Melbourne Knights 4, Eltham Redbacks 0. The toughest away trip in the league lived up to its billing.
The trip across town was always going to prove a test. Knights had won seven of their last eight in the league heading in, sat second on the table, with the best defence in the division. The Redbacks arrived on the back of an 8-0 walkover at The Web seven days earlier, and a Dockerty Cup tie midweek that put more minutes into already heavy legs.
The Knights struck early, with star man Luka Kolic bagging a brace in 21 minutes. The Redbacks had not steadied themselves before they were chasing a deficit. Eltham rode out the storm until halftime, with skipper Abdulkerim Koc kept busy in goal.
Eltham came out of the sheds with intent. The first nine minutes of the second half were the best the visitors strung together all night. Then Josh Divin made it three for the Knights, and a comeback went from unlikely to near impossible.
Alan Mulcahy threw caution to the wind, bringing on Mehmet Uysal and Fletcher Caponecchia for Josh Millar and Liam O’Connell. The break did not arrive. Instead, Atticus Gonzalez added the fourth on the hour mark, and the contest was well and truly over.
The result sees the Knights climb to top of the league, while the Redbacks remain fourth, just four points outside the automatic promotion places. With Northcote City, Brunswick Juventus and Bulleen all dropping points, the race remains tight as a drum.
The next assignment is the home fixture against Melbourne Victory in Round 14. A return to The Web with a chance to draw a line in the sand. The standards this group set across the first twelve weeks remain. Back to the training pitch, and back to work.