Hawthorn Spartans may have taken a loss against a very good Old Scotch side who are lying third on the table but it was a much improved performance that served as suitable celebration for Daniel Raponi’s 100th game and Michael Butta’s 50th for the Spartans.
In a Round 10 game played in wet conditions at home at the Rathmines Road Reserve, the Spartans proved competitive for much of the game and were only let down by a poor third-quarter performance. The last time the two sides met Old Scotch won by 128 points.
What made this game different was an almighty fight to turn around a 98 point lead that the Old Scotch had built up. The Spartans eventually lost by 30 points, 103-73.
“Overall, it became a 100-point turnaround in which everyone shoudl be commended on the efforts as we almost created a big upset to honour both Daniel Raponi and Michael Butta,” said Spartans manager George Demetriou told Neos Kosmos.
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“A poor third quarter cost us dearly. Numerous turnover mistakes, fatigue and some undscipline acts cost us to the point where the gap was too much to bridge in the last quarter.
“We need some players to work on getting fitter as we stick together to ensure we keep improving. I has been a real test of our depth,” said Mr Demetriou.
Besides the milestones reached by Daniel Raponi and Michael Butta, there were many other highlights to celebrate including Ari Mitropoulos turned back the years with his six-goal haul.
There were 23 scoring shots by the team which was a big improvement on recent outings.
Captain Jack Farah impressed with his pace, tackling and goal to set the standard in the first quarter.Willie Cowie took at least six intercept marks and Mohammad Dabbab tackled all day. Con Pana and Nick Critickos goals in the last quarter were also highlights.
♦ The Hawthorn Spartans next meet log-leaders Old Melburnians at the Elsternwick Oval 1, Glenhuntly Road, Elsternwick, on Saturday, 26 June. The game starts at 9.20am.
