence of Simon Clarke to spearhead Sunbury's 21.15 (141) to 9.7 (61) victory.
A flowing exchange of first-quarter goals became one-way traffic in the second, with Sunbury's six goals to one setting up a 41-point half-time lead.
The second half hit no great heights, with Sheahan spending the final quarter on the bench due to hitting his game-time limit.
Melton South was outmuscled in the midfield and blanketed by the Sunbury defence.
The match-winning burst came early in the second quarter, with Sunbury extending its lead of 13 points in the ninth minute to 39 in the 19th.
Dale Ciunik (three goals) and Sheahan started the second half with back-to-back majors to ensure there would be no Melton South swing of momentum, ala their comeback from 47 points down against Melton the previous weekend.
Melton South coach Matt Sutton had a tough night as his team's full forward but still finished with four goals, while Jaiden Spicer also booted four.
"At the moment we've got eight premiership players out of the side," Sunbury coach Rick Horwood said.
"It's going to be a headache when they all come back."
Sheahan was cut from last year's Vic Metro squad in
the late stages of selection and was on the radar as a potential draftee for one AFL club.
"That's his first game of the year having not played any football, and Melton South had to move a premier backman in the league in Leigh Burke onto him.
"(Simon) Clarke's got a groin injury and it's early in the season; if it had have been a final he
would have played, but at round four it's not worth the risk."
Melton South coach Matt Sutton said his team had made a good start but could not match the
work rate of Sunbury.
The Panthers lost Ben Peters to a seemingly serious ankle injury mid-way through the third term.
Verbal exchanges between the umpires and players are likely to become an agenda item for South this week, with Sutton suggesting one umpire had baited his players.
"I think the players are getting confused; we're both in confusion with the differences between the Ballarat umpires and Riddell District umpires," he said.
"There was nothing in it; we spoke out on the ground.
"I'll nail back-chat from my own players, but I said to one umpire do us a favour and don't bait us.
"The players are heated; they'll come back at it."