Eagles’ finals hopes take a hit in reality check
EAST Geelong was always operating on a very fine line in its quest for an unlikely appearance in this year’s GDFL finals.
So to lose the first of the games pencilled in as a certainty can only be described, in a football context, as a disaster.
The Eagles have flown into prominence with a solid block of form since Round 6, leaving them only a game out of the top five prior to Saturday’s inexplicable 25-point loss to Anakie.
The Roos have been threatening for some time to cause an upset, with patches of their games matching the competition’s best.
With the rewards so high and the threat from Anakie clearly evident, the lack of intensity from East Geelong was hard to fathom.
The Eagles have two “eightpoint” games against the only teams they can replace to earn that finals berth.
They host Winchelsea next week in the first of these. We wait to see if the players have grasped the importance of the occasion. Werribee Centrals were presented with a similar challenge to East Geelong when they travelled to Keith Barclay Oval to take on a rejuvenated North Geelong.
The Magpies surprised the Centurions in Round 1 and were given a very good chance of repeating the dose at the weekend, after near misses against the top two teams in the preceding rounds.
An even first quarter confirmed the challenge was real, but the 15-goal-to-three positive return after that point sent a clear message to the teams above them that the contender tag looks to be realistic.
A home game against the powerful Thomson unit is next in line for the Centrals and the entire GDFL audience is salivating at the prospect. Corio managed to reduce the scoring of Thomson by 30 points from their first contest in April this year, but their own zero scoreline is vastly inferior to the 14 shots at goal they produced in the first outing.
But internally the club remains upbeat about its position and what lies ahead in 2020. Speaking to the GDFL Footy Record this week, young midfielder Liam Duffy was well aware of the tough circumstances they face each week, but was quite excited about the future.
He is part of a tight group of players in their late teens to early 20s, learning the game under mentor Darren Bennett.
They are aware that skill and experience needs to be injected into the group and are encouraging players from the region looking for a late career challenge to join the club.
The old Corio stigma has long left the club and a new era dawns.
Bennett could certainly do with some support and a willing group of excited young men are ready to embrace new faces.