They may not have done it in the most emphatic fashion, but the Craigieburn Eagles have notched up two wins to open the Essendon District Football League divisions 1 season.
After winning just five games in the past three years, that’s a good look.
Picture gallery: Craigieburn v Tullamarine
In round one, they snuck home by one point against Glenroy, and on Saturday they were made to fight for victory against Tullamarine.
Coach Peter Bugden said the way his side was nailing wins was one of the most impressive things early in the season.
“We are fighting hard and it’s showing character,” he said.
On Saturday, the Eagles faced a fired-up Tullamarine side that had done its homework. The Eagles defeated the Demons 16.14 (110)-12.4 (76).
“They were pumped for their first match of the season and playing at home,” Bugden said. “They came out strong.
“They played off in a grand final last season, and while they lost a lot of players, they’ve also picked up a lot of players.
“We picked up the work rate in the second half. We were positive going into the main break about our ability to lift and we did that.”
Bugden said the Demons matched up well on the Eagles’ Cloke brothers but they were still able to have an impact.
“Jason kicked three goals and spent the day up forward and pushed up into the middle at times,” he said.
“Cameron got hurt early and had a bit of concussion and went off … but came back in the second half and had an impact.”
Garrett Heenan and Jeremy Page were best on ground for the Eagles, while William Becker and Steven Howard were the best for the Demons.
For the Eagles, the challenge in the next few weeks will be finding the club’s best line-up.
“We’ve had to make some hard decisions at the selection table,” Bugden said.
“The players know what is acceptable and what is not. We had players come out of the side this week and played at lower levels … they will continue to push for seniors spots.
“We still have a long way to go but it’s been good to grind out those wins.”
In other matches, Oak Park remains undefeated after coming from behind against Westmeadows to win 14.12 (96) – 12.8 (80).
Greenvale got its first win of the year, against Avondale Heights in premier division, while Roxburgh Park and Jacana were among the winners in division 2.
