It’s back.
That’s right this weekend our 18 month wait for local football will finally end, as Division One, Two and Three begin their respective battles for ultimate glory.
The landscape will have changed, with football shrinking in its overall importance in recent times, but once that first ball is bounced (thrown) a sense of normality will have returned to the eastern suburbs of Melbourne.
There’s new clubs, new structures, new rules, new players and new coaches, so to help you break it down, the first edition of our new weekly column – In and Under – will go through each of the divisions and give you a Riser, a Slider and a Supriser.
Division Four
Coldstream seem far and away the front runner in Division Four in 2021, but as 2019 showed us, nothing is set in stone.
But of all the divisions, Division Four is the one that seems to have a real clear divide between the best and the rest.
Coldstream are right in the middle of a ‘premiership window’, Silvan and Surrey Park are building nicely, Forest Hill are at a crossroads following a period of consistency, Chirnside Park are hoping to find their level off the back of a lean period and Kilsyth, Nunawading and Croydon North MLOC are in the midst of building from the bottom.
Riser – It’s hard to pick a riser given the aforementioned nature of the division, but Surrey Park are the side I’m most looking forward to watching in 2021.
The Panthers just edged out Silvan to make a return to the finals in 2019 and have carried on their good momentum into 2020 and now 2021 with a number of handy additions, including Nunawading star Jordan Winter, along with a good crop of Under 19’s – who will be competing in the higher divisions – ready to come through the club.
The Panthers are set to challenge.
Slider – This is basically non-applicable.
Silvan have improved once again and won’t be going down the ladder, Forest Hill will be around the finals mark given the stage the clubs below them are currently at, Chirnside Park are a complete unknown given their last two seasons and the bottom three clubs are well and truly a work in progress.
So, unless there is a huge drop from the Zebras or those from Kimberley Reserve, you can’t pick a real slider in Division Four this season.
Surpriser – Let’s get this straight, I’m not expecting finals nor a rise up the ladder, from Croydon North MLOC, but I do think the KangaRams will be a tenfold better side in 2021.
After a season to get their heads around what to expect in the EFNL, they’ve set about adding another layer of depth by getting some big numbers through the doors.
They may not be world beaters, but depth can only be a good thing for those at Hughes Park.
Ladder Prediction
Coldstream
Surrey Park
Silvan
Forest Hill
Chirnside Park
Kilsyth
Nunawading
Croydon North MLOC
I didn’t say Croydon North MLOC wouldn’t finish bottom, I said they’d improve tenfold.
Coldstream should win this division, their list is superior to all others, but that expectation could play into the hands of Silvan and Surrey Park alike.
The final spot in the top four will be interesting. On paper they’ll be making up the numbers, but you’ve got to be in it to win it.
It will also be interesting to see how Chirnside Park approach this season following their last two years – do they go out and look to bounce straight back or take the longer road back to success.