First Division - Eastern Football League

60
JUNIOR REPORT
U15 INTERLEAGUE VICTORY
When football sides are chosen from the best the league has to
offer, the spectator is inevitably the winner. When the side playing
harnesses the raw talent of young men at the beginning of
successful careers the image is magic. Thus the scene was set for
last Saturdays 2005 Sherrin Metropolitan Under 15 Junior
Championships.
After a successful campaign last year as under 14’s, the team from
the East had a leg up on the competition already. All too often in
representative sides the players, although all gifted, tend to find
the knitting together of the team fabric relatively hard. Not
playing in the team every week it is hard to gel as a team unit. Not
so with these guys, too many memories of last year.
Round one of the championships found the East against the Yarra
Valley, a third quarter netting four goals resulting in a draw
between the two sides. Cobwebs were certainly dispensed with
for their second round clash against the Moorabbin Saints a
resounding 66 point win. The third round only served to galvanise
the team, up against Dandenong Districts the winning margin of
125 points set the stage for a wonderful tilt at back-to-back glory.
The final at Coburg City Oval against the Essendon Districts
began at 2.30, by 2.35 Alex Fiore (Knox) was hard up against the
goal line and inventively, via a reverse banana, slotted the first for
East, around three minutes later it was again Fiore, this time
showcasing his strength overhead, goaling from thirty meters out.
Far from being the deer’s stuck in headlights the E.D.F.L. slotted
the next two. It was Matthew Weeks’ (North Ringwood) goal after
a centering kick from Simon Grasser (Knox) that was the margin
at the first break.
The second term was nearly all Essendon’s as they started to beat
the East through the middle of the ground. The delivery into
East’s forward line was thus more desperate and made for tough
chances. Andrew Faalili (Waverley Blues) was Mal Michael like
in defence rebounding tirelessly. Daniel Maynard (East
Ringwood) was helped off the ground after a heavy clash and his
liveliness was sadly missed. A crumbing goal to Mark Weekes
(Glen Waverley) was the only highlight and at the long break
coach Stuart McLean needed to find answers.
An early goal in the third to talented Chris Birtchell (Chirnside
Park) was the result of clever mid field meddling from coach
McLean; another one to the same player minutes later gave the
Eastern supporters voice. When the delivery into fifty improved
greatly, due to bringing into play the wings and the flanks of the
ground, the Grasser machine began, the big paws went up and the
mark came down, goal. The highlight reel will be heavy with third
quarter action but the pick of it will be Marco Mollica (Boronia)
defying gravity in the goal square and netting himself a goal.
The three quarter time Eastern huddle broke with the players arm
in arm, the sniff of victory strong in their young nostrils, and why
not - they started the last quarter three goals up. It was only a
matter of time before the tiring bodies started to slow. The
exception was Thomas Smrcek (Knox); his athletism was in full
view as he roamed the ground in a rucking role. Faalili continued
at will, Dale Walker (Chirnside Park) provided a mid field target
and when Vice Captain Maynard ran back on in the dying minutes
THE EASTERN FOOTBALLER
it was party time in Coburg. Goals to Hasan Murtic (Chirnside
Park), John Parker (Blackburn) and a third to Fiore were cream on
the back-to-back cake, Eastern home by 40 points.
Alex Fiore was awarded best a field but will no doubt share the
honours with Faalili, Mollica, Murtic, Shane Griffin (Waverley
Blues) and Parker.
It was a tough assignment interviewing the coach at games end as
all the players chanted “Stuey, Stuey” then as a group pounced on
both of us, sadly for me the closest I will ever come to
premiership glory. There was certainly an air of sadness in the
voice of Fiore senior, as he whispered to me “they’ll never see a
side like this again”, I have to agree.
The game was won by a team who although savagely tested,
relied heavily on their understanding of each other and their faith
in their ability to win. A combined side that works as though they
play together every week is hard to find but very satisfying to
watch.
By Danny O’Loughlin
EFL 3.1 4.3 9.4 12.7.79
EDFL 2.1 5.3 5.7 5.9.39
BEST: Failili (Waverley Blues) Murtic (Chirside Park) Fiore
(Knox) Mollica (Boronia) Griffin (Waverley Blues) L.Parker
(Knox) Baranello (Knox) Hall (Wantirna South) Weekes (Glen W
Rovers)
GOALS: Fiore 3 (Knox) Birtchnell 2 (Chirnside Park) M.Weekes
2 (Glen W Rovers) J.Parker 1 (Blackburn) M.Weeks 1 (Nth
Ringwood) Mollica 1 (Boronia) Grasser 1 (Knox) Murtic 1
(Chirnside Park)
JUNIOR MILESTONES
100 GAMES
NAME CLUB AGE
Troy Barro NORWOOD 14
Paul Fringuelli CROYDON 16
Kyle Gogarty VERMONT 13
Sam Hillier WAVERLEY BLUES 15
Scott Irvine KNOX 15
Trent Matthews MOOROOLBARK 16
Marc Mollica BORONIA 15
Daniel Noordhoff BORONIA 16
Jay Read THE BASIN 15
Chris Ryan NORWOOD 14
Paul Ryland BORONIA 16
Jayden Turcinovic THE BASIN 14
50 GAMES
Kane Costello MOOROOLBARK 14
Brendan Kennedy GLEN WAV. ROVERS 13
Dean Kobatsiari WAVERLEY BLUES 15
Ryan Phillips GLEN WAV. ROVERS 13