East Sunbury is ecstatic after winning its second game of the season, but it wants desperately to add to its tally in Essendon District Football League division 2.
The Thunder won only two games in two years before the start of this season but on Saturday made it two wins for the season for the first time, defeating Burnside Heights 14.19(103) – 7.8 (50).
It was a good day for the Thunder with its reserves and under-18s also winning.
Coach Steve Grey said the result was another sign of hard work paying off.
“It was the strongest side we have put on the park and it just shows our depth with our twos winning by eight goals,” Grey said.
“The first quarter, we were inaccurate and missed easy shots in front of goal. We could have easily had five.
“We dominated the game and kept playing well for a lot longer,” he said.
“We got better and better, and the confidence grew. It’s the first time we’ve won a final quarter this year.”
Ashley Fleming and Kamen Ogilvie were the Thunder’s best, not for the first time this season.
“Fleming has been playing in the ruck the last few weeks. We weren’t getting enough balls inside 50 to use him to the best of his ability. He was being double-teamed, which they can’t do in the ruck,” Grey said.
“He controlled the game, and it has also benefited Kamen, who is playing well in the middle with him.”
Dean Johnson, Mitchell Johns and Jake Spiteri are some of the youngsters who have been standing up.
Grey says there are two clear aims for the rest of the season: beat a side other than Burnside Heights and finish sixth on the ladder.
“The next step is to beat a quality side and get reward within the league. There would be some satisfaction to be able to do that. The aim is to finish sixth. We can’t finish any higher
than that, but sixth sounds a lot better than eighth.”
The result added to a big week for the club with AFL legend Doug Hawkins taking training during the week.
“I know Doug, and he came out and took training and the boys really benefited from it,” Grey said.
“It was a big bonus and hopefully he’ll be back a few more times before the season is out.”
