By JARROD POTTER
SOUTHERN FOOTBALL LEAGUE
REVIEW – ROUND 1
“WORK hard. Work hard. Work hard.”
A simple, impassioned plea from Keysborough coach Ryan Goodes delivered to his Burra battlers seemed to pay off as the visitors claimed a 27-point triumph over Doveton Eagles.
Their first match in SFL Division 2 was no walk in the park for the Burra as the Eagles knocked them around throughout a back-and-forth second half.
Heading into the final break four-points down, following a three-goal run by Doveton Eagles before the last break, Goodes roared at his charges in the huddle to knuckle down and hit the scoreboard.
Goodes pushed himself down back and played as the third-man up across half-back and found able support streaming the ball out of defence from Matt Burnett and Luke Damato.
The Burra seized back the advantage after Geoff Humphreys hit up Jake Dunn (three goals) lace out before Tyson King (four goals) lived up to his moniker, making the hard work seem regal in a starring forward performance.
Kicking the last four goals, Keysborough emphatically finished off its first SFL match in style to kick away 16.14 (110) to Doveton Eagles’ 13.5 (85).
Goodes was pleased to see a plethora of Burra wins on Saturday as the reserves and thirds also notched wins.
“I didn’t think we were playing the way we wanted to play – that’s not the sort of coach I am, but sometimes they need to get going and at the end of the day it worked,” Goodes said.
“The supporter base is here now, with 60 blokes on the track and three teams that came away with a win, that’s an achievement in itself.”
The Eagles were well led by Corrie Wilson (four goals), Rob Kreskas and Enayte Samadi.
Keysborough has its first home match in the SFL as it takes on Murrumbeena while Doveton Eagles head to Caulfield.
DIVISION 3
A STELLAR start for Endeavour Hills following their 13.12 (90) to 10.10 (70) cross-town victory over Sandown.
Endeavour Hills brushed aside Sandown in a 20-point win at Barry Simon Reserve.
Mitch Whatman and Shane Peake (three goals) proved prominent up forward while Alex Carroll and Nathan Strom led all comers.
Ciaran O’Shaughnessy (two goals) was also best afield for the Cobras alongside Benjamin Davis.
Meanwhile Hallam was brutalised by Carrum Patterson Lakes, downed by 104 points.
