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.
- Here Come the Bears
To say the start to the 2022 season had been disappointing for The Basin would be putting it lightly.
Fresh off a breakout season in 2021, Justin Stanton’s side were set to boosted by several promising inclusions, including ball winning midfielder Jayden Goumas, noted goal kicker Matt Rennie and key defender (and handy batsman) Michael Wallace.
Simple addition had them as the number one challenger to an incredibly strong South Belgrave when the starting pistol was fired in the first week of April.
But The Bears didn’t just take off slowly, they forgot to take off all together.
Ill-discipline saw them drop the unlosable against Ringwood in Round One, before a woeful start against a similarly under par Heathmont made it an 0-2 start. Bad goal kicking (9.13) meant they had to split the points with Boronia and their opening month’s misery was compounded when South Belgrave battered them from pillar to post under lights.
Boronia’s improvement, East Burwood’s promotion and Mulgrave’s emergence made the journey back into finals reckoning even tougher, adding insult to injury.
But the weekend’s 59-point win over the Rams has got the Bears right back in the mix, with their final’s future back in their own hands.
It was their third win on the bounce – following scrappy wins over Knox (45 points) and Oakleigh District (69 points – kicking 11.23) – but this one hit different, with The Bears cutting the Rams apart in a high octane first half performance, not just beating a lesser opponent, but battering a peer.
Jackson Drake made it 10 goals in two weeks, giving their forward line some much needed cutting edge, fan favourite Trevor Mills booted four and 2021-star Jayden Gee returned to the best players for the first time since Round One, combining well with marquee man Nick Hallo.
The Bears travel to Templestowe – who did them a big favour on Saturday against Boronia – and host Mulgrave in the next fortnight, and two wins would see them sitting on 22 points with a healthy percentage at the turn, putting them right back in the reckoning.
- Wobbly Whitehorse
If The Basin took their chance on Saturday, Whitehorse did the complete opposite, failing to capitalise on the good work of Scoresby – who knocked off Warrandyte thanks to a last quarter surge – and the fact that Coldstream were the newest victim of a cut-throat Waverley Blues side.
The Pioneers travelled to Glen Waverley, who only the week before had forfeited their Reserves match against Donvale, knowing a win would likely move them to equal 3rd, or as results would eventually have it 2nd.
Whitehorse trailed by 25 points at the first change and spent all their petrol tickets getting things back to parity by three quarter time, before a goalless final term saw Glen Waverley get their second win of the year and pull themselves out of the relegation zone.
Whitehorse have won three games this season, two against top four sides in Donvale and Coldstream, but are yet to win away from home, something that will begin to weigh on their minds if they can’t buck the trend soon.
Worryingly their next away game is to Ferntree Gully, who surely can’t remain winless for much longer, and will pose a formidable test in Round Nine.
Regardless, this weekend may come back to bite Whitehorse, who have already shown their finals credentials with the aforementioned wins over Donvale and Coldstream but may miss out on September action in this incredibly tight division.
- Fortress Walker
It was a sliding doors weekend across the competition it seems and Division One was no exception, with Mitcham revealing itself as the number four seed in the league’s second tier.
Whilst Wantirna South were being cut apart by East Ringwood, Beaconsfield were boosting their percentage and Montrose were failing to put away Lilydale, Mitcham were monstering Croydon on their home deck en route to a statement win over the Blues.
The win moves Mitcham a game clear of Beaconsfield, Montrose, and Wantirna South in fourth and gave their finals hopes a much-needed boost following the previous weekends loss to the Demons.
The Tigers are a tough side to beat, playing a simple yet consistent brand and are a formidable task at home given their impressive home record across the past two seasons, winning six of the last nine Walker Park fixtures, with their only losses coming against the premier sides of the Division in East Ringwood and Mooroolbark (twice).
Mitcham’s consistency at home is one key to their finals push, along with their forward half X factor.
Jake Parente was a class above during his five outings in 2021, kicking 23 goals in five games at an average of 4.6 per game. The Tigers had a 2-3 record when Parente pulled on the boots last season, curiously, they went 3-3 when he didn’t, including wins against Wantirna South and Montrose, whom they failed to defeat with him in the team.
This season Parente is averaging just 2.8 goals per game, with 20 majors to his name after seven games and he’s yet to better his best of six from 2021, and the Tigers seem better for it.
The reason – He’s now got a partner in crime.
Thomas Lovell crossed to Mitcham from Upper Ferntree Gully during the summer and has done wonders, both in the forward 50 and in the ruck, collecting 39 hit outs against Croydon this week.
Lovell has kicked just eight goals this season, but he averages 2.6 contested marks a game, 2 marks inside 50 and 5.7 marks in general, giving Mitcham an outstanding alternative to Parente when looking to go forward.
So, whilst Parente is more likely to win Mitcham a final, Thomas Lovell might just be the reason the Tigers even get the chance at September glory.
