EDFL 2019: Pascoe Vale coach Digby Morrell reacts to loss of home fixture

Pascoe Vale has been forced to forfeit a home game and will contest away fixtures in the opening month of the EDFL Premier Division season.

Pascoe Vale and Aberfeldie lock horns at Raeburn Reserve last season. Picture: Mark Dadswell

Pascoe Vale has been forced to forfeit a home game and will contest away fixtures in the opening month of the EDFL Premier Division season.

The Panthers were originally scheduled to host Greenvale and Essendon Doutta Stars in the first two rounds, but ongoing works on the playing surface have resulted in a switch.

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The matches against the Jets have been swapped, with the season opener to be at Greenvale Reserve and the Round 10 game to be played at Raeburn.

The club’s Round 2 clash with the Stars has been moved to Hadfield’s Martin Reserve and remains a Pascoe Vale ‘home’ game.

The changes apply to both senior and reserves fixtures.

“It’s been a bit frustrating with our ground, but unfortunately you can’t control those things,” Panthers coach Digby Morrell said.

“Our first two games were meant to be at home, but Greenvale were very kind in swapping their game and Douttas have wanted to play that one away so they could have their home game later in the year, which is fair enough.

“We’ll play wherever we need to. You’ve got to play all over on different sized grounds to win (the flag) anyway. Playing somewhere else is just the way it’s going to be.

“They did some drainage work and irrigation work over the summer and the company that did it was a bit slow doing it, so we won’t have access until Round 5, which is frustrating from a footy point of view.”

Pascoe Vale has also had to train at alternate venues throughout pre-season, but Morrell insisted his squad’s preparation had not been affected.

Morrell, who has steered Strathmore and West Coburg to premierships, is embarking on his first season in charge of the Panthers.

He said the attitude of his group had been “outstanding” as Pascoe Vale looks to rebound after missing finals the past two years.

Ex-Coburg VFL trio Ben Allan, Errol McConnell and Josh Cauchi and former West Coburg duo Daniel Johncock and Daniel Archer are among the recruits, along with country football champion Liam Ogden (Kyabram) and Dean Clare (Westmeadows).

“We’ve trained where we’ve been able to train and the guys are really fit,” Morrell said.

“I guess we’ve brought a bit of an attitude change and a mindset change around a few aspects within the game.

“I think teams that play us will see a different style of play and a different attitude as the year goes along.”