By: Matt Fotia
Another round of EFL footy has passed and a few more clubs have seen their seasons more or less end with it. We can almost reach out and touch finals, so as we shift our focus towards those sunny days. Let’s look at five things from this weekend in the east…
Bears out of hibernation
The Basin Football Club would have already been quite pleased with its season so far heading into the weekend’s clash with Heathmont as finals footy looked all but assured. But now after their 10-point come-from-behind victory over the Jets, the Bears fans will be absolutely stoked.
Giving up the first five goals of the game, it looked to be another case of close but no cigar for the Bears and a top-five scalp. What will please Justin Stanton the most about The Basin’s victory was not the top-five scalp itself, but the manner in which the Bears clawed back the ascendancy in the third quarter and then held off the fast-finishing Jets. This not only shows that their best footy is well and truly good enough (we’ve known this by the way they’ve pushed Ringwood to the brink), but it also shows that they have the mental strength that is required to win finals footy and have well and truly bought into Stanton’s game plan.
Josh Adams led the way once again, collecting the best afield honours, continuing his purple patch across the last three weeks, which has included three appearances in the best and four goals, whilst Beau Dowler started to rev his engine for a big September kicking three and finding himself amongst the best.
With this victory over a fellow member of the top five, The Basin can now look towards the next hurdle over winning a final and as we saw in last year’s Division 3 finals series, momentum is a funny thing.
Panthers bury Tigers at the Pit
I promise this will be the last time I talk about Balwyn in this column.
Heading into the crucial clash at Morton Park on Saturday you could’ve easily argued that the Tigers were in the box seat to surge into the finals. At half time, that argument would’ve seemed ridiculous, as Blackburn led by 36 points. However off the back of Cameron Manuel (three goals and best on ground) and Yarran Jaffer-Williams (one goal, third-best), the Tigers surged late, running over the top of the Burners, kicking 8.8 to 3.6 in the second half. Balwyn finished with 27 scoring shots to Blackburn’s 25 and had opportunities late in the game to grab the points.
This match could be seen as a parallel to the Tigers’ season. Seemingly gone, building momentum, scaring the life out of those inside the five but ultimately relying on the powers of too few. Whilst injuries can be used as an excuse as to why the Tigers will not be playing in the finals for the first time in their EFL history, that cannot be the only reason.
The Tigers made the decision to push for glory one last time, and although they may have finished a few spots higher than they would’ve thought prior to that decision, it may have much more dire consequences as a number of their star players begin to enter veteran status and their future at the club becomes smaller and smaller with no obvious replacements.
They cannot avoid the inevitable any longer. Short term focus must be thrown out the window, and all decision must now look to be long-term focused. Develop more of your own stars, swallow your pride and endure a few years of mid-table obscurity to ensure they will eat at the big kids’ table again.
For the Burners, they can breathe a massive sigh of relief, they are finals-bound once again.
Two weeks lay ahead where they can build a plan to come from deep again to possibly spoil the apple-cart in what is the most open premiership race in years.
Falcons slide, Sharks dive
Park Orchards headed out to Bayswater on the weekend in a very similar position to Balwyn, win and you’re in the box seat for finals, lose and it’s season done. Well, the Sharks could’ve also packed up and gone home at half time, conceded nine goals and only slotting one themselves. They managed to win the second half in a testament to their effort, Connor Hickey kicking four, but they were outclassed by a side with a lot more years experience than the Sharks.
Park Orchards won’t be downbeat in hindsight, as they have been able to provide a number of their own youth products some great exposure to good footy, however they will see this season as a missed opportunity to get some finals experience as well.
Bayswater will, like Blackburn, now be attempting to find a method to topple the three teams who sit above it. The Waters will be pleased by the recent form of their senior members, and the general form of the side who at times have been up and down. The clash with Upper Ferntree Gully next week gives them a great warm up for a possible finals match-up and a chance to find their kryptonite.
Upper Ferntree Gully will be ruing that Mulgrave loss more than ever now after their hard-fought victory over Lilydale, which sees the Kings go level on points with the Falcons. Had they have defeated Mulgrave, they could’ve been a top the table (percentage allowing). Perry’s men kept the Falcons within touching distance all day never letting them go more than a couple of goals ahead before reeling them in with a five goal to none last term.
Whilst the Kings are on the way up, the Falcons are in danger of losing their grip on the top two after back to back losses. To make matters worse they face the top side Doncaster East this weekend at home, a side that gave them a bit of a lesson earlier in the year.
The Falcons will be worried about their lack of scoring in the past fortnight. They totalled 112 points against Wantirna South a couple of weeks ago, but have only managed 88 in the past two losses. They only had the two goal kickers on the weekend with Trent Elliot, who kicked three in just his second game and Sam Baker who snagged two. With the scoring power of the Lions to come this weekend, Ben Neagle and his charges will be looking at new avenues to goal as this low scoring habit is not one you want to carry into finals.
Jets coming in for landing?
Heathmont has struggled in the second half of the season, having won just the one game (against Chirnside Park) since Round 13. Injuries to key players have played a major role in this, but after its start to the season plus the back end of last season, the Jets will have no one but themselves to blame if they fail to make the finals this season.
They’re now level on points with Templestowe, with the advantage of 54 per cent. However with the Dockers all but certain to get the win in the last round against Chirnside Park, the Jets will be under pressure to get the points against the seventh-placed Waverley Blues.
The Blues are coming off a come-from-behind win against Ferntree Gully and although their season is more or less finished, they will not be taking their foot of the gas. With coach Bryce McGain’s sporting background, you can only assume he will be a stickler for professionalism and will ensure the Blues will be looking at this as a massive chance to put their stamp on the season and take some momentum in 2019.
The Jets ran away with the victory when they met earlier in the season, but that was a different Heathmont side. Heathmont will now be looking for players such as Fin Brown, Bailey Stevens and Ryan Young, whom they have put a fair amount of time into, to stand up and ensure this Heathmont side take their place in the finals. We know how good they can be, but it’ll all be a waste if they can’t finish the job this weekend.
Who can stop the Hawks?
When East Burwood sang the song in the newly-refurbished Central Reserve rooms in Round 2 after a pretty convincing 26-point victory over Glen Waverley, Hawks fans were looking at the possibility of another season of being so-so. Sitting 0-2, it looked like the Hawks would be good enough at times, but not good all the time.
They’ve since won the last 15 games and have taken all before them with ease. It begs the question as to who can beat them? Only three sides will be able to stop them in their race to the premiership but none seem to be on their level.
Forest Hill has been defeated by 30 points and 41 points on the two occasions it’s taken on the Hawks, conceding 15 and 17 goals on each occasion, only able to 10 and 11 themselves in the process.
In Round 11, they got their revenge over East Burwood with a 32 point win over the Rams, with the Hawks having 23 scoring shots to 16.
That leaves the Whitehorse Pioneers.
In Round 10, Glen Waverley got the points in a tight one against the Pioneers, after the two sides were tied up at half time. Adam Amin kicked six goals as his side totalled 8.6.
The Pioneers finished on 6.10 finishing with two more scoring shots, and in stark contrast to the Hawks, their focal point Andrew Padbury not hitting the scoreboard. Give a couple of Amin’s goals to Padbury and it’s a different story.
I’m sure the Hawks will be across all of this, but for the rest of us looking in, the Pioneers look the most likely to spoil the party down at Central Reserve.
All views expressed in this article remain those of the author and not of the Eastern Football League or its affiliated clubs.