By Gary Stocks
The depth of the North Beach squad is continually being tested, but in the main is answering the challenges.

With the list of unavailable first choice players nudging double figures, the Beach responded magnificently against Whitford at Charles Riley Reserve last Saturday, winning by seven goals.

As has been the case in the early part of the season, with so many senior players sidelined through injury, others have stepped up and led the way. On Saturday it was players like midfielders Micky Bryan, Kyle Riemann  and Ben O’Donnell while Jimmy Nunan and Mitch Dwyer also exerted a strong influence.

The return of Mitch Holbrook straightened the team up and after a bright start, leading by 29 points at the first change, the Tigers were never in any real danger of allowing the game to slip.

A-Grade
North Beach       5.6          7.7          13.7        16.8        104
Whitford             1.1          5.2          7.9           9.8        62
Goals – North Beach: O’Donnell 5; M Holbrook 3; Paap 2; Brooks, Bandy, Power, A Nunan 1.
Best – North Beach: Bryan, O’Donnell, Ward, Dwyer, J Nunan, Riemann.

While the A-grade team withstood the Whitford challenge and did not allow a match-winning break to slip through their grasp, the same could not be said of the A-Reserves team.

Leading by 19 points at the final change in a hard-fought contest, the Beach could manage just two behinds in the last quarter and were forced to settle for a draw with the fast-finishing opposition.

Kent Traeger continued his good form while Cale Potts, Michael Italiano and Scott Holbrook were also under notice throughout, with Holbrook finishing off his work with three goals.

A-Reserves
North Beach       2.1          3.2          8.5          8.7          55
Whitford             2.1          3.4          5.4          8.7          55
Goals – North Beach: S Holbrook 3; Italiano, Langsford 2; Bell 1.
Best – North Beach: Traeger, Potts, Italiano, S Holbrook.

The E-Grade combination continued its outstanding start to the season with a commanding 28-point victory, perhaps best illustrated by a 25 to 12 scoring shot supremacy over Whitford.

Again Blake Hurley (T-Bag) led the way with Brett Rice, providing an experienced example, which was followed by a host of recent colts graduates, including Russell Normoyle, David Bates and Hayden Coutts.

E-Grade
North Beach       2.6          7.8          7.8          12.13     85
Whitford             1.1          3.1          8.3          9.3         57
Goals – North Beach: Chapman 4; Morling, Keeley, T McComiskie 2; Coutts, Vry 1.
Best – North Beach: Hurley, Normoyle, Rice, Bates, Coutts.

The E-Reserves produced a dominant display and are continuing to climb up the ladder, the squad beginning to gel and string some solid performances together.

With a youthful midfield pushing the ball forward, the experienced Lindsay Gaunt has been on the end of those attacking sorties and is consistently finishing off the effort. He kicked five goals on Saturday to again prove a valuable target.

Ryan Staniforth and Andy Meares were also in good touch while Yannick Siegwart’s ruck work was outstanding.

E-Reserves
North Beach       3.2          5.5          7.8          9.9          63
Whitford                1.1          1.3          3.3          3.5          23
Goals – North Beach: Gaunt 5; Staniforth 2; Bartel, Mears 1.
Best – North Beach: Mears, Siegwart, Gaunt, Staniforth.

The G-Grade capped an unbeaten day for the senior teams with a resounding 41-point victory over Scarborough.

Michael Missikos and Charlie Black were in good touch while Novac Smith (aka Jesus) produced some divine touch up forward with four goals.

 G-Grade
North Beach       4.1          4.6          7.8          10.13     73
Scarborough      2.2          3.3          3.8            4.8        32
Goals – North Beach: Smith 4; Miskos 2; Chop, McQueen, Bailey, Wills 1.
Best – North Beach: Missikos, Chop, Black.

The Phil Scott Colts produced their most commanding performance of the season in disposing of Whitford, winning by 48 points, against an incredibly accurate opposition.

Keegan Knott was in captivating form with an outstanding display through the midfield, highlighted by his second and third efforts, while midfield support came from the hard working Aaron Brooks, Jacob Griffiths and Jeff Waldock, while that midfield control was finished off in attack by Jordan Kickett, who booted five goals.

Other eye-catching performances were turned in by Ben Sweeney, Ben Clark and Sam Johnson, who was elevated for his first Phil Scott game.

Phil Scott Colts
North Beach       5.0          7.0          11.1        13.6        84
Whitford             1.0          3.0            5.0          6.0        36
Goals – North Beach: Kickett 5; Knott, Griffith 2; Foreman, Brooks, Fulwood, Hackett 1.
Best – North Beach: Knott, Kickett, Brooks, Griffiths, Sweeney, Waldock, Johnson, Clark.

The Brett Jones team was always going to face a difficult assignment in Armadale, magnified by the decision of several key players to head south for a concert, rather than confront the challenge of the team’s longest road trip.

While losing by 137 points, several players excelled and the team was far more competitive than the scoreline would suggest.

Cale Foley, Ryan Antonelli, Robert Banks, Nick Tester and Jesse Scales all worked hard for little scoreboard result, but could be satisfied with their contributions.

Brett Jones Colts
Armadale            6.5          12.8        15.13     23.20     158
North Beach       0.1            1.2          3.2          3.3          21
Goals – North Beach: Banks, Cooper, Gangemi 1.
Best – North Beach: Foley, Antonelli, Banks, Tester, Scales.