EDFL 2018: Craigieburn defeats Hillside by two points in Division 1 elimination final

Craigieburn is through to the EDFL Division 1 preliminary final after a two-point win over Hillside in a thriller on Sunday, but the success came at a cost.

AMID the euphoria of victory came the realisation star midfielder Damien Bugeja will miss the remainder of Craigieburn’s Essendon District Football League Division 1 campaign.

The Eagles extended their finals stay into the second week with a two-point victory over Hillside in Sunday’s elimination final at Windy Hill, but the ecstasy of success was somewhat soured by the news the former VFL-listed player’s season is over.

EDFL 2018: EAGLES QUALIFY FOR DIVISION 1 DECIDER

EDFL 2018: STARS SURVIVE IN PREMIER DIVISION

EDFL 2018: CASTELLO’S COACHING TENURE OVER

EDFL 2018: RDFL CLUB TO VOTE ON EDFL SWITCH

Craigieburn held what appeared to be a matchwinning 34-point advantage at three-quarter-time before the Sharks piled on six goals to one in the last term with the aid of the breeze.

Hillside cut the deficit to four points with 10 minutes remaining, the Eagles’ under siege defence having to contend with countless forward thrusts.

Best afield Ben Fynch stood tall for his young team under the furnace and took countless marks, with Craigieburn defending valiantly and setting up a preliminary final date with rival Tullamarine courtesy of a 13.12 (90) to 12.16 (88) triumph.

Craigieburn coach Peter Bugden was ecstatic with his team’s win. Picture: Jamie Morey

“It was like a title fight,” Eagles coach Peter Bugden said.

“We were down on our knees with 10 minutes to go and with the way the game was panning out, it looked like they were going to run over the top of us.

“But there was some very, very brave stuff at the back from guys like Benny Fynch.

“There was some resilience found in the halftime break through the loss of Damien Bugeja. He’s obviously got a serious knee injury, so I think the boys dug really deep for Damien today to get a win.

“All credit to them.”

Bugden said the early diagnosis was Bugeja would require a knee reconstruction.

“He’s had a couple of them before. He’s our premium midfielder, so it’s a massive loss to the team,” he said.

“But Damien is a very strong character. He’s done a knee before, a shoulder before, so he’ll be back.”

Craigieburn used the wind to its benefit in the third quarter after the sides were separated by just one point at the main break.

Young guns Brock Chircop, Josh Vilinskis and Liam Middleton all lifted significantly as their team booted five unanswered majors in a devastating 15-minute burst.

Liam Middleton flies high for a mark for Craigieburn. Picture: Jamie Morey

The young Eagles’ speed has been a weapon all season and helped them secure fourth spot at the end of the home-and-away rounds.

“The run was pretty obvious,” Bugden said of the third term.

“They took the game on through the middle, kept the hands going, so I’m pretty proud of them.”

However, Craigieburn also missed some chances, leaving the door ever-so slightly ajar for the Sharks.

Hillside’s Anthony Aloi had a star turn when it mattered most, booting three last-quarter goals.

But it wasn’t enough as the siren sounded with the ball entering the Sharks’ forward 50m arc.

Dean Limbach contributed four majors for the winners, while Chircop and Caelan Anderson kicked three each.

“I feel like I’ve aged three years in about 10 minutes,” Bugden said.

“That’s footy. It’s all about being in the fight and having a chance to win.

“Our average age is about 20, maybe 21.

“They’re going to get a lot of experience out of that.”

Skipper Ryan Bongetti and Christian McErlain are likely to return for Sunday’s preliminary final at Coburg City Oval.

Tullamarine has beaten the Eagles twice this year but went down by 56 points to Airport West in Saturday’s major semi-final.

“We’ve got a long history with Tullamarine,” Bugden said.

“We respect them immensely. We’ve lowered our colours twice to them this year and it’s going to be very hard for us to come back without Damien Bugeja playing in the side, but we’re a young team so we’ll have a crack.”