EFL Record 17.indd - Eastern Football League

FROSTY’S EFL THERMOMETER
Each week, Peter Baird will take a look at the teams or players in the EFL that are catching our
attention with their good or bad form. After careful deliberation, he will put the thermometer on the
EFL and give you his weekly nomination as to who’s hot and who has gone cold.
ON FIRE
Just when we thought that the teams qualifying to play fi nals in the Eastern Football League’s
Division 1 and 2 competitions had been locked away for 2011, round 15 threw up some surprises
that may just have reopened the door. Last week in Frosty’s Thermometer, the East Burwood Rams
were locked securely into the Freezer for having gone cold after a fl ying start to the season and
potentially blowing their opportunity to participate in September action for the fi rst time since 2005.
It’s amazing what can change in a week, with the Rams responding magnifi cently last Saturday to
break Knox’s run of six wins in a row. With Balwyn unable to get the points at home against Norwood,
the Rams have closed the margin between them to just a game and a half and an analysis of the run
home of both clubs suggest that the last spot in the top fi ve may not be decided until the fi nal round of the
season when East Burwood faces Blackburn and Balwyn hosts Vermont at SEN Park. A couple of weeks ago,
the Division 2 battle for fi nals action looked as though it was a race between fi ve clubs for just four positions –
Lilydale, Montrose, Bayswater, Rowville and Doncaster East. So much has changed since then with Montrose and Doncaster
East suffering surprise losses on the weekend against two new challengers in Mooroolbark and Upper Ferntree Gully who
now have also thrown their hats into the ring. The Lions and Demons will need to turn last weekend’s form around and return
to the winners’ list if they want to secure on those positions at the business end of the season. The real pressure may be on
Rowville, with the Hawks facing three of those sides in contention for fi nals actions in the remaining rounds. While the door
is still ajar for Upper Gully and Mooroolbark, the Hawks will ultimately determine whether or not it is opened up for one of
them to come marching through when they venture out to Zerbes Reserve to face Doncaster East in the penultimate round.
What’s hot this week in the EFL? The battle for fi nals spots in Division 1 and 2 has heated up!
GONE COLD
Every team hopes to turn their home ground into a fortress where visiting clubs fear to come and play. Making sure that
you secure the four points on your own patch is very important if you want to be considered as a challenger for the title,
particularly in Division 1 competition, where winning games away from home is so diffi cult. One club that has shown that
this isn’t the case for them in 2011 is the Balwyn Football Club. So far this year, whilst wearing the white shorts of the
visiting team, the Tigers have been fantastic in winning seven of their eight matches, including victories over ladder leaders
Noble Park and Scoresby. The story at home, though, isn’t quite as impressive. Balwyn has hosted seven games at SEN Park
this year, but has only managed to win two of those games against East Burwood and South Croydon. The fi ve losses at
home, including the last three in a row, has been disappointing for the Tigers; none more so than last weekend’s shock loss
to Norwood by 23 points. This would be a worrying sign for coach Daniel Harford, and one that needs to be addressed as a
matter of urgency as his team clings to fi fth spot on the ladder with two home games remaining in rounds 17 and 18. Neither
of these fi xtures will be easy for Balwyn, as a Noble Park side hungry to avenge its loss to the Tigers on the Queen’s Birthday
holiday and a rejuvenated Vermont will make the trip out to Cherry Road. These are crunch games for Balwyn and if they
want to play fi nals they will need to turn around their form at their home ground that has earned them locked into Frosty’s
Freezer this week for having gone cold.
YOUR GAME TODAY
Wherever you are, whoever you’re watching, keep track of the scores and goals! We’d love you to give
quarterly updates via Twitter; just mention @footyefl and tag the relevant division (#efl div1, #efl div2,
#efl div3, #efl div4, #efl reserves, #efl colts, #efl juniors).
HOME
AWAY
COLTS
Q1______ Q2______ Q3______ FINAL______
RESERVES
Q1______ Q2______ Q3______ FINAL______
SENIORS
Q1______ Q2______ Q3______ FINAL______
COLTS
Q1______ Q2______ Q3______ FINAL______
RESERVES
Q1______ Q2______ Q3______ FINAL______
SENIORS
Q1______ Q2______ Q3______ FINAL______
7 THE EASTERN FOOTBALLER 2011