By Matt Fotia
Local football means a lot to all of us and here at the EFNL we’re committed to giving you the analysis it deserves in the weekly Eastland In and Under column, where Media Manager Matt Fotia gives you his three key takeaways from the weekend that was.
At Long Last
After 13 rounds of toil, North Ringwood are on the board in 2022, with the Saints overcoming Vermont in a tense final quarter to get their first premiership points of the season on Saturday.
Robin Nahas’ side trailed at every break before kicking four goals to one in the last quarter to get home in a tight one.
Their breakthrough victory was met with wild scenes of celebration, almost akin to a premiership, with supporters storming the field and kids throwing chips in jubilation, before players and supporters belted out the club song in the rooms together.
You can’t blame North for getting a tiny bit carried away, given the season they’ve had.
Unable to build on their impressive end to 2021 due to unforeseen list change, the Saints have never really got going in 2022, but there are still plenty of silver linings to come from this dogged year, most notably the precious senior experience they’ve given some young starlets.
The likes of Jackson Braunthal and Brandon Leonard have played majority of the season and are consistent contributors, but there have been countless others, including Lucas Bridger, Jordan Milne, Thomas Jackson, and the weekend’s newest Saint Lachlan O’Donnell.
If they do head for Division One in 2023, keeping players of this ilk will be key to their future.
North Ringwood’s rise up the divisions was built off the back of homegrown talent – think back to their almost invincible Under 18 side that make up the senior list today – and it will be key to rebuild in the coming years.
The Saints aren’t locked in to be relegated of course. They’ve shown signs of life over the past month and still have a big say in how their year will end.
Their closest rivals Berwick are starting to wane as the year gets long in the tooth and North Ringwood take them on in the final home and away fixture of the season. If Nahas’ unit can pinch a win off over Doncaster in a fortnight’s time, things will be back in their hands.
Watch this space.
Still Alive
Whilst we’re on potential miracles, let’s turn our attention down to Division Three, where Fairpark jumped off the bottom of the ladder with their fourth win of the season, this time over Whitehorse.
The Lions led at half time by a couple of goals before the Pioneers put the challenge to them, kicking four goals to one in the third to hold a five-point buffer at the last change.
Undeterred, the Lions surged home winning with relative ease.
Ben’s – Dadswell and Gilling – were hard to contain for the Pioneers, booting eight goals between them, whilst Kyle Hird and James Waldon continued their fantastic seasons for the 2019 Division Four Premiers.
Not only does the win move Fairpark into 8th, but it also brings them level on points with both Whitehorse and Scoresby after the Magpies faded out against Coldstream in a high octane clash out at Scoresby Recreation Reserve.
Fairpark host Scoresby in the final round of the season, so will need Whitehorse to dust themselves off quickly and roll the Magpies on the road – away win number one is still eluding Whitehorse in 2022 – to turn that last round encounter into a relegation play-off, eliminating the need for Fairpark to improve their lowly percentage.
Regardless of their eventual ladder position, there is a decent argument to be made that Sean Stanton is Coach of the Year.
Nothing was expected of the Lions in 2022, but they’ve been impressive throughout the season, especially the way they’ve not drifted well off the boil after a long winless run through the middle of the season.
That’s a testament to Stanton’s ability to keep his chargers motivated and engaged, something that can be very difficult for a group that, up until the weekend, had tasted four wins in three years.
Whatever happens this season, Stanton and the Lions can hold their heads high and head into 2023 bullish about their future.
Who let the Dogs out?
It’s been quite the fortnight for South Croydon, with the Dogs scoring two big wins at their still redeveloping home ground.
They’ve belted Park Orchards and Blackburn – 7th and 6th on the ladder – over the last two weeks by a combined 165 points, racking up 271 points over the last eight quarters of the season.
Even more pleasingly, they’ve conceded just 106 points, with their leaky defence starting to sure up as the finals approach, even without the experienced Dale Walker on the park.
It’s been utter dominance around the ground this past fortnight though, as Marcus Buzaglo’s side start to click into gear. They’ve had 776 disposals across the two weeks, scored 80 clearances, taken 211 marks, had 95 inside 50’s and laid 113 tackles.
It’s starting to click forward of the ball, with James Wilsen – 17 goals in three weeks – and Thomas Sheridan – 10 in three – syncing up nicely, whilst the likes of Daniel Cooper, Matt Jones, and Jordan Pollard have returned to the line-up in recent times, with delightful ball user Nicholas Evans having a run around in the twos on the weekend after a mid-season European jaunt.
Put those names in the same side as Daniel King, Max King, Robbie Mallison, Liam Cox, Jordan Williams, Jordan Walker, and Brayden Kilpatrick – who has been one of the players of the season – and you’ve got yourself a scary proposition.
South Croydon don’t travel for the remainder of the season after playing eight of their first nine fixtures on the road and have games against Berwick (11th), Vermont (9th), Doncaster (10th) and Norwood (8th) to finish the regular season.
They’re unlikely to pinch the double chance this season given they’ll need to leapfrog three teams to pull it off, but South Croydon are set to surge into September in the form of their life and can’t to be ignored this Premier Division Finals Series, because as we know, the Doggie’s can ride a finals wave of momentum with the best of them.