By: Matt Fotia
Finals footy arrived with a bang in the EFL this year with a pair of nail-biting finals, as well as a couple of blowouts, whilst the top two tiers finally settled on a starting order for the premiership race. Here are five things from the weekend’s action.
Magpies swoop
After both Scoresby and Boronia won the respective away legs of their two home and away clashes in 2018, a hotly-contested Division 3 qualifying final seemingly awaited on a picture-perfect day at East Burwood Reserve.
The first quarter was almost an edited version of the whole game. Boronia showed signs of being able to break through, but ultimately the ball was parked in the Scoresby forward half, as it dominated the clearances, maintained intense pressure on the ball carrier and created chance after chance. The Hawks were made to go long down the line a lot more than they would’ve originally liked, and their poor ball use meant their defenders never stood a chance, despite the impressive performance of Jarrod Lake.
Veterans Paul Chadwick (best on ground with two goals) and Marc Williams (pictured below, five goals) impressed with their work rate and footballing nous, giving the youthful Boronia side a lesson in how to play finals football.
Boronia looked their best immediately after each of the breaks, playing with a more direct style, which indicates the Matt Clark’s troops didn’t mean to over possess the football, they were forced into it by a well-drilled Magpies outfit.
Boronia must find a way to handle that pressing style of football without flipping the ball around like a hot potato, to provide its tall forwards a chance, and give its defenders time to set up behind the ball, as the Magpies did so well on Saturday.
The Magpies will be primed for another crack at the undefeated Redbacks and will be confident they can do some damage. The Magpies believe that their footy is the best footy, they just have to put it all together.
Jets, just
They like coming the long way don’t they the Heathmont Jets. After last season’s inspirational surge into the big dance, the Jets would have been disappointed to be coming from the elimination final once again, however thanks to an incredible victory in a see-sawing game against The Basin, they could be on to do it once more.
The Basin kicked out to a three-goal lead early in the last term, before the Jets clawed their way back into the contest, with goals from Callum Norris, who finished best on ground in just his fifth senior game for the year, and Leigh Odermatt brought it back to just one behind with 10 minutes to play.
Both sides traded behinds until Jordan Haynes left foot shot drifted across the face and was forced through for the deciding behind.
The Jets will take some major gains from this contest. They spent the majority of the last quarter dominating possession of the football, and running much better than the tired Bears. Add this onto last season’s aforementioned surge to the grand final and the Jets will suddenly be a lot more positive about season 2018.
For the Bears, once the disappointment of this nail-biting loss leaves Batterham Reserve, they’ll look back on this season as one where they made great strides. Barely mentioned as a finals chance during the early stages of the season, the Bears have come away with a clear style of play and a committed group of players who never back away from a challenge. Twice the closest to defeated Ringwood, and one kick away from playing in a semi-final, the 2019 season can’t come quickly enough for The Basin boys.
Pioneers unlock the Hawks, Zebras gallop off
The Whitehorse Pioneers have scrapped their way to a grand final and a spot in third division in 2019 after their two-point win over the Glen Waverley Hawks. It was a similarly scrappy affair to the one played by these two sides in Round 10, which saw just 14 goals as the Hawks won by seven points, this time around there was just 13 goals as the Pioneers played the game on their terms.
Once again Andrew Padbury came away from the game goalless, as he did in Round 10, whilst one clear difference was the influence of Adam Amin. Amin, who kicked six of his side’s eight goals in Round 10, managed just one in Saturday’s loss. The Hawks will rue their missed chances in the second and fourth terms, where they kicked 1.5 on each occasion, whilst their opponents piled on 3.2 and 2.2 respectively.
The Hawks will come up against a rampant East Burwood side who put Forest Hill to the sword after quarter time. The Zebras kicked the first three goals of the game, and kept the Rams goalless to quarter time.
East Burwood then started to motor, kicking 15 goals to just six in the final three quarters. Dynamic forward Max Wills finished with a handful of majors in a best on ground performance as the Rams got their first finals win in 14 years.
For the Zebras it’s the end of the Stillman era. Three finals series and two grand finals appearances are a testament to the success he has brought down to Forest Hill, however it may be time for them to take one step back, to eventually go further forward. The next coach of the Forest Hill Football Club will need to have a thorough look at the playing list before setting his expectations for 2019.
Eagles atop the perch
Just a few weeks ago there were suggestions that Vermont could finish as low as fourth. Fast forward to the end of the home and away season and the Eagles have restored a little bit of calm throughout the club, gaining the week off and defeated three finals opponents, two of them with relative ease.
Andrew Ainger’s return has correlated with the Eagles upturn, highlighted by his seven goals on the weekend, whilst Lachie Johns could feature as soon as the second semi-final as they begin to get back towards full strength. There will still be immense pressure on the Eagles after their recent finals history, as we edge towards Harmit Singh’s biggest test. Harmit told the boys on EFL Sunday that Vermont hasn’t tweaked its style of play since that horror month, but have merely adapted their training schedule.
Both sides who are battling to face them in a fortnight’s time have beaten them in recent history and will fancy their chances.
Gosh, finals are exciting.
Lilydale deflate the miracle, Lions send a message
Maybe if the Falcons weren’t quite as desperate to get a win before the finals the Mulgrave Miracle could’ve been completed, with Park Orchards completing its half of the bargain, defeating Mooroolbark.
The Falcons ended up victors by 38 points, kicking 10 goals to two in the second and third terms, with skipper Brad Lowe floating forward and kicking five. Mulgrave will enter next season on the back of a great finish to 2018 and should be one of the early favourites for Division 2 next season.
They’ll be joined in Division 2 by Mitcham who will enter 2019 off the back of a footballing lesson and in slightly worse shape than Mulgrave.
The Tigers didn’t win a quarter as they kicked just five majors, conceding 22. Jake Summers kicked four, as did Viojo-Rainbow, whilst Tom Gordon and Leigh Murphy finished with three apiece for the Lions.
Doncaster East enter the finals series a game clear of Upper Gully and with one clear goal in mind, avenging last season’s grand final loss.
With the inclusion of Viojo-Rainbow, the experience of White, Mclean and Martin and the goal-kicking prowess of Summers and Gordon, the other contenders will definitely have their work cut out.
All views expressed in this article remain those of the author and not necessarily of the Eastern Football League or its affiliated clubs.
