Eagles star ‘absolutely’ right among GDFL’s best

EAST Geelong recruit Tom Cordner-Maas is “absolutely” near the top of the list of best players in the GDFL after stunning Inverleigh with a four-goal haul.

Inverleigh playing coach Adam Donohue is one player in that discussion for best player in the league and he was impressed yet again by the “all class” Cordner-Maas.

Having played more than 50 games with Geelong’s VFL side, acted as a star midfielder for GFL club South Barwon and delivered as a premiership player for EFL side Vermont, Cordner-Maas (pictured) came to the GDFL over the off-season with a stacked resume and while he has only played the three games so far this year, he dominated proceedings last Saturday.

His four goals from the midfield lifted the Eagles over the line to end Inverleigh’s 17game winning streak and Donohue said the star “got away from us a little bit”.

“He is just all class. He got most of his goals around the stoppages, he kicked one from about 55m that went straight through the middle early,” he said.

“As soon as he gets it in any space, you are in a bit of trouble. He is full of class but I thought (our) midfield actually did OK. They have got some good midfielders who we thought didn’t have as much influence as they normally do but in saying that, ‘Maasy’ got away from us a little bit.”

Donohue has seen Cordner-Maas up close before, when his Grovedale met South Barwon near a decade ago.

“I remember playing against him when he was at South Barwon in 2013 and thinking he was all class then,” he said.

“There is not much about him height-wise but he is just silky. He would be one of the better ball users in the comp.”

Donohue saw enough of the Maas family on Saturday, when he was matched up by Tom’s brother Ali.

The brothers were named first and second in East Geelong’s best, as Donohue was held to only one goal.

“I give a six-pack to the best player every week and I sort of couldn’t split it (between them),” Donohue said.

“(Ali) as an aggressive player who defends well and he had a good day as well, so it obviously runs in the family.”