EDFL 2019: Anthony Prestia and Tim Barresi injured in Tullamarine’s win

EDFL Division 1 ladder-leader Tullamarine swept aside Roxburgh Park by 87 points on Saturday, but the victory came at a huge cost for the Demons.

Anthony Prestia (centre) is one of Tullamarine’s star performers. Picture: Jamie Morey

Tullamarine is counting the cost of Saturday’s 87-point victory over Roxburgh Park with two of its star players set for a spell on the sidelines.

Midfielder Anthony Prestia and defender Tim Barresi went down with injuries during the first quarter of the 21.19 (145) to 8.10 (58) win in the EDFL Division 1 clash at Lakeside Oval.

Prestia is set to miss a month with a hamstring injury, while Barresi will be out for 6-8 weeks after suffering a broken collarbone.

Prestia was runner-up in the league best and fairest last season and named in the centre in the Team of the Year despite being limited to 13 games because of injury, while Demons coach David Connell said Barresi would “probably leading our best and fairest at the moment”.

Ladder-leader Tullamarine is preparing for a massive fortnight, with back-to-back home clashes against flag rivals Westmeadows and Craigieburn.

Tim Barresi could be missing from Tullamarine’s side for two months.

“With Westy and Craigieburn the next two weeks, it’s not great timing,” Connell said.

“If we can win the next two without those two, we’ll be pretty set.

“They just hurt us. We’ve got a lot of guys in the midfield that we think are underestimated at other clubs, and Prestia is that one superstar name.”

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Connell said teenager Tim Matson, who has played just 14 senior games, was likely to get the job on Westmeadows sharpshooter Omar Saad this weekend.

Saad shares top spot on the competition’s goalkicking charts with 33 goals but managed only one major in his duel with Barresi when the two teams last met in the opening round of the campaign.

Last year’s runner-up has been forced to call on its depth this season, with the likes of Brad Allen, David Scott, Joel Flanigan, Nathan Sciberras, Shannon Dowsett and Steve Vocale missing games.

Dual best and fairest Cameron Hare, who returned to the club as a playing assistant coach after a stint with Oak Park during the off-season, is also yet to take the field.

He underwent a back operation about three months ago and has started running in recent weeks.

“Across the board, we bat pretty deep,” Connell said.

“(Hare) will be back in another 3-4 weeks and we’ll probably give him a hit out in the twos first up. We’ve just got a few injuries at the moment, but we’ve still been winning, which is good.”

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