By Nick Creely
SOUTH EAST FOOTBALL NETBALL LEAGUE
REVIEW – ROUND 5
Cranbourne did what any good side does when they are faced with a challenge.
That challenge, in the name of Pakenham was answered early in the third quarter after the Lions came into half time sky high on confidence after reducing their 17-point deficit to nine after a six goal second quarter.
After a red hot start to the third quarter, Tom Marks made the Lions pay for some brilliant forward pressure, nailing a difficult shot from the packet and under duress. Another goal only moments later draw the margin out to 22-points, and the Eagles found a way on top, and critically, as they found their mojo to slam on a further four to ice the game in the premiership quarter.
With a superb performance from bright young star Lewis Vella – playing his first senior game – the Eagles responded with a clinical final 30 minutes, with the returning champ Marc Holt also getting in on the act with two goals as he builds into form.
But it was yet another sign of the side Pakenham is slowly building, with Zac Stewart once again tremendous for the Lions, while Jay Jay Peni continues to impress in the coalface for the young side.
“We had to work pretty hard, a lot of credit to Pakenham, they make you really work for it – it was a good contested game, and we knew that going in,” Eagles coach Steve O’Brien said of the match.
“Halfway through the second we had a good break on them and we probably took the foot off the pedal a little bit, and credit to Pakenham, they got an advantage, got on a roll and closed in at half time.
“At half time, we adjusted a couple of things and we’re able to run out winners.”
The most pleasing aspect for O’Brien was the fact that the Eagles managed 11 individual goalkickers, a sign that the load is been shared.
“We’ve been consistent with that, it was a real focus point for us when I got to the club, we wanted to broaden our range of goalkickers so that was a real positive for us,” he said.
The return of Holt was also another positive aspect for the now 3-2 Eagles.
“He was straight back in there – we lost a few guys to injury and they were out of the game by quarter time, so Holty played more game then what we expected – he was a little rusty obviously, but he will be better for the run,” he said.
As the Eagles gear up for a massive clash with Berwick on 26 May with the AFL Victoria Community Championships halting the season this weekend, O’Brien believes his side is really starting to click into gear.
“We’d like to be a little better, we feel we should be 4-1, but we’re not – we know our best is really capable, and we’ve been a little inconsistent, but so has the draw, we’ve hardly played back to back games,” he said.
“Whether that’s a factor we don’t know, we’ll find out soon.
“We know we have some depth, and we’ve brought in some young guys and they performed on the weekend.
“The guys are getting a better understanding – structurally we’re getting a lot better grasp of what I want, and we’ve nailed that well – the ball movement is starting to come as well, and there is a transitional period, it was always going to take some time.
“But when we get our game flowing, you can really see some positive signs there.”
Pakenham will travel to Holm Park on 26 May for a clash with Beaconsfield.
Cranbourne 20.10 (130)
Pakenham 11.8 (74)
