In this week’s Eastland In and Under column, Media Manager Ryan Long gives you his key takeaways from the weekend that was.
Wong delivers for the Devils again.
The reigning Division One best and fairest winner, Lincoln Wong walked off Walker Reserve on Saturday with another Eastland Sportsco Best on Ground performance in the Match of the Round.
In tough conditions, Wong was a clear standout, putting together 30 disposals, 23 of which were contested. With 12 clearances and six inside 50’s, Wong was clean with the ball and his pressure without it was just as influential, six effective tackles, the most of any Devils player on the ground.
Wantirna South’s 13-point win was an important one for the context of their season. Everything clicked for them in the second quarter, kicking five goals while holding the Demons scoreless for 30 minutes of football.
Montrose wasn’t helped by Ben Johnson’s first-quarter injury which meant Jake Denes was able to get on top in the ruck battle in the middle of the ground with 47 hit outs, 8 clearances and 7 Inside 50s. A late comeback gave the Demons some hope of a comeback, but they left their charge too late, falling short to the Devils by 13 points.
Sitting in the top five with three wins for the season, the Devils have been one of the more impressive sides in the division. Their two losses have come at the hands of the top two, South Belgrave and Mitcham. They only lost to the undefeated Saints by a single point and were in front against the Tigers late in that match-up.
It shows they’re right in the mix this season.
Malone keeps the Bloods alive.
It’s been a challenging start to the year, to say the least for Warrandyte.
The Bloods came into their Round Five clash needing a win more than ever after starting the season 0-4. They managed to break through on Saturday for that elusive first win, getting across the line by just six points.
They led by a small margin at every break before getting out to a comfortable four-goal lead before Fairpark kicked four quick ones to turn it all around. A late goal by Quinn Clark from a free kick was enough for Warrandyte to get their first four points for the season.
One player who stood out across the afternoon, desperate to get his new side over the line was Kieran Malone.
He stood out across the day, having 44 disposals at 82 per cent disposal efficiency. Malone was outstanding as he moved around the ground, even taking the last game-saving contested pack mark to seal the victory over the Lions.
The six-point win keeps their season alive in the most even divisions in the competition. There’s certainly enough talent on the field to make a deep run come August-September. But for now, it’ll be one week at a time to make sure they use this win as the spark to their 2023 season.
Evenness of the competition
Five weeks into the season, the league is in a great position right now with five even senior men divisions.
Premier Division this week saw the last two undefeated sides in Noble Park and Balwyn go down on the weekend, defeated by both Doncaster East and Vermont.
Park Orchards is the only team in the top-level division to not win a game in their opening four matches. But the Sharks aren’t too far off, they’ve been very competitive against two of the premiership contenders in the Lions and Hawks, having a real chance of knocking off Rowville a fortnight ago before being run over the top.
The only sides undefeated in Divisions One and Two are South Belgrave and Boronia but both have had a couple of wins each where they were really made to earn it in close encounters.
At the bottom of those divisions, Lilydale sits winless but has been impressive in multiple games for patches of the four quarters including last week’s 20-point loss to Mitcham. As for Division Two, Knox remains the only winless team in the division but with a fantastic coach like Steve Buckle at the helm, I think they’ll be a much more improved outfit as the season progresses.
We’ve been talking all year about the evenness of Division Three. Every side has had at least one win and one loss, making it hard to pick who will play finals this year and who’ll be the unlucky side to be relegated.
And finally, in Division Four, there’s real intrigue around the top spots of the ladder. Unlike last year where there’s been a clear frontrunner at this stage of the year, Surrey Park and Kilsyth both have a case to make to be the early premiership favourite, drawing a week ago. Scoresby who sits in third have also shown in patches that they suggest they can make a decent run come August.
In a month’s time, things are sure to open up but for now, it’s been an exciting opening month.