By Roy Ward
DOVETON Eagles coach Paul Davis believes his side has found the ability to win close matches with a 20-point victory over Sandown at Edinburgh Reserve on Saturday.
The Eagles and the Cobras have been two of the form teams in the Southern Football League division 3 competition this season but the Eagles had some close losses against other top-four sides such as Moorabbin and Mount Waverley.
But Davis said his players were determined not to lose against the Cobras after going into three-quarter time with a eight-point lead.
“To the boys’ credit, we kept putting players behind the ball and left space for our forwards,” he said. “This is an important win for us because we had dropped those previous close matches.”
In a tightly contested and physical match, goals always required toughness and persistence and the Eagles extended their lead in the final term with marks from Davis and Gary D’Amelio, then a sealing goal from Brayden Keown.
Classy forward Corrie Wilson looked dangerous all game for the Eagles while on-baller Darryl Thomas was a constant threat through the middle.
The Cobras took a four-point lead into half time and looked capable of holding their advantage.
But Cobras coach Mick Rossborough said his players had not been able to get past the Eagles in the last term. “They showed much more poise at the end and that was the difference,” he said.
The Cobras had a nightmare start to the game with two players withdrawing due to flu, then three others picking up injuries during the game.
Although he wouldn’t use it as an excuse, Rossborough said several of the missing players were from his defence. He said his players would learn from the match.
In other SFL division 3 games Hallam fell to Ashwood by 28 points. Dandenong lost to Caulfield.
The SFL will have a league-wide bye this weekend. Play resumes on July 14.
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