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.
One weekend to go in the bottom four divisions of the EFNL and there’s still so much to play for, with some sides scrapping it out for the remaining finals places and two clubs play off to avoid the drop.
We’ve got the microscope out to take a closer look at the coming weekend’s biggest clashes.
Croydon v Montrose
First cab off the rank is the Division One match up between the in-form Demons and Croydon.
Gary Ayres side have won their past five matches in Division One, all of them by 30 points or more, to surge up the ladder, finding themselves in fourth with one weekend to go. The Demons healthy percentage means they are all but assured of finals, unless Wantirna South pull an iron out of the fire and defeat Mooroolbark on Saturday – and they lose to Croydon of course.
Croydon’s equation is simple. Win and they’ll make it.
Lose and there’s still hope, because if Mooroolbark beat Wantirna South by a hefty margin (10 goals or more) the Blues could sneak in off the back of a tight loss.
Performance wise the Blues will be buoyed by their improved outing on Saturday, when they took it right up to the Mustangs, going down by 12 points off the back of four goals from Jarrod Clark.
Spearhead Riley Costantino ran out in the Reserves, bringing fresh hope that Croydon can get revenge for their 46-point loss to the Demons earlier in the season.
Mulgrave v The Basin
If anyone knows how to get a read on The Basin, please get in touch.
This season Justin Stanton’s men have continued to confuse, dropping games off the back of strong form, and producing awe inspiring performances when least expected and this Saturday was no exception, with the Bears demolishing an in-form Templestowe to jump back into fifth spot.
Win this weekend against a team they belted by 65 points last time out and The Basin will be playing finals.
They should be locks for this one in all honesty, with Mulgrave playing for pride alone this weekend.
But nothing is certain when it comes to The Basin in 2022.
Templestowe v Heathmont
One eye on the game, one eye on their phones.
That’ll be the set-up out at Templestowe this weekend for both sides, with the performances of Boronia and The Basin equally as important as their own when it comes to making finals, with the winner of this clash finishing on 36 points, meaning they’ll need Knox or Mulgrave to do them a favour should they want to play finals.
Both teams are coming off disappointing losses, most notably Templestowe who conceded 16 goals in the final three quarters against The Basin, snuffing out their previously strong run towards finals.
It’s unlikely that either side will feature in this year’s finals series but given Heathmont’s ability to remain in the race despite inconsistent form, don’t be surprised if things open up for Nick Rutley’s troops.
Knox v Boronia
Keep half an eye on this one.
Despite sitting in the top five all season – and in fourth since Round 10 – Boronia will drop out of the finals if they slip up against Knox on the final day (unless Heathmont and Templestowe draw).
It would require an incredible turnaround from Knox who were outclassed on Friday night, but the Falcons did win their last home game and tested Boronia in Round Nine.
Fairpark v Scoresby
We hate talking about club’s getting relegated, but it is great to see the relegation play-off return in 2022.
Scoresby’s loss to Whitehorse on the weekend has set up a date with destiny on Saturday, as they travel to Fairpark. Both teams sit on four wins apiece, taking Fairpark’s lowly percentage out of the equation all together.
The Magpies last win was way back in Round Nine against Fairpark, and they’ve conceded 105 points per game since Round 10. Even worse is their away record in 2022, with Scoresby collecting nil points on the road this season.
Fairpark are coming off a 100-point loss to Warrandyte on Saturday and could be without star Kyle Hird due to concussion protocols, but they’ll be buoyed by Scoresby’s away record and their performances at home this season, which have been markedly better than their away ones.
Likely to be low scoring.
Likely to be tense.
Doubling Up
There’s a decent conundrum for six sides this weekend, as they take on their Week One Finals opponents in the final home and away game of the season.
East Burwood and Ringwood, Surrey Park and Silvan plus Donvale and Coldstream all head into the weekend knowing they will meet the same opponent the following weekend.
Croydon and Montrose could also join this unique club but given a loss could well end their finals hopes, we’d expect them come out all guns blazing.
Will they be out to get the mental edge, or will they keep their cards close to their chest ahead of their more important meeting?
Food for thought.