EDFL 2019: Coburg Districts coach declares Sunbury Kangaroos the best
After his side was on the receiving end of a 137-point belting in Round 9, Coburg Districts boss Chris Tankard has declared Sunbury Kangaroos the best side he’s seen in Division 2.
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Few have a better knowledge of EDFL Division 2 than Chris Tankard.
The Coburg Districts coach is in his sixth year at the helm and has declared pacesetter Sunbury Kangaroos the most formidable team he’s seen in the third tier competition.
The Kangaroos crossed from the Riddell District league over the off-season and have made an immediate impact in the EDFL, earning premiership favouritism.
The Lions were on the receiving end of a 137-point belting from the ladder-leader in Round 9, 26.12 (168) to 4.7 (31).
Tankard said the Kangaroos compared favourably to the dominant Hillside outfit which lost just one game on its way to the 2013 flag.
“They’re the best side I’ve seen,” Tankard said.
“I went and watched in 2013 when Hillside dominated. In my opinion, they’d beat Hillside.
“They’ve got a real hunger and appetite for the contest and play really well for each other.
“We had a couple pull out … and that upset our balance a little, but I don’t think they would have much difference to the way they played on the day.”
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Coburg Districts were without Sebastian Jansen, Michael Osterman and James Scheriani, while 2017 league best and fairest winner Luke Vesnaver is set to return to the senior side in coming weeks.
But the Lions were outclassed by a slick opponent as Josh Burgess bagged 11 goals in a best-afield display.
“They’re good everywhere. They rotate heavily, their mids are very strong and their back six play a really strong style of game, where they set up really well defensively, so they’re hard to score against,” Tankard said.
“They’re quite happy to score very quickly as well.”
Tankard said his side was in “good spirits” ahead of Saturday’s fixture with East Sunbury.
“We put it down to one of those days,” he said.
“This is the youngest group I’ve coached from a senior point of view at Coburg Districts, so we’re putting a real emphasis on playing the young guys and trying to build a list for the coming years that’s going to be sustainable.”
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