THE Eastern Football League U19 team’s elite kicking and contested work was on display in the curtain-raiser to the senior interleague game, with the EFL side taking care of the EDFL by 27 points at Bayswater.
The EDFL side failed to gel as quickly as the boys from Eastern, with the EFL side racing out of the blocks kicking four goals to one in the first quarter.
Ball movement was the biggest difference between the sides in the first half, with Eastern effectively connecting through the corridor with quick hands that often led to a surge of players running forward.
Unfortunately for the EDFL side, the first half consisted mostly of slow play transitions from the backline, and this showed on the scoreboard which read 3.4 at the end of the half
Eventual best-on-ground for the EFL side Hamish McGowan led a slick midfield brigade, regularly getting first use from stoppages and more often or not dishing the footy out to anticipating team mates that were on the move.
For most of the day it was easy pickings in the EFL forward line, with Jake Parente and Jack O’Keefe kicking five and four goals respectively, and this was largely thanks to the centimeter perfect delivery they received thanks to their midfielders and running defenders.
After struggling to find the perfect positions for all of his players, EDFL coach Geoff Maddern had one last roll of the dice in the last quarter and it almost payed dividends, with his side kicking five goals to two which resulted in a respectable looking scoreboard come the final siren.
EDFL team captain Jordan Farrell played his natural game in the midfield much like his Aberfeldie team-mate Matthew Williamson, whereas Alex Kocovic also found plenty of the ball in the middle and had plenty of metres gained.
After a fine season which saw him awarded the Mark Thompson Medal as the best player in the Premier Division U18.5 competition in 2016, Keilor’s David Tonkich was able to add to his medal collection with a best-on-ground display.
Eastern Football League 14.9-93
Goal Kickers: J. Parente 5, J. O''Keefe 4, J. Davidson, R. White, H. McGowan, P. Wallis, T. Jacotine
Best Players: H. McGowan, J. Parente, J. O''Keefe, N. Bardsley, H. Sitharather, A. Beddoes
Essendon District Football League 10.6-66
Goal Kickers: L. Di Sebastiano 2, B. Schibeci 2, C. Sir, M. Gregory, J. Shaw, J. Deoki, B. Meyers, D. Tonkich
Best Players: D. Tonkich, A. Kocovic, J. Farrell, J. Robb, J. Condo, J. Elliott
