Early Pressure On Winless Panthers, Stars & Heights
Pascoe Vale went from pushing the premier all the way to battling to compete with a mid-range side in the space of seven days and now they’re in early trouble at 0-2.
Minus Gavin Urquhart, the Panthers allowed Keilor to kick clear at Raeburn Reserve in the second term and could not find the sticks when they needed to in the third, eventually going down by 31 points.
Keilor bounced back well, with Nick O’Kearney and Dean Galea each snaring three majors in the Blues’ first win for 2018.
Meanwhile Essendon Doutta Stars is the early favourite for relegation after going down to Glenroy in their home opener.
The Roys set up their first top division win in close to two decades with five unanswered goals in the opening term, but Douttas then made good use of the scoring end in the second to go into the sheds one point up.
However, Glenroy steadied in the third and with the help of recruit Tyson Lever and veteran Adam Winter, the Roys ended up on top and are, surprisingly, in the Strathmore Community Bank Premier Division top four.
Avondale Heights is the other Premier Division team at 0-2 after going down to Maribyrnong Park at home.
Strathmore Community Bank Premier Division Results – Round 2
Marby Flying In Absence Of Coach
Maribyrnong Park sits atop the Strathmore Community Bank Premier Division ladder after another clinical display against Avondale Heights.
Their coach Robbie Castello was again missing due to work commitments, but former Strathmore premiership coach Craig Clinnick steered the Lions beautifully in tricky conditions at Canning Street.
Marby’s made the most of its favourable early-season draw with Jock Cornell, Connor Maher and George Abboud all playing well so far.
Final Score – Avondale Heights 4.9-33 def. by Maribyrnong Park 10.13-73
Jets Flying High As Maric Returns To Kick Three
Greenvale was impressive in their first broadcast game for the year, taking care of Strathmore at Mascoma Street.
Laurence King was our RAWFORM Seamless Compression EDFL Player of the Day with four snags while Addam Maric returned to the side and kicked three of his own in the Jets’ solid 24-point win over the Mores.
Fort Caruso and Josh Smith also played well.
Final Score – Strathmore 8.14-62 def. by Greenvale 13.8-86
Division 1 Already In Chaos After Round 1 Upsets
We constantly bill Essendon Ford Division 1 as the closest division in all of local footy and Round 1’s results proved why.
The tipsters had a shocker of a weekend in this division, with at least three of the four games giving us unexpected outcomes and margins.
Craigieburn’s return to the division was a wonderful one, with the Eagles kicking clear from Hillside in the final term to win by six goals at DS Aitken Reserve.
Recruit Dean Limbach contributed with two majors, while Hillside unveiled Mitch Church, who kicked one of his own.
Meanwhile, Taylors Lakes handed the up-and-about Cougars a small reality check at Lionheart Reserve, beating East Keilor by 17 points on Saturday.
The Lions bounced back nicely from their dismal Good Friday effort with Jake Hobbs and James Vistarini each kicking three against the new-look Cougars, who unveiled James Philpot, Tom Gleeson, Matt Knight and Michael Licciardo, as well former Taylors Lakes player, Nathan Kennedy.
Finally, Jacana did not give a good first impression in their return to Essendon Ford Division 1.
In a game that was streamed live to more than 5000 viewers on Facebook Live, the Jags simply could not keep up with an exuberant Tigers outfit under the Friday night lights.
With Aaron Evans, Dean Clare and Ben Drummond all dominating up forward, Westmeadows scored an easy 79-point win against an under-manned Jacana side that was without Rhys Evans and new recruit, Wayne Schultz.
Jason Cloke went goalless in his Jags debut, while Dane Swan was kept in cotton wool ahead of his Tigers debut coming up this Saturday at home to Tullamarine, which will be the radio game on mixlr.com/edflfooty and 98.9 North West FM.
Essendon Ford Division 1 Results – Round 1
Districts Takes Another L, Coughs Up Final Change Lead
Perhaps the biggest shock of the 2018 EDFL season to date is the bottom of the Strathmore Community Bank Division 2 ladder.
That’s where you’ll find both Hadfield and Coburg Districts, the latter of which was the flag favourite for many only two weeks ago.
The Lions again went down in a close one after letting a 20-point three-quarter time lead slip through their fingers at home to Roxburgh Park on Saturday.
The Magpies welcomed Luke Capuano back into the fold with the young sharpshooter kicking three goals in the tricky Cole Reserve conditions.
The Lions were without ruckman Chris Lynch, allowing Ferras Merhi to have an impact and kick a goal of his own in the three-point win.
Elsewhere, Rocky Ferraro’s triumphant return to the Northern Saints continued with his four goals helping the Saints sink the Hawks at Martin Reserve, while under lights it was East Sunbury extending their recent winning streak over the Bears.
Strathmore Community Bank Division 2 Results – Round 2
Panthers, Bears, Kangaroos Emerge As Early EDFL Women’s Contenders
Round 2 was a good one for Pascoe Vale, Burnside Heights and the Sunbury Kangaroos, each of which are the three remaining undefeated sides at the top of the EDFL Women’s ladder.
Pascoe Vale kept Roxburgh Park scoreless on Friday night to boost their percentage while the Bears and Kangaroos proved too good for the Mores and Tigers respectively.
The surprise of the weekend was the Sunbury Lions’ 36-point win over Keilor at Clarke Oval, while Craigieburn is still waiting to make its EDFL Women’s debut after their clash with Avondale Heights/Taylors Lakes resulted in a walkover.
EDFL Women’s Results – Round 2
