Matt Fotia, Mitchell Turner & Arian Odza
Football will finally return to all divisions of the Eastern Football Netball League this weekend as the Premier Division and Division Four competitions kick off, alongside the Women’s Football and the Netball.
With our weekends now chock full of EFNL action, it’s hard to know where to look, so the EFNL Media Team have stepped in and taken a spotlight to nine key games from the round ahead for the Eastland Weekend Preview.
Vermont (2019 – 1st, 17-1, 206%) v Balwyn (2019 – 2nd, 14-4, 150%)
What a way to kick off the season, as two Eastern football juggernauts come face to face to welcome back elite local football.
Both clubs are entering a new era, with Vermont coach Adam Parker making his coaching debut, with a new look squad, following the departures of not only Brett Eddy and Jake Best, but also a large chunk of their depth – most notably to Wantirna South.
The Eagles have still done some good work on the recruitment front, with Tom North (Fremantle), Jack Maibaum (Sydney) and Mitch Mellis (Eastern Ranges/Boronia) the biggest names of those coming in. The only downside to these recruits is the amount of time they’ll be playing at VFL level.
Their opponents, Balwyn, have their own changing of the guard following the well-publicised exits of their premiership core. The Tigers have refused to seek sympathy however and have looked to replace those key outs.
Jordan Lisle headlines the new stars at Cherry Road, with the goal kicking machine likely to take the league by storm in 2021. He might find it a bit more difficult this weekend than others though, with Vermont’s midfield strength likely to limit the opportunities for the ex-Hawk and Lion.
All signs point towards a classic return to footy down at the Eagles nest, with Vermont going in as favourites – just.
Matt Fotia
Doncaster East (2019 – 1st [Div 1], 14-4, 174%) v Blackburn (2019 – 3rd, 13-5, 150%)
The Lions were primed to take on Premier Division in 2020 after some more good work on the transfer front and will still be bullish heading into their debut Premier Division season.
They’ve been hit a tiny bit due to the year off in 2020, with Michael Steven relocating to Queensland and Devonport product Maverick Weller choosing to move back down to the Apple Isle.
Doncaster East coach Steve Buckle. PHOTO: Davis Harrigan Photography
They’ll be coming up against a pretty good measuring stick in Blackburn this weekend, with the Panthers shaping up nicely for another assault on the premiership having kept their 2019 squad together. The only big out is Lachlan Howe, with the star ruckman moving to Yarrawonga for personal reasons.
Whilst a Blackburn victory is the likely result, it will be a good chance for the Lions to see where they sit at this level and an even better chance for the interested public to see what the Lions are made of.
Matt Fotia
Other Premier Division Games
South Croydon v Doncaster
North Ringwood v Norwood
Berwick v Noble Park
Bye – Rowville
Mitcham (5th, 1-0, 125%) v Montrose (3rd, 1-0, 157%)
The Tigers will head into their round two match up with Montrose buoyed by their gritty come from behind win over Wantirna South last weekend, led by the repeated effort of Jesse Cherry and co in the midfield and the efficient forward craft of Matt Gordon (two goals) and Lucas Marro (three goals).
Mitcham will be likely to strengthen their team in week two of the season, with a number of 2019 premiership players – such as Jackson Hallo and Jake Toohey – running around in the early game last weekend.
Meanwhile Montrose started their 2021 campaign off with a very impressive 28 point win over 2019 finalists Bayswater.Mitch Davis ran the show for the afternoon, booting seven goals (of 11) as the Demons relished their first opportunity to be one of the big fish again.
Stopping Davis will be a big part of Mitcham’s planning and Dylan Brookes is likely to get the job, with Lachlan Rudd likely to miss some football after going off the ground with an ankle injury last week.
The Demons will once again look to hit the ground running this weekend as well. They had nine (4.5) scoring shots to one (0.1) in the first quarter last week, whilst the Tigers were very slow to get going and were let off the hook by some inaccuracy from the Devils.
Montrose will head into this one’s as the logical favourites, but the Tigers found a way in round one and revel in playing on their home deck.
Matt Fotia
Wantirna South (6th, 0-1, 79%) vs East Ringwood (4th, 1-0, 145%)
Wantirna South will be disappointed with their performance in Round One, after they gave up an early 11-point ascendancy over a recently promoted Mitcham outfit, before ultimately going down by two goals.
However, there are positives for Wantirna to find from their first week of action, with Jaryd Smith starting off his campaign strong, receiving best on ground honours, while Nick Beames will be hoping to build on his impressive 3-goal outing last weekend.
East Ringwood, on the other hand, will come into Saturday’s match brimming with confidence after a solid 23-point victory over the pre-season premiership favourites Croydon.
New recruit Hannin Mundy showed his value in the ruck, recognised as best afield for the Roos by coach Ben Osborne. Meanwhile Sahaf Ali was also instrumental for his side, kicking a goal and being named among East Ringwood’s best in his senior’s debut, at the ripe old age of 17.
Both sides have targeted moves up the ladder this season, but after their round one performances the Roos should head in as short priced favourites.
