Roxburgh Park may be flying in division 2 of the Essendon District Football League but they aren’t getting ahead of themselves.
The Mapgies were among the favourites to do well in the previous two years before falling short, and many watchers were expecting the same this season.
That has been anything but the case though, with the Magpies sitting a game clear on top of the ladder.
Magpies president Jason Bolitho said there were good signs across the whole senior program but the hard work was still to come.
“Our senior side is on top and our reserves are undefeated,” he said. “And our under-19s have finally pulled their fingers out.
“You don’t win premierships at this time of year but it’s very encouraging.”
The Magpies were in a similar position the last two years but Bolitho believes they are better placed this year.
“We’ve got a bit more depth and guys are coming up and playing their roles when they have the chance,” he said.
“A lot of the younger boys now have 40 or 50 games of senior football behind them, which is obviously a big step.
“We’ve also managed to get a couple of bigger bodies into the club. That’s an area where we’ve been found out the last couple of years.”
Bolitho highlighted the likes of Brad Dimech, Matthew Marccarone and Luke Capuano as three players who could still player under-18s but are more than holding their own in the senior team.
On Saturday, the Magpies had their biggest win of the season, beating bottom side Burnside Heights 25.17 (167)-1.2 (8).
Capuano, the division’s leading goalkicker, starred with eight to take is tally to 17 in two weeks.
Reece Tarczon was best on ground.
Bolitho said the Magpies’ players were determined not to rest on their laurels against a side which had not won a game this year.
“We stuck to our structures and got the sort of result we expected and wanted,” he said.
“The boys didn’t drop their guard at all.”
After declaring their finals hopes were all but gone three rounds ago, Jacana is back in the mix after two straight wins.
In their best game of the year, the Jaguars beat Coburg Districts 25.11 (161)-11.9 (75) on Saturday, Bryce Kimuliatis kicking six.
In premier division, Greenvale’s mid season form slump has continued with a shock loss to Pascoe Vale.
The Jets had lost three of their last four games, with only a one-point win in their favour. It didn’t get any better on Saturday either, as they lost 15.9 (99)-7.13 (55).
Fort Caruso was best for the Jets in the loss.
