EDFL 2019: West Coburg scores upset win over Tullamarine

West Coburg is unlikely to feature in Division 1 finals this season, but the EDFL Division 1 club’s improvement was underlined with a shock win at the weekend.

West Coburg coach Dale May. Picture: Josie Hayden

The odds are stacked against West Coburg featuring in finals this season, but the EDFL Division 1 club is confident the future is bright.

The Burgers lost dual best and fairest Jack Yelland, Omar Saad, Omar Abdallah, Marwan Abdul-Wahad, Daniel Johncock and Daniel Archer in an eventful summer after being relegated from Premier Division.

There were also changes off the ground, with Dale May appointed coach and experienced mentor Robert Hyde his assistant.

While West Coburg has had an up and down campaign, as evidenced by a 5-6 win-loss record, it enjoyed a victory to savour over premiership fancy Tullamarine on Saturday.

The shock 20-point win was made all the more remarkable by the fact the Demons powered to a 68-point triumph when the pair met in Round 3.

“A win like that … it just vindicates that when things click, we’re a very good team,” president David Gloury said.

“We know we need to improve our personnel and we’re going to work really hard on that.

“The feeling around the place, even though we haven’t had many wins, has been really positive.”

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The Burgers led from go to woe in a consummate four-quarter display, laying the foundations for victory with a six-goal-to-two first term.

Sam Dean Spagnolo, Setanta Macaodha and Mitchell Miller led the way, while Jesse Martini bagged three majors in the 10.11 (71) to 7.9 (51) win.

Gloury also heaped praise on teenager Declan Doherty, who was named in the best in his first senior game of 2019.

“A couple of key indicators for Dale is really around those hard-ball gets and tackling pressure,” Gloury said.

“It’s no surprise but when we average more than 80 tackles, we win. I think we had 95 tackles for the day. We just persisted, were able to maintain the pressure and got the result.

“Dale and Robert have been fantastic all year. There’s a really good feel in the group.

“I think they (the players) are enjoying a new approach and having Robert there as someone who’s got such great football experience, it has worked exceptionally well as a partnership.”

On the downside, Abdikhane Fitaax accepted a two-game suspension for striking and will miss matches against Craigieburn and Hillside.

West Coburg's Abdikhane Fitaax will miss the next two games. Picture: Josie Hayden

“That’s been dealt with by the umpires,” Gloury said.

“He got two weeks, which is unfortunate. I didn’t really see much. There’s a lot of oohing and aahing but I don’t think too many people saw what went on, except probably the umpires, and the umpires reported him.”

With five home-and-away fixtures remaining, Gloury conceded West Coburg faced an uphill battle to secure a top-four berth.

“We can’t afford to drop a game for the remainder of the year if we’re any chance to play finals,” he said.

“And you’re probably going to have to rely on a couple of results to go our way.

“But regardless of what eventually plays out, we’re comfortable with where we’re at.”

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