Eastland’s In and Under column returns this week, Media Manager Ryan Long gives you his key takeaways from the latest weekend of local footy.
The top Six of the Premier Division all face off
The biggest weekend of Senior Men’s Premier Division footy, One v Two, Three v Four and Five v Six.
East Ringwood hosted Balwyn in a top-of-the-table clash, the Roos welcoming back Sam Lowson from VFL level.
The Tigers started well, with a few key players missing from the side including star midfielder Alex Urban. The momentum of the game began to shift in the third term, but the home side let the visitors off the hook, seven behinds for the quarter while Balwyn converted their one opportunity through Charlie Haley.
The inaccuracy in front of the big sticks continued into the final quarter until East Ringwood finally converted through Lowson and Bennell. Youngster Riley Weatherill was massive across the afternoon, against the experienced Chevy Anderson, this week’s MEGT Australia Rookie of the Day.
At the end of the day, it was a dominant East Ringwood second half, 32 inside 50’s to seven and 14 scoring shots to two. The win has the Roos on equal points with Balwyn after Round 12.
However, arguably the biggest winners of the round were Rowville, Sunday’s standalone game at Seebeck was the side’s most complete performance of the year, running out 60-point winners over Vermont.
Almost back at full strength, all of the big names were firing for the Hawks. Lachlan McDonald and Anthony Brolic led the way, combining for 71 disposals, dominant in the clearance battle. The ruck duo of Nik Schoenmakers and Tom Lockman was certainly part of the reason for the midfield dominance.
Returning from VFL, Lachlan Wynd finished as the leading goal scorer on the ground, with five goals and four marks.
Hard to see anyone outside the top-three nabbing a double chance from here with the top three sides of the competition well ahead and the gap between third and fourth on the ladder.
Blackburn however will walk away from the weekend very pleased with their return to the top-five, defeating South Croydon in an eight-point game at Cheong Park. Jake Hammond has been on song in recent weeks, another four goals from the Blackburn champion.
Despite a great contribution across the board, Jason Read stood out from his 24 disposals, 14 of those contested.
The result makes for a fascinating run home with six teams trying to fit into five spots.
Season saving win for the Redbacks
The Redbacks kept their season and finals hopes alive on the weekend with an impressive six-goal win over the Waverley Blues at Jubilee Park.
It’s been no secret that the Redbacks form has been a little shaky of late, mainly due to a series of outs, and many key senior players sitting on the sidelines. With Mulgrave in fifth, set to play The Basin next week, this became a must-win game to stay in contention with the top five.
They managed to keep an attacking Waverley Blues outfit to just two goals for the afternoon. A massive win for the club, highlighted by Under 17.5’s Lauchie Gorman kicking his first senior goal on debut. Gorman is the first Ringwood junior to play seniors at the club since they’ve rebuilt the junior club from scratch in 2015.
The race for the final spots in the top-five could potentially come down to percentage which is a bonus for the Redbacks who sit 30 percent ahead of the Lions. The two sides will meet in Round 17, potentially a win-or-go-home scenario.
They’ll be eager to get back a few more of their experienced players, the likes of Tim Jones, Jack Blyth, Harry George and Mitch Jackson all due to return soon.
The Waverley Blues have also been without a fair few of their most important players in recent weeks. Last year’s leading goal kicker Josh Williamson added to their outs as one of the key players missing Saturday’s game.
One of the tougher run homes will see them play all three of the other top-four teams in their final five games. That starts next week when they host reigning premiers Boronia. A bye comes at an ideal time as they too look to regain key players.
Poor Kicking comes back to Haunt
While East Ringwood’s inaccuracy didn’t change the final result, it certainly did for some other sides across the division. The biggest culprit was Heathmont who finished with 6.19 in their seven-point loss to Lilydale. A striking difference to the Falcons who finished with an incredible 10.2.
It’s a disappointing result for the Jets who have been building some great form over the last few weeks, becoming a dark horse for the last spot in the top-five.
Credit to Lilydale who are still a very young side across the board, their fourth win of the 2024 season. Ben Hickleton and Josh White combined for five majors, both having key moments across the day while Riley Clausen continues to impress with 26 disposals, 7 marks and 12 clearances in the win.
A similar fate to Heathmont this weekend was Division One’s Montrose, kicking 10.22 with two very wasteful quarters. They led by five points at Quarter Time after kicking 2.8, unable to convert their opportunities, ladder leaders Park Orchards made them pay the other way.
Coming from behind, they again finished poorly in front of goals, kicking 3.7, falling short by just eight points. They’ll be pleased with certain aspects of their game, Bradley Watson was a shining light with 31 disposals, 23 of those contested.
In the context of the season, this weekend’s clash with Beaconsfield becomes a must-win fixture if they have ambitions of finishing inside the top-three and earning a double chance.
On the other hand, Park Orchards are just one step closer to locking up the top spot on the ladder, just one blemish this season, coming at the hands of Mitcham. If they can knock off South Belgrave for the second time this season, they’ll be all but home for the first week off come finals.
Warrandyte is one step closer to Finals
A stand-alone Senior Women’s match on Saturday between ladder leaders Ferntree Gully and Warrandyte made for a fascinating contest. Heading into the Match of the Round undefeated, Ferntree Gully led for most of the morning in a tight defensive contest.
Trailing at Three-Quarter Time, Warrandyte’s attack on the footy through the midfield and ability to hit up targets inside 50 inspired a come-from-behind five-point victory.
Charlotte Coleman was outstanding in her first game of the season with Warrandyte, having played six games this season in the Coates Talent League with the Northern Knights. Her work rate and ability around the contest stood out, particularly with the game on the line in the second half.
Skipper Maddison Trewella also inspired the side over the line with a couple of big last-quarter moments including the first goal of the last quarter followed by Grace Lloyd’s final goal to put the home side in front.
One of Ferntree Gully’s biggest strengths this season has been their defensive set-up, having kept most sides this season to one goal or less. They were once again impressive on the weekend through the likes of Breanna Smith and Tess McLeod through their intercept marking.
Having played one less game than the rest of the division, and still sitting on top of the ladder, the Eagles are in pole position for the top spot on the ladder and a big finals series to follow.
As for Warrandyte, they move back into third position on the Division Four ladder, one win closer to a finals series appearance in just their second season in the competition.