In this week’s Eastland In and Under column, Media Manager Ryan Long gives you his key takeaways from the weekend ahead of the upcoming 2023 Finals Series.
First Quarter Blitz
Balwyn kept their hopes alive for a top-two spot in Premier Division, after defeating Doncaster East by 19 points on the weekend.
Although it was quite an even contest after Quarter Time, the Tigers set up the win off the back of a dominant first quarter. Eleven scoring shots to one, the Tigers had a 35-point lead at the first break, going inside 50, 18 times to just four.
They won the clearance battle, were first to the footy and the Balwyn midfield of Urban, Smith and Cross were near impossible to stop. Shaun Cross had ten disposals, and five clearances while Alex Urban and Bowen Smith combined for 16 touches, 7 inside 50s and a goal.
Despite some better footy from the Lions in the following three quarters, they were never quite able to get within striking range of the Tigers. The side had a total of nine changes ahead of the game, with a few key players still on the sidelines.
They’ll be desperate for a win this weekend with Blackburn closing in on the top six.
As for Balwyn, they are still in the hunt for the double chance but are needing a slip-up from Rowville in their last two games or for Vermont to drop two in a row.
They’ll be strengthened when excitement machine Charlie Haley returns to the side. They’ve been able to try a couple of different things with Josh Walker spending more time down back after returning from a long-term injury. The side has also been strengthened with Kristopher Pendlebury back on the field, setting up their defensive structure.
The Tigers will be one side that clubs will be very wary of come finals time.
Adam Booth winds back the clock
The Mulgrave Football Club booked their tickets to the Division Two finals series this year, with their win over Heathmont at H.E Parker Reserve last Saturday.
They’ll come into the finals as one of the in-form teams, having won six straight games in a row. During that run, veteran star Adam Booth has kicked an incredible 35 goals, taking his season tally to 50. It’s an average of 5.8 goals per game, which would be as good as anyone in the competition right now.
With Fletcher Roberts out of the side, Booth has filled that void, stepping his game up an extra notch.
The 41-year-old reached the 700-goal milestone earlier this season, the only ever Mulgrave player to reach that target. He’s currently closing in on 300 games with the Lions and will go down as one of the club’s greatest players.
He’ll be a key factor in this upcoming finals series if the Lions are to make a deep run into September.
Chirnside Park storming into Finals
They may not finish with the double chance, but Chirnside Park has every right to feel confident about their positioning ahead of the Division Four Finals Series.
A week before the King’s Birthday, the Panthers were sitting three games outside the top four. However, since then, Chirnside Park have won eight on the trot, defeating all of the other Division Four finalists in Kilsyth, Surrey Park and Scoresby during that period.
Although Kilsyth sits on top as the Minor Premiers, it’s fair to argue that Chirnside Park is the in-form team of the competition as of now.
EFNL great and Chirnside Park recruit Leigh Odermatt has been fantastic at his new club, eleven times in the best this season including another big performance on the weekend against Surrey Park.
They’ve also been benefited by the likes of Scott Dwyer, who missed a fair chunk of the season before returning to kick nine goals from four matches.
Meanwhile, both Charlton and Joshua Clavant have been impressive for the Panthers this season, regulars in the side’s best.
Top two has now become a serious possibility after their win over Surrey Park on Saturday. Defeat the Lions, and Kilsyth knock off Surrey Park this upcoming weekend, they’ll move into second place. If not, they’ll meet Scoresby in an Elimination Final.
At this stage, they won’t be too concerned about who their opponent is, knowing that their best football is worthy of contending for this year’s premiership.