LAST weekend brought the completion of the first half of the 2018 EDFL senior men’s season.
In both Strathmore Community Bank Premier Division and Essendon Ford Division 1, nine of the 18 rounds are completed with every team having played each other.
In Strathmore Community Bank Division 2, 11 of the 21 rounds are finished, marking the mid-point of the home-and-away season.
It is therefore an ideal time to reflect on the season to date, where all three divisions look set for close finishes and exciting finals matches.
It is worth noting that across the three men’s senior competitions, no team remains undefeated.
Not only will there be many questions about which teams will qualify for finals, it appears that each finals match will be open and difficult to predict.
Strathmore Community Bank Premier Division is the closest seen at this stage for many years, with one match separating first place on the ladder (seven wins, two losses) from sixth place (six wins, three losses).
All teams in the top six places have had stages during the first half of the year where they have looked very strong and other times they have struggled.
Injuries to key personnel could have a big impact on team success through until September.
After seven rounds of Essendon Ford Division 1, two teams remained undefeated and then Taylors Lakes upset Tullamarine by one point and last weekend Tullamarine responded with a commanding 70-point win over Airport West.
Now both Tullamarine and Airport West sit one win ahead of Craigieburn, with Hillside and Taylors Lakes one further game behind.
It could be argued that Strathmore Community Bank Division 2 is the hardest to predict of our three senior men’s competitions.
It is the only division where every team has won and lost games. As the top three teams have each lost three matches in the first 11 rounds, it is impossible to confidently predict the likely premier.
Incredibly, that top three does not include Moonee Valley, who sat undefeated after Round 6, and Coburg Districts who were runners up in 2017 and the club many pundits believed the clear team to beat before the season commenced.
Sitting one game out of the final four and at 121 per cent despite losing more games than they have won, most clubs remain wary of the Mighty Lions.
The EDFL Women’s competition is more advanced with nine of the 13 rounds completed.
The concluding rounds will be exciting as there are several clubs fighting for the last couple of places in the first ever EDFL Women’s Finals Series.
There will be plenty of great matches in the second half of the season for all of us to enjoy.
Good luck for the weekend.
