It was a weekend of upsets in the Essendon District Football League and there was none bigger than Tullamarine’s win over Craigieburn.
It was first against third in the division 1 match, but the gap between the unbeaten Eagles and the rest of the competition was huge.
The Demons got the jump and surprisingly led by 27 points at quarter-time. There was no comeback from Craigieburn as the Demons went on to win 12.9 (81)-7.12 (54).
Demons coach Anthony Leydin said the first quarter proved to be the difference.
“It ebbed and flowed but we got a mini-break in the first quarter, which we deserved,” he said. “It became a more even contest after the first quarter. We tried to crack the game open but, credit to them, they fought back every time and it become an arm wrestle.”
While the midfield was a key for the Demons, the defence stood tall against everything thrown at them.
Having no Cameron Cloke to defend against was a bonus for the Demons, but they kept Jason Cloke, Glenn Robertson and Nick Fletcher goalless.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better outcome,” Leydin said.
“Certainly everything went our way. The players who were given responsibility played out of their skins.”
Two of those defenders, Chris Burns and Col Laurie, were named in the Demons’ best, while Jack Sims was the leading goalscorer with three.
The Demons will have another week of wait and see on the injury front, with Joel Flanigan going off injured in the first 10 minutes.
The win sees the Demons move to second on the ladder but with two byes to third-placed Westmeadows’ one.
Leydin said the win against the Eagles did not change anything for his side.
“It doesn’t relieve the pressure and just makes you realise how valuable wins are,” he said.
“We play Oak Park and Hillside in the next two weeks and we’ll know where we sit after those matches.”
The Eagles weren’t the only division 1 side to suffer a shock loss, with Westmeadows going down 7.13 (55)-7.11 (53) against Hillside.
In premier division, Greenvale slipped outside the top four with a loss to Essendon Doutta Stars. The Stars blew the game open in the second quarter in an 18.3 (111)-10.8 (68) win. Ladder leader Keilor was among the losers.
In division 2, Roxburgh Park maintained top position by defeating East Sunbury and Jacana suffered yet another close loss.
