Demons hot at halfway

By Glen Atwell
AT THE halfway mark of the Southern Football League (SFL) season, the Springvale Districts could not be flying any higher.
Both its Division Two seniors and reserves are undefeated and don’t appear within a bull’s roar of a loss anytime soon.
On Saturday at Peterson Street Reserve, the Demons dished up another hiding, routing the hapless Hampton by a collective total of 277 points.
The reserves got the ball rolling with 208-point belting of their woeful opposition, led by gun full-forward Paul Riley, who booted 10 goals.
The seniors then continued the dominance with a 69-point win.
Brad Heuval continued his run of recent good form, kicking three goals and proving why he is such a crucial player in Springvale Districts’ quest for a premiership.
Darin ‘Big Show’ Joyce also returned to the senior side after overcoming injury and booted three goals.
Mark Williams was the best up forward for Springvale, kicking five majors.
The Demons controlled the game from start to finish, and blew the Hammers away in the second half, piling on nine goals to three.
Springvale Districts president Doug Pearce said he could not be any happier with the way his club was travelling.
“I couldn’t really ask for much more,” he said.
“We’re winning and winning well, but it’s only the halfway mark. We still have to play every team again.
“As that wonderful cliche goes, we can’t afford to get too far ahead of ourselves.
“To win the flag we’ll have to beat Dingley another three times, so it’s a tough road ahead.”
Pearce also praised the effort of senior coach Stephen Hughes, who managed to keep his side hungry after a much-celebrated win against fellow Division Two contender Dingley.
“It’s easy to have a letdown after a such a big, hyped-up game, but to Hughes’ credit, he kept the boys up,” he said.
The Demons will have to peak again this Saturday, when they travel to clash with Oakleigh Districts at Princes Highway Reserve.
Oakleigh sports an impressive 6-3 win-loss record, sits third on the ladder and would be expecting to stretch Springvale on its home turf.