Mitch Turner
Other Division One Games
Bayswater v Mooroolbark
Lilydale v Park Orchards
Croydon v Upper Ferntree Gully
The Basin (4th, 1-0, 171%) vs Templestowe (8th, 0-1, 16%)
The Basin stated they were targeting finals in 2021 and have got off to the perfect start after an impressive showing against Heathmont, culminating in a 25-point win, The Bears are poised to start the season 2-0 if they can take care of business against a struggling Templestowe side.
If the Bears want to get the four points this week, they will certainly be hoping for more of the same from Jackson Drake, who started of his season well with a game-high 3 goals.
Templestowe, on the other hand, will be coming off the back of an 84-14 drubbing at the hands of Ringwood.
With only one goal for the entire match, they will be hard-pressed to find anything from this game from which to build some positive momentum.
Coach Craig De Corsey acknowledged during the off-season that it would be a challenging year for the depleted side; however, he will be hoping to spur his boys into action this week, perhaps driven by this being one of their few really good opportunities in the early part of the year to eek out a win.
The Bears should hold onto their 100% record but expect a better showing from the Dockers.
Mitch Turner
Other Division Two Games
Ringwood v Knox
Boronia v Mulgrave
South Belgrave v Heathmont
Ferntree Gully (1st, 1-0, 172%) vs Warrandyte (4th, 0-0, -%)
Ferntree Gully will be emboldened by their strong showing against divisional newcomers Fair Park last weekend, as they held their opposition well in the first half, while booting 13 majors for the match themselves.
Kieran Gray was a driving force behind their comfortable victory, as he slammed home 3 goals and was named as one of his team’s best players last Saturday night.
They will face a Warrandyte team coming off a bye, and while Warrandyte have not yet had a chance to shake of the rust from the extended break, they may be able to take advantage of the Eagles having to make a 7-day turnaround for the first time in over 12 months.
To further enhance their chance at securing the four points, the Bloods will have a number of new recruits playing in their first match for the club and all will be hoping to impress in their first outing, and the Warrandyte faithful will be eager to see them channel that desire into a strong team effort.
Eagles should be confident given their lack of cobwebs and could jump the gun early as Warrandyte find their feet.
Mitch Turner
Donvale (3rd, 1-0, 104%) vs East Burwood (2nd, 1-0, 105%)
Donvale come up against East Burwood in Round Two of the Seniors 3rd Division and it is bound to be a close one as both teams head into the game with a high level of confidence and the chance of remaining undefeated for the 2021 season.
The Magpies are coming off a three-point win against the much-fancied Waverley Blues in Round One.
Key performances from standout players such as Jarred Crabtree and Zac Haig who kicked five of the Magpies’ nine goals between them for the afternoon as they rolled the Blues on their home deck.
Recruit Brandon Kapakoulakis and Kyle Wignell were some other individuals that helped defeat the Blues with their proficient use of the footy will be something both Kapakoulakis and Wignell will want to ensure carries on into Round Two.
East Burwood won a close one against the Whitehorse Pioneers, where the margin was also only three points as the Rams took honours under lights.
Decent performances from Anthony Mariani and Jason Kennedy must continue in order for the Rams to put up a good fight against the Magpies who will be looking to continue their strong start as they target a return to finals in 2021.
The Rams will also be weary of their slow start in week one, only kicking four goals in the first half, something that the Magpies might want to capitalise on.
The Rams are a sniff, but the Magpies will have an edge through the home ground advantage for mine.
Arian Odza
Other Division Three Games
Scoresby v Waverley Blues
Whitehorse Pioneers v Fairpark
Bye – Glen Waverley
Kilsyth (2019 – 8th, 3-15, 34%) vs Croydon North MLOC (2019- 9th, 0-16, 20%)
Kilsyth and Croydon North will be looking to kick start their season off to a flyer and enter a new era after a bleak 2019 campaign.
Kilsyth finished the 2019 season with only three wins and will have identified this as a big chance to initiate a level of momentum that is durable throughout the season.
Croydon North, however, would have been putting in the strenuous effort over the pre-season with the addition of over 15 players to their list. Coach Mark Holly will be hoping this increased depth can close the gap between themselves and closest rivals – Nunawading and Kilsyth.
Kilsyth will head into this one as favourites, given their record last year, but both teams will want to attain the four points and get their season going, making for a close one.
Arian Odza
Silvan (2019 – 5th, 10-6, 193%) vs Forest Hill (2019 – 6th, 7-9, 106%)
Silvan will take on Forest Hill over the weekend in a match that could be considered the must watch game in Division Four this weekend.
The Cats finished off their 2019 season fifth on the ladder with 40 points, missing out on the finals by the slimmest of margins. The gap between these two sides was 12 points, however, the difference in percentage was significant.
The Cats concluded the year with a percentage of 193.48 in comparison to that of the Zebras that was 106.30.
Fans will be awaiting this match with excitement as the improvement and feats made over the pre season would want to be ensured, particularly on the attacking front for the Zebras.
Therefore, only the high intensity of the match can be predicted as a certainty as both sides will want to kick off the 2021 season with a win and eye off the two top four spots that have opened up.
The Cats will logically go into the game as favourites, based on 2019 form.
However, there may be an improvement from the Zebras throughout the elongated pre-season and will consider themselves every chance.
Arian Odza
Other Division Four Games
Chirnside Park v Coldstream
Nunawading v Surrey Park
