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PARK ORCHARDS – SEASON REVIEW

The Sharks survived their first year in Premier Division while the senior women and Netball side both qualified for Grand Finals.

By Ryan Long.

Park Orchards

Ladder Position: 8th (6-12, 91.89%)

Best and Fairest: Mason Blakey

Leading Goalkicker: Connor Hickey (39)

Summary:

The Sharks’ first year in Premier Division can be viewed quite positively with the side winning six games.

Last year, Park Orchards finished on top of the ladder in Division One before the season was cancelled. They chose to go up to Premier Division over the off-season and performed well enough to retain their position in the top division.

They had the dream start to the year, winning their first two games of the year, defeating North Ringwood by 57 points and upsetting Balwyn by 10 points away from home. The Sharks competed well against most sides in the first half of the season, having close losses to sides such as Blackburn, South Croydon and Norwood.

They broke a string of losses with an impressive win over Doncaster East, keeping the high-scoring Lions to just six goals for the game. Their form tapered off in the second half of the year, losing six of the last seven games. Six wins for the season saw them finish eighth on the ladder. Reversing the result of a couple of their early season losses would have had the Sharks pushing a bit closer to an unlikely finals birth.

Key Players:

Winning this year’s club best and fairest was Mason Blakey, starring in the midfield with an average of 26.8 disposals per game. In the Runner Up position was Matt Haythorne, having a very consistent year, 12 times in the best from 17 games. 

The likes of Tom Livingstone and Matthew George played pivotal roles for the Sharks in season 2022. Livingstone finished third in the club best and fairest, kicking 12 goals while George had an important role down back where he averaged 24 disposals and six rebound 50s per game.

A dangerous forward line was led by Connor Hickey who had 39 goals from 15 games this season. Also impacting the scoreboard were Andrejs Everitt and Dennis Armfield with 25 and 20 goals respectively.

Best Win: Round 2 – Park Orchards 15.10 100 def. Balwyn 13.12 90 @Balwyn Visy Park

The perfect early season statement showed the league that the Sharks weren’t to be taken lightly in the Premier Division competition. Park Orchards took on the Tigers in Balwyn where they pulled off an impressive 10-point upset over one of the flag favourites. The Tigers set up an 8-point lead at the final change, due to a very strong six-goal opening term where Charlie Haley was a handful trying to control. However, the Sharks stuck with them for three quarters before blitzing them in the last with a six-goal quarter of their own. 

Cridland, Blakey and George all had strong games while the goals were well spread out with five multiple goal kickers.

Off-Season Focus:

There are plenty of positives to look at for the Sharks. Most sides who come up from the second division to the top division, struggle to compete with the top teams in the league. Park Orchards proved in the first half of the year that they could which gives them something to build on from next year. There was a noticeable difference between the top five teams and the rest of the league in the Premier Division. With a top-six finals series once more in 2023, an opportunity to make the finals is well and truly open.

Park Orchards Women’s

Ladder Position: 2nd (10-1-1, 363.03%)

Best and Fairest: Kaitlyn Rukavina

Leading Goalkicker:

Summary:

Big season for the Sharks, qualifying for the Division One Grand Final. They were one of the two dominant sides in the division, winning ten matches. The only side to defeat Park Orchards was Rowville. While missing multiple players, the Sharks went down at Seebeck Oval in Round Six by 43 points. They met again later in the season in a match that finished in a thrilling draw.

They were clearly one of the best attacking sides in the division, averaging 72 points per game, and scoring over 100 points three times across the season. Seven players in the side all had at least 10 goals for the season which shows how strong their forward line is without having to rely on a single player. Finishing second on the ladder with a percentage over 300, the Sharks took on Rowville in the first final. In another close match, Park Orchards pinched victory to qualify for the Deakin University Division One Grand Final.

They were destined to meet once more when the Hawks defeated the Saints to set up a blockbuster Grand Final. Once again, it was a tight tussle with both teams having periods of dominance. Unfortunately for the Sharks, inaccuracy in front of goal was costly, they would come up just short, losing by three points.

Key Players:

Leading from the front was the club captain Kaitlyn Rukavina, winning this year’s best and fairest for the Sharks. Kristen Bertoldi finished in second place, just behind Rukavina, eight times in the best, the most of any Sharks players.

Making the Division One to Four Team of the Year were Jorja Livingstone and Alannah Boell, both with strong seasons. Livingstone played just the eight games but was in the best six times of those matches while Boell led the goal kicking with 19 majors for the season.

Best Win: Semi Final – Park Orchards 7.9 51 def. Rowville 8.2 50 @HE Parker Reserve

In what was one of the best finals of the 2022 season, the Sharks pinched a one-point win over the Hawks out at HE Parker Reserve. The third time these sides had met over the year, Rowville came out strong, kicking five goals straight in the early stages of the game. A big third term saw the margin cut down to three points before an intense final term. Coming from behind, Isabelle Pollock took control, kicking her fourth for the day before setting up a Lucy Nixon match-winning goal.

The one-point thrilling victory saw the club successfully qualify for the Division One Grand Final. 

Off-Season Focus:

Coming off a fantastic season, the Sharks have already been bust re-signing many of their key players. They’ve become an extremely strong side with the club providing a great culture. Depending on what the division structure is next season, they’ll look at 2023 as an opportunity to further develop their players and have another strong year on the field.

Park Orchards Netball Review

Park Orchards Black – Section Four

Ladder Position: 2nd (14-3, 140.80%)

The Sharks Netball side competing in Section Four had a great year, only losing the three games of the year to finish in second place behind Nunawading. The two faced off in the first week of the finals with the Lions winning by six points. To make the Grand Final, the Sharks had to beat the Heathmont Jets in the second week of the finals. A dominant second quarter saw Park Orchards win comfortably by nine points. 

A fantastic achievement for the club to face off in a Grand Final. They, unfortunately, went down to a dominant Nunawading outfit but it was still a great season for the club. Sarah Tilley had a strong season, finishing with an impressive 307 goals, also winning the club’s best and fairest.

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