EDFL: Pascoe Vale thrashes Maribyrnong Park by 71 points in best performance on Premier Division season

ANY questions about Pascoe Vale’s legitimacy as a force in the Essendon District Football League’s top flight were emphatically dismissed on Saturday.

ANY questions about Pascoe Vale’s legitimacy as a force in the Essendon District Football League’s top flight were emphatically dismissed on Saturday.

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After three consecutive Premier Division defeats, the spotlight was squarely on the Panthers as they looked to keep their season alive.

Lachie Hansen was one of several key Pascoe Vale players missing on Saturday. Picture: Chris Eastman

If we have learnt anything from an unpredictable 2018, it is to expect the unexpected.

Pascoe Vale’s response could not have been any more impressive, with its 71-point win over Maribyrnong