By MICHAEL ESPOSITO
HOPPERS Crossing had a solid five-goal win against Albion in round three of the WRFL on Saturday, with Kade Carey booting four goals.
The Warriors got off to a flyer with a seven-goal-to-one first quarter.
The margin could have been greater than 42 points, but Hoppers Crossing kicked seven behinds to give the Cats some sort of chance to get back into the game.
Albion seized the opportunity in the second quarter, kicking five unanswered goals to close the gap to 13 points, but Hoppers Crossing exploded again after the main break, kicking seven goals straight to build an unassailable lead. Ryan Kitchen was tremendous for Hoppers Crossing, while Kim Taylor was a stand-out for Albion.
Deer Park, without several key players, returned to the winners’ list with a 55-point victory against North Footscray.
Luke Gestier kicked 10 goals for the Lions, while Rikki Newton booted five for North Footscray.
Port Melbourne also dished up its second win, against a St Albans by 69 points. The Saints are yet to win a game this year and have another tough assignment on Saturday against Altona.
Spotswood overcame a spirited Sunshine 16.21 (117) to 8.8 (56).
Sunshine was well and truly in the contest at half time, with Spotswood 13 points ahead, but the Woodsmen flexed their muscle in the second half to run away with the game.
Altona did as expected and handed Sunshine Heights a lesson. The Vikings won’t be able to take too much away from the 196-point win, but it does sit them second on the ladder with three wins from three games.
In a sign of Altona’s versatility up forward, Tyler Healy (six goals), Ziad Kadour (five goals) and Travis Lunardi (four goals), were all dangerous targets, while four players kicked three goals each.
Deer Park will take on Albion this weekend while Spotswood will have to be fully prepared for the Colts. Hoppers Crossing will play Sunshine Heights and Sunshine will come up against North Footscray.
