Match Report - 17 April 2021

Round 2

17 April 2021 Home

AJAX v Beaumaris 

On a picturesque afternoon for football, AJAX took on Beaumaris at Albert Park at 2 PM. In what was their first home game in over a year it was a momentous occasion. Unfortunately, the Jackas fought hard but couldn't overcome a great performance from Beaumaris, going down 5.5 37 to 11.14 80. 

Beaumaris opened the scoring in the first quarter, dominating the first 8 minutes of the game, looking faster and moving the ball more fluidly than AJAX. AJAX struggled to take advantage of their inside '50s with the height in the Beaumaris defense picking off most entries comfortably. Some fantastic forward pressure from 1 of 4 'ins Matthew Lincoln lead to a great over the shoulder snap from Josh Ludski. Lincoln starred in the opening term, showing great poise to set up forward Nicholas Cohen for AJAX's second of the term. The Jackas battled back but gave away a 50m penalty which gave Beaumaris a 7-point lead at quarter time.

AJAX carried over their momentum into the second quarter. Registering an early shot on goal and trapping the ball inside their forward 50 for extended periods but failed to capitalise on the scoreboard. After a sloppy backline error gave Beaumaris their first of the second quarter, star midfielder Kane Nissenbaum was ruled out of the remainder of the game with a hamstring injury. Beaumaris kicked back-to-back goals early and it was clear that the Jackas were struggling to break down the opposition. A great run-down tackle by Elliot Debinski at the end of the second term was a great way to fire up the boys for the second half as they headed into the main break 4 goals down.

To fans disappointment, Beaumaris started strong kicking back-to-back goals after the half-time break. The Jackas were on the back foot and struggled to get the ball out of their defensive 50. The backline fought hard and did the best they could as they were peppered with entries. There was some hope that a late third-quarter goal to Nicholas Cohen could spark the Jackas going into the final term as they trailed by 37 points at three-quarter time. 

Again, Beaumaris opened the scoring in the last quarter, AJAX showed fight and positive signs but were not able to take advantage of their chances. They defended with desperation with Richie Simon making a goal-saving smother. Justin Berkowitz gave the fans something to cheer about, kicking the last goal of the quarter as AJAX were defeated by 43 points. 

Next week AJAX takes on Fitzroy at the Brunswick Street oval at 2 PM and will look to bounce back from this weekend’s defeat. 

Goal Kickers: N Cohen 3, Jo Ludski, Berkowitz
Best Players: Lewis, Jo Ludski, Krongold, Debinski, Cohen, Fisher