East Coast Eagles slay the Dragons to capture coveted Sydney footy title
THE East Coast Eagles crushed St George Dragons by 41 points in the grand final to capture the coveted AFL Sydney Premier Division trophy at Blacktown International Sports Park on Saturday.
Rouse Hill
Don't miss out on the headlines from Rouse Hill. Followed categories will be added to My News.
THE East Coast Eagles crushed St George Dragons by 41 points in the grand final to capture the coveted AFL Sydney Premier Division trophy at Blacktown International Sports Park on Saturday.
The 17.5 (107) — 9.12 (66) victory ensured the proud club — skippered by Jon Vlatko and coached by Michael Sankey — now has four Sydney AFL premierships since they were formed 16 years ago.
This was the Rouse Hill-based Eagles first Sydney AFL title since 2011, the club having played in the North Eastern Australian Football League for three seasons before returning to the competition in 2015.
It made up for the disappointment of losing last year’s grand final to local rivals Pennant Hills.
The Eagles had earlier won the 2016 minor premiership and their win in the grand final continued their dominance over the Dragons this season, this being the fourth time they have outclassed them.
Veteran Keiran Emery took home the Podbury Medal for Best on Ground in the entertaining final where the Eagles were off to a flyer in the first quarter with six goals to four.
The other best performing players were Jamie Vlatko, Rowan Bilkey, Aaron Drinkwater, Jack Dimery and Dean Costello.
Dimery, who is competing in Foxtel’s The Recruit series, was awarded the Phelan Medal awarded by the umpires to the Fairest & Best player in the Premier Division.
Despite several players nursing injuries, the Eagles edged further ahead in the second quarter on the back of a couple of late goals.
The second quarter proved an arm wrestle as both sides moved the ball well.
The Eagles took a stranglehold on the final in the third quarter scoring five straight goals to take a 25-point lead into the final session.
The last quarter saw the Eagles really stamp their authority on the game with all the players making contributions to seal the emphatic victory
For St George, it was their first grand final appearance since 2007, with the Dragons
last premiership in 1994.
‘Immensely humbling’: Oz Day honours for Sydney’s local legends
While some call it “immensely humbling”, others have joked about thinking “which bastard has put me on here”. Meet Sydney’s local legends recognised on Australia Day.
‘A privilege’: Ceremonies continue, regardless of ‘cranky’ Dutton plan
Sydney and regional councils are embracing Australia Day citizenship ceremonies, with one outspoken mayor reminding the Opposition Leader he doesn’t need to start a “petty culture” fight.