Official website of the Essendon District Football League

Round 6 Preview - Strathmore Community Bank Premier Division

By ADEM SARICAOGLU


KEILOR v MARIBYRNONG PARK

IT’S easy to look at how Keilor let go of a 17-point lead after three-quarter time last week against Aberfeldie and apply a question mark to its contender status.

But if you dig a little deeper, you’ll quickly see just how hamstrung this side is at the moment.

The Blues went into Round 5 without Andrew Browne, Mick Tanner, David Isbister, Jack Kennedy and David Gourdis.

They then had to complete their game against Aberfeldie without a bench, with Damien Cavka and Jesse Wallin among those not being able to finish out the game.

Of course Aberfeldie won.

You therefore wonder how exactly to mount an argument for Keilor coming up against a rested Maribyrnong Park outfit that is still perfect a month and a half into Season 2018.

The Lions have had a week off and Robbie Castello aside, are pretty much at full strength and should keep their unblemished record intact in this one.

ABERFELDIE v GLENROY

Yes, Keilor was undermanned, but don’t take any credit away from Aberfeldie – that was a big (and important) win last week.

The fact Abers is still third on the ladder with three wins from five indicates that they’re still well and truly the side to beat this season, because they have been below par by their own standards.

Luke Blackwell reminded all that he is still one of, if not the best player in the EDFL with five goals in a match-winning effort last week.

Add to that a fine support cast of Josh Cubillo and Caleb Hislop, let alone their star-studded back line and (when healthy) potent forward line, and you can’t help but feel Aberfeldie will be just fine in the long haul.

For Glenroy, it’s games like this that they’ve been looking forward to most since gaining promotion back up into Strathmore Community Bank Premier Division.

Season 2018 is all about testing themselves against the EDFL’s best and so far, the Roys have probably passed.

Aberfeldie away is their biggest test yet.

We’re not asking for a W, but we are expecting Glenroy to be in it for the duration.

STRATHMORE v AVONDALE HEIGHTS

A genuine coin flip, this one.

Both sides have lost three games from five starts and, like Keilor, are already riddled with injuries to key players.

If both Hamish McIntosh and Cam Wood were available then we’re looking at a completely different sort of head-to-head.

Instead, neither club has the luxury of selecting from a full squad of players.

A week off should benefit both and we’ll see what selected sides look like come Friday afternoon but all things being equal, Strathmore should be expecting to field the superior 22.

The Mores have enjoyed solid years from Michael Horne, Xavier Allison, Alex Grima and Adam Iacobucci and unlike the Heights, are probably still in the hunt for that final spot in the top four.

So this is one must-win for the home team at Mascoma Street.

GREENVALE v WEST COBURG

There isn’t too much cause for concern up at Section Road after the Jets dropped their first game of the year to Pascoe Vale last weekend.

Addam Maric was named but did not play against the Panthers, so his injury concerns remain an ongoing thing that the Jets will need to manage.

Here the Jets get another chance to re-establish some form on its home deck against a West Coburg side that has got two wins to its name but was far from convincing last week against Essendon Doutta Stars.

The Burgers were quite wasteful in front of the sticks and while wind was a factor, they did allow a severely hampered Douttas side back into the game in the final term at Coburg City Oval.

Most sides that have played Douttas so far this year have had little trouble putting them away, so the fact West Coburg couldn’t is slightly worrying.

You’d expect Greenvale to bounce back in this one.

PASCOE VALE v ESSENDON DOUTTA STARS

Pascoe Vale is the enigma of Strathmore Community Bank Premier Division, particularly when it’s at home.

The Panthers are 0-2 at home in 2018 and are better-suited to larger decks like the one they played on at Section Road last week.

Their form against all of last year’s finalists (2-2) indicates that they are well and truly in the premiership conversation, but they need to make amends at home.

This is their chance to re-establish some confidence at Raeburn, but its against a side that is unfortunately not up to Premier Division standard.

No doubt Essendon Doutta Stars will be buoyed by the fact it got within a couple of kicks of a win last week against West Coburg, but the reason they couldn’t get the job done was simple.

Due to the mass-exodus that has occurred over the past six months, Dean Wallis has been left with a squad that is full of Reserves and Under 19.5s players that are struggling to fill the void at senior level.

They still have Charles Lill, Marcus Calvaresi, Jordan Rogers and Jordan Schroder that are battling manfully each week, but that’s not enough at this level.

They’ll get found out again here.

EDFL Partners