First EFNL season in the books for the Eagles with the Senior Women side making the 2022 finals series.
By Ryan Long.
Beaconsfield
Ladder Position: 7th (6-12, 98.99%)
Best and Fairest: Jake Bowd
Leading Goalkicker: Matthew Johnson (54)
Summary:
An exciting time for the Beaconsfield senior football club, entering the Eastern Football League for the first time in 2022. The club moved across to the league just one year after Berwick’s transition.
Former Noble Park Coach Mick Fogarty led the senior men’s side that would go on to win six games in season 2022. The club’s first win in the league came in Round Three on their home deck against Bayswater, 38-point winners. The club slowed down in the second half of the year, losing six games in a row before getting back on the winners’ list with a 110-point win over Upper Ferntree Gully.
The Eagles transitioned into the new division well enough to consolidate their spot, placing seventh. There’s still plenty of room to develop and improve going forward.
Key Players:
Club Captain Jake Bowd won his third club best and fairest having a standout season. Matthew Johnson was key for the Eagles up forward, kicking 54 goals for the season. His scoring ability up saw him finish in the top five of the division’s goal-kicking and earned him a place in the Division One Team of the Year. Some of their other key players with consistent seasons included Casey Wassylko, Lachlan Valentine and Trent Stokoe.
Best Win: Round 5 – Beaconsfield 8.9 57 def. Montrose 7.9 51 @Holm Park Reserve
The Eagles knocked off a talented Montrose side early in the year, out at Holm Park Reserve. They led at every change in what was a fairly low-scoring game on the wide ground. A late push by the Dees saw the club get within striking range with five minutes to go. Defensively, Beaconsfield held strong to hold on for a six-point win.
Matthew Johnson starred with two goals, one of the best players on the ground for the Eagles. The win was the club’s second one of the season, keeping them in touch with the five.
Off-Season Focus:
Plenty of work to be done for the Eagles ahead of next season, there was a clear gap between the top five to six teams to the rest of the division. With double relegation next season, the Beaconsfield will want to make sure they’re well clear of the bottom two.
Defensively they held up well, besides two losses to Mitcham and a loss to Montrose, the side never gave up anything more than 86 points. However, they would love to add a bit more depth to their midfield and another key forward or big scoring option to assist Johnson.
No pressure this season for the new kids on the block but they’ll certainly want to finish with at few more wins in 2023.
Beaconsfield Senior Women’s
Ladder Position: 4th (4-7-1, 85.71%)
Best and Fairest: Maddison Lawrence
Leading Goalkicker: Georgia Malkoun (11)
Summary:
Along with the senior men’s side, Beaconsfield also had a Senior Women’s side compete in the Eastern Football Netball League in 2022. The women’s side joined Division One, winning four games and a draw that saw them place fourth at the end of the season, qualifying for finals.
The club proved to be a strong competitor in the division, even pushing the likes of Park Orchards and Rowville in close losses.
After losing by 5 goals to North Ringwood in the final match of the home and away season, they were set to meet the Saints a week later in the Semi-Final. The match was played out at Silvan in what were difficult conditions. The margin was a lot closer but North Ringwood held on for a ten-point win with Kira Emery kicking Beaconsfield’s only major for the afternoon.
Key Players:
Maddison Lawrence had an incredible year, winning the Division One Women’s Best and Fairest, tied with Ringwood’s Zoe Cant. She also won the club’s best and fairest and made the Division One to Four Team of the Year with a position on the wing.
From just six games, Georgia Malkoun kicked eleven goals including a five-goal haul against Blackburn early in the season.
Some of the other players on the side that performed well across the season included Bianca Mirigliani, Alyssa La Rocca and Cassie Martin.
Best Win: Round 4 – Beaconsfield 3.6 24 def. Ringwood 0.2 2 @Jubilee Park
One of the sides that the Eagles were competing against for the final spot on the ladder was Ringwood. An early win over the Redbacks on their home ground would turn out to be very significant in the context of their season.
They led the way all morning, keeping Ringwood goalless to win by 22 points. The Eagles had three goal kickers, Bliss, Baxcter and Lawrence.
Off-Season Focus:
With what will likely be an alternate division, the Eagles might be a serious chance of going an extra one or two steps further come finals. They have one of the stars of the competition on their list, if they can a couple more recruits while continuing to develop everyone else, Beaconsfield could be a real threat in season 2023.
