By Marcus Uhe
A tactical shift with its approach inside 50 helped spark a second-half turnaround for Beaconsfield in its round one win over Wantirna South at home on Saturday in the Eastern Football Netball League, according to coach Michael Fogarty.
The Eagles kicked nine goals in the second half to the Devils’ four to run out 37-point winners, 13.13 91 to 8.6 54.
Beaconsfield took 11 shots on goal in the first half but only kicked 4.7, to take just a seven-point lead into the long break.
With “dynamic” forward Matt Johnson in the side for a rare match in a Beaconsfield jumper due to the VFL’s bye, the Eagles used speed to their advantage to capitalise on their stocks ahead of the ball.
“It was fast ball-movement and getting one-on-ones, giving our forwards a chance to actually compete, bring it to ground when we couldn’t mark, and we were able to get our smalls to finish off their work,” Fogarty said of the adjustment.
“We had a lot of the ball in the first half, a lot of entries but we couldn’t really capitalise on the scoreboard.
“The second half, we were able to do that, and we were able to have a good win at the end of the day.”
Johnson kicked three and Harrison Coe two as the side’s only multiple goal kickers, while Johnson was joined by fellow VFL-listed talents Kade De La Rue, Kobe Shipp and Mitch Szybkowski in returning to Holm Park Reserve.
Coe and recruit Charlie Muley formed a strong ruck duo that complimented one-another while fellow new faces Mackay Bateson and Nathan Wright both hit the scoreboard and made strong impressions.
In a sad blow for the Eagles, Darren Minchington suffered a hamstring strain in the second quarter and was unable to play the remainder of the contest.
He joins Brandon White on the sidelines, who Fogarty hopes to see back on the park in round three.
Beaconsfield resumes hostilities with North Ringwood this week, the side that ended the Eagles’ 2023 campaign in an elimination final.
