From the Preston Leader

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THERE is an old saying in football: no matter how long the game goes, the tall blokes don't get any shorter.

For the Northern Bullants on Saturday, that rang true as their tall timber up forward proved too strong for Collingwood in the last quarter of the Round 3 VFL clash at Princes Park.

Throughout the contest the Bullants looked the better side but couldn't break away from the plucky Magpies who held firm for most of the game.

But, as the Bullants did against Coburg in Round 2, come the last quarter they had too much strength as they raced away to a convincing 20.8 (128) to 12.5 (77) win.

Jake Edwards was a key to the last-quarter onslaught that resulted in eight goals. Quiet for most of the match, Edwards exploded in the final term with three goals.

Byrnes was the standout as a number of the Cats' fringe players did well, but their efforts weren't enough to resist Tasmania's rampaging final-quarter surge, with the Devils winning 18.17 (125) to 15.11 (101).

Geelong coach Leigh Tudor praised the commitment of the small forward, who collected 36 possessions to answer his doubters after he was replaced in the Cats' AFL team by Ryan Gamble last week.

"Shannon Byrnes ... has always been an excellent VFL player, so to come back again and perform the way he has is a credit to him," Tudor said.

Promoted off the rookie list at the end of last season, Jason Davenport was in scintillating touch early, winning plenty of ball in the midfield, and floating into attack to kick four goals before half-time.

From the Sunday Herald Sun
Reported by Chris Mitchell

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A SPIRITED third quarter burst lifted Frankston to a massive upset win against Sandringham at Trevor Barker Oval yesterday.

The Zebras led by 25 points in the first term and were never threatened until halfway through the third quarter, when the Dolphins hit the front after a Clinton Proctor major.

It was the spark the game needed and, led by captain Shaun Pollard, the Dolphins held on to win 15.12 (102) to 13.12 (90).

Star Sandringham spearhead Nick Sautner was held goalless by Pollard, while Melbourne-listed forward Michael Newton kicked just one goal.

Addam Maric made a case for inclusion in the Demons side with five goals, while Brent Moloney got through seemingly unscathed.

NORTH Ballarat has the potential to be on the end of a Richmond selection backlash in the Victorian Football League on Saturday.

The Selkirk Roosters face the Richmond-aligned Coburg Tigers, which is already stung by its own capitulation against Northern Bullants.

But Coburg might also feature several out-of-favour Richmond players with plenty to prove.

Richmond coach Terry Wallace is threatening to wield the axe after a heavy loss to Collingwood, with up to six players - including established star Joel Bowden - reportedly in his sights. But nothing will distract North Ballarat coach Gerard FitzGerald as he prepares to stretch the Roosters' unbeaten run to three in their first venture away from home.

FitzGerald constantly talks about the fluid nature of the VFL created by AFL alignments - accepting the potential for significant change in the make-up of opposition teams from week-to-week. He is already wary of last year's VFL grand finalist, so nothing will sway him from his ever cautious approach.

From the Whitehorse Leader
Reported by Chris Vernuccio

BOX Hill football manager Greg Boxall blamed poor disposal and wasteful goal-kicking for a VFL loss the Hawks should have avoided.

The Hawks, despite having a whopping 75 more disposals, lost to the Tasmania Devils, 13.10 (88) to 12.13 (85), at Box Hill City Oval on Sunday.

The home side led by 17 points at half-time but was unable to push on in the second half.

However, the half-time margin should have been more as the Hawks kicked an appalling 1.9 before getting their act together with six consecutive goals leading into the main break.

Although the Hawks continued to dominate possession, their skills let them down.