Matches against Scarborough always have a little extra riding on them.
The proximity of the two home grounds, being just a few kilometres apart, means there is always going to be an edge to the local derby.
Last Saturday at Millington Reserve was no exception and the O’Rourke Realty North Beach A-Grade outfit responded with perhaps their most complete performance of a season in which they have, to date, lost just one match.
With the added incentive of being able to make it tough for the reigning premiers to qualify for finals, the Beach asserted their ascendancy early and were ruthless on the way to a 18.8 (126) to 7.8 (50).
Led by athletic young ruckman Oskar Tothill and the midfield group of Sam Lamont, Craig Hoskins, Steve Mansfield and Mitch Gill, the Beach ensured plenty of supply inside the attacking 50 metre arc.
And then the class of Nic Reid and James Garcia ensured maximum pain was inflicted on the Sea Eagles, Reid kicking seven goals and Garcia converting four.
The defence was also solid, led by the ultra-consistent Christian Bottechia and Dan Leishman.
The Lifenet A-Reserves also carried too much fire-power for the Sea Eagles, maintaining their unbeaten record with a 12.8 (80) to 2.6 (18) victory.
Again the tone was set early through the likes of ruckman Josh Chapman and the experienced midfield group of Adam Swain, Nic Bowe and Beau Witheridge while Tim Edwards, who has had an exceptional season, was a game-breaker with an abundance of possession and four goals.
Chris Wells continues his strong development and Matt Raynor maintained pressure for a place in the A-Grade team as the senior squad prepares for a week off for the scheduled bye to allow for Friday’s State game at Community Bank Oval in Fremantle.
The Plasterwise Phil Scott Colts were involved in the most absorbing match of the day and managed to recover from a slow start.
After conceding four goals in the opening term, the Beach held Scarborough to just one more for the match in winning 8.8 (56) to 5.5 (35).
Kobi Martin and Justin Prior, who have set strong standards throughout the season, against set a high benchmark while Cody Sawyer kicked three goals and in conjunction with Riley Sparks provided plenty of headaches for the Sea Eagles’ defence.
Additionally, Craig Bothe, Nathan Perry and Chris Papadopoulos wielded a positive influence on the result.
Results, Round 14
O’Rourke Realty A-Grade
North Beach 6.3 11.5 16.5 18.8 116
Scarborough 2.1 2.3 5.5 7.8 50
Goals – North Beach: Reid 7; Garcia 4; M Dwyer 3; Mackenzie 2; Lamont, Hoskins.
Best – North Beach: Tothill, Reid, Bottechia, Leishman, Garcia, Coulton.
Lifenet A-Reserves
North Beach 3.3 6.5 6.8 12.8 80
Scarborough 1.2 1.4 1.5 2.6 18
Goals – North Beach: Edwards 4; Adler, Chapman 2; McColgan, Lucassen, Johnson, Foley.
Best – North Beach: Chapman, Edwards, Swain, Bowe, Raynor, C Wells, Witheridge.
Plasterwise Phil Scott Colts
North Beach 2.3 4.6 6.8 8.8 56
Scarborough 4.0 4.1 5.4 5.5 35
Goals – North Beach: Sawyer 3; R Sparks 2; Kirkpatrick, McIlduff, Perry.
Best – North Beach: Martin, Prior, Sawyer, Bothe, Perry, Papadopoulos.