By David Nagel
Beaconsfield was always going to be on a steep learning curve in its first season of Eastern Division One football…and the first page of that accelerated course took place against Wantirna South at Holm Park Reserve on Saturday.
The Eagles jumped out of the blocks early, leading at the first two breaks, but were worn down by the Devils after half time, eventually going down by 21 points, 9.14 (68) to 7.5 (47).
Beaconsfield coach Mick Fogarty said his side would take a lot away from its first experience at the level.
“It’s a real good lesson for our group about what the Eastern Division one footy league looks like,” Fogarty said.
“The sides are well matched and they play four quarters, and unfortunately we couldn’t go with Wantirna in the second half.
“Their mids got a hold of us; they defended well, and forced us to kick down the line, which is not the game we want to play.
“We were easy to defend, and they out-run us and out-worked us in the second half.
“We were bloody competitive, there’s no doubt about that, but they just got hold of us with their running power at the end.”
Fogarty is not a man to make excuses, but the Eagles were without up to seven players from their ideal starting line-up.
Fogarty preferred to focus on the positives, like playing some younger players at the club that will certainly benefit from the experience.
“We put a side out there that made me confident we could win, and there are no excuses, but we had eight players out there that had played under 10 games of senior footy,” Fogarty said.
“And that’s great because it exposes them to the level and gives them an understanding of what’s required.
“Those kids are only going to get better over time, so we’ve just got to be patient, keep persisting, and stick with the kids because they’ll better in the long run for it.
“Sammy Cachia, 18 years old, plays his first game of senior footy, takes a strong mark, kicks a goal, the thrill of seeing something like that is really exciting.”
The Eagles played some exciting football early, with Lachie Valentine proving a tower of strength down back and Jack Docherty and Tylah Stokoe providing some real drive around the contest.
The Eagles led by 13 points at the first break, and still held a six-point lead as the players headed for the sheds.
But the Devils lifted their intensity, having 15 scoring shots to three after the major interval.
Stopping that momentum, well sometimes that’s easier said than done.
“It’s tough, we all have plans on how to stop momentum, but sometimes you can tag, you can harass, but sometimes it’s almost impossible to stop,” Fogarty said.
“(Lincoln) Wong, their midfielder, was brilliant at the stoppages, and we tried everything to limit that impact, but sometimes they’re just really good players and you can’t do anything about it.
“Overall they were seasoned, senior players, and that’s what we’re going to come up against every week…I think it’s great.”
The Eagles this week head to Mooroolbark, who had a convincing 26-point win over Mitcham.
The Mustangs will have extra fire in the belly, with this the 1000th game for their club.
“That stuff is outside of our control, we just have to bounce back really strongly, compete well, and if that gets us the win that would be terrific,” Fogarty said.
“Mooroolbark this week, up there, another big-bodied side that are strong around the contest and we have to be ready for that.
“It’s going to be a real learning curve, and what we thought it would be, it is, we’re in amongst it now and it’s exciting.
“We’ll work hard this week on our connection between our D50 and mid-forwards.
“That let us down last week; we never really got any separation.”
The game between the Eagles and Mustangs takes place at Mooroolbark Heights Reserve, this Saturday, at 2.20pm.
