By David Nagel
A massive percentage-boosting win over bottom side Upper Ferntree Gully has propelled Beaconsfield into the top five of Eastern Football Netball League (EFNL) Division One.
The Eagles’ dominant 18.22.130 to 1.0.6 victory rubber-stamped a recent run of good form and saw Mick Fogarty’s team rise from eighth to fifth on the ladder.
Three wins from their last five matches would suggest the Eagles are starting to settle into their new surroundings as they look to match motors with the top teams in the competition.
This was a powerful performance from Beaconsfield who held a senior football team – albeit struggling – to just one scoring shot for the match!
And the Eagles impressive percentage boost, from 84.32 to 115.95, could even have been greater if not for a familiar pattern of inaccuracy in front of goals.
The Eagles squandered a plethora of opportunity in the opening stanza, booting 4.8 to no score in an open-book precursor of things to come.
The Eagles were consistently dominant over four quarters and showed a ruthless streak that certainly contained some side benefits.
A total of 40 scoring shots, spaced out in 12, 10, 11 and seven-shot quarters, showed the Eagles were in no mood to play the nice guy.
So what impressed Fogarty most about the clinical and ruthless performance?
“Our ability to play a really tough brand of contested footy, we just won our one-on-ones all over the ground,” Fogarty said.
“We were able to execute well, even though we still kicked a lot of points, and we were able to play a centre-forward game, lock it in there, and when the opposition won it we were able to get it back off them pretty quickly.
“We were able to really nullify their exit points out of our forward 50 and get it back in quick and really expose their defence.
“We were just really good around the footy all day…it was a really good four-quarter performance.”
The boost in percentage was vitally important for the Eagles, with the percentage column something you don’t realise you need until it’s too late…like running out of washer fluid in your car!
“It was something that we needed too because there are a lot of teams that have had three or four wins and percentage will obviously play a part, so it was good to build that percentage up to a level that could help us moving forward,” Fogarty said.
“I know they (Upper Ferntree Gully) haven’t won a game but they’ve been competitive to the stage where they have been able to kick goals against some good teams, so to keep them to one scoring shot for the match was a great effort.
“We limited their ability to score and we set up really well behind the footy with some really good chains coming out.
“Defensively we were outstanding and that gave our forwards a really good look as well.”
The Eagles resurgence has been strongly driven by their captain, Jake Bowd, who is having a purple patch of form since returning to the back line after starting the season up forward.
Fogarty is glowing in his praise for Bowd, who alongside the leadership group of Jack Docherty, Tylah Stokoe and Damien Johnston is setting standards for his teammates to follow.
“He’s a terrific leader, not all that vocal, but he’s measured, he’s calm, he reads the footy really well coming in to defensive 50 and his ability to know when to go, and when to sag off and impact the contest is second to none,” Fogarty explained.
“And for a tall fella, he’s got some really good speed coming out and he doesn’t fumble, he’s got really good hands and is good above his head, we’re pretty lucky to have him.
“I had him forward, but a couple of weeks ago we made a decision to throw him back in defence and he’s been hugely impactful with the way he’s played back there.
“I couldn’t speak highly enough of him; he’s Beaconsfield through and through, loves the club and gives everything he can, week in week out.
“He’s a really good player at this level.”
Bowd, Declan Everett and Lachie Valentine were outstanding for the Eagles on the weekend, while five goals to Myles Currie, four to Hayden Brough, and two each to Devon Smith and Sam Merrick gave the Eagles a multitude of avenues to goal.
Fogarty is not concerned at all about the easy nature of the win as the Eagles prepare to host an in-form and physical Mitcham at Holm Park Reserve on Saturday.
“Not at all, I could understand if we were eight-zip, or seven-one, but we were coming into that game two and four and realise we’ve still got a lot of work to do,” he said.
“I’m not concerned about the game at all, if we play the way we did, winning our one-on-ones, or at least halving them, we’ll go okay.
“As we’re playing more games we understand what the competition is like and the different styles of play we’re coming up against.
“We’ve got a block of three games, which we’ve just started well, but we need to tick those off if we want to get through the first half of the season in a good position.”
This week’s game, against fourth-placed Mitcham, is followed by a trip to Lilydale.
EASTERN DIVISION ONE
RESULTS – ROUND 7
BEACONSFIELD 4.8 9.13 15.18 18.22 (130)
UPPER FERNTREE GULLY 0.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 (6)
Beaconsfield Goals: Myles Currie 5, Hayden Brough 4, Devon Smith 2, Sam Merrick 2, Josh Smith, Nick McPherson, Casey Wassylko, Matt Johnson, Michael Cameron. Best: Jake Bowd, Declan Everett, Miles Currie, Hayden Brough, Lachie Valentine, Casey Wassylko.
Upper Ferntree Gully Goals: Luke Strachan. Best: Buster Todd, Liam McKernan, G. Lord, R. Archer, B. Muccitelli, L. Tynan.
OTHER GAMES
East Ringwood 19.15.129 v Wantirna South 5.12.42, Mooroolbark 18.10.118 v Bayswater 7.6.48, Lilydale 7.7.49 v Montrose 6.11.47, Mitcham 11.13.79 v Croydon 3.5.23.
LADDER
Mooroolbark 28, East Ringwood 24, Croydon 20, Mitcham 16, Beaconsfield, Montrose, Wantirna South 12, Lilydale, Bayswater 8, Upper Ferntree Gully 0.
FIXTURE – ROUND 8
Bayswater v Montrose, Croydon v Mooroolbark, Beaconsfield v Mitcham, Upper Ferntree Gully v East Ringwood, Wantirna South v Lilydale.
