By Hayley Wildes
At the halfway point of the Ellinbank and District Football League season, there are many questions yet to be answered – which promises to make the final nine rounds of the season all the more fascinating.
The two clear leaders of the pack are Longwarry and Ellinbank – both of whom boast 8-1 records to sit two wins clear of the next best, Poowong.
The Crows fell agonisingly short of a drought-breaking premiership last season, but have reloaded in 2019 and the return of Tye Holland from the Warragul Industrials has paid dividends. Holland and Daniel Fry have combined for 49 goals so far to be the most damaging goal-scoring duo in the competition.
But Holland’s influence doesn’t stop in the forward 50 – his ability to win the ball in the midfield and make the right decision going forward has added yet another weapon to Longwarry’s midfield arsenal, which already boasted reigning league best and fairest Russ Lehman and one of the league’s best ruckman in Nick Redley.
After finishing outside the top five in 2018, Ellinbank – which defeated Buln Buln 18.8 (86) to 11.6 (72) in Round 9 – has opened season 2019 as the big improver of the competition. Ellinbank is the only team to have inflicted a loss on Longwarry in what was a hard-fought Round 8 battle at Ellinbank, and the Bankers are doing things by committee.
Their depth has powered them to an impressive first half of the season and the goals are coming from a variety of sources; led by Adam Cook (19 goals), Michael Urie, Mitch Cowan and Tim Mashado (13 goals each). Frank D’Agostino has also been an impressive performer for Ellinbank, whose lone loss came against Poowong in Round 4.
Speaking of Poowong, the Pies were the big improvers in 2018 and that form has carried over to 2019. Jack Hazendonk, who shared league best and fairest honours with Lehman last year, has taken his game to a new level, which has spelled trouble for the rest of the competition.
His game is built on pure brutality and competitiveness – if there is a loose ball to be won, it would be foolish to bet against Hazendonk coming away with the goods.
While his contested work is eye-catching, his ability to use the ball is just as impressive. He has 24 goals to his name so far this season – including four in Poowong’s 18.17 (125) to 6.10 (46) win over Nilma Darnum in Round 9 – which is good for equal-third on the senior league tally.
Hazendonk, along with the likes of Trevor Hooker, Thomas Wyatt, James Doria, Jayden Sullivan and Michael Harris, are leading Poowong to new heights.
Reigning premier Nyora was undefeated at this stage last season, but in 2019 the Saints have five wins, three losses and a draw to their name after taking care of business against Lang Lang in Round 9, 14.6 (90) to 8.5 (53).
Recently, they took down Poowong and when the forward line duo of Ben Schultz (a league-best 27 goals) and Ilan Osman (21 goals) fires, the rest of the team often gets going and anything looks possible for the Saints.
Inconsistency has plagued Nyora through the first half of the season, but if the side can produce a more dependable effort in the run home, it might just be thereabouts when the whips are cracking.
Neerim Neerim South, Buln Buln and Catani are separated by just one win and all three look set to battle it out for the final spot in the top five – although it must be said that Nyora sits just a half a game ahead of the Cats, so the Saints have far from locked down their place yet either.
The Cats have kept the wins ticking over by beating the teams below them, including a 15.11 (101) to 7.7 (49) Round 9 win over Yarragon, and also claiming the scalp of Nyora.
Tyssen Morrow and Matthew Laskey have combined for 42 majors so far, while the likes of Cal Shiels, Chris Urie (16 goals) and Nathan Bayne have been crucial contributors.
Hayden Baker has always been a fine player for the Lyrebirds, but he has been a revelation in 2019. With 23 goals to his name, Baker has put the team on his back on occasions, including when he slotted eight majors to lead Buln Buln to a 31-point win over Poowong in Round 2.
Catani has often struggled against the top teams this year, but have shown some promise in recent weeks with two wins and a fighting effort against Longwarry in which they went down by 25 points.
Since the departure of club legend Owen Fitzpatrick, Matthew Barrand (19 goals) has been the focal point up forward, while the likes of Daniel Barrand, Nic Visser (14 goals each) and Paul Pattison (12 goals) have been impressive across the ground.
Yarragon has found life difficult in its first season in the EDFL. The Panthers lack a forward that strikes fear into the opposition and, having not tasted victory in the past five rounds, will be desperate to end their losing streak when they face Nilma Darnum on Saturday.
Lang Lang and Nilma Darnum have both recorded one win each, and while the wins have been few and far between for the Tigers and Bombers, there are some positive signs for the future.
The Tigers, with new playing coach Josh Collie (13 goals) at the helm, were cruelled by injury to begin the season but have begun to get key players back on the park in recent weeks.
This resulted in a stirring win over the Panthers at Yarragon in Round 8 and there’s no doubt Lang Lang will be looking to build some momentum and get games into players in the second half of the season.
The Bombers have been blooding their young guns, and in years to come 2019 could be looked back on as a vital season of development for the group.
The results haven’t been going the Bombers’ way, but the experience gained for the likes of Blake Cann, Bailey Pryor, and Korey Carrison might just be setting Nilma Darnum up for some real success down the track.
Round 10 sees some vital clashes take place, highlighted by Buln Buln hosting Nyora and Catani facing Poowong. If the Lyrebirds and Blues can knock over their higher-placed opponents, the finals race will be even more wide open come Saturday evening.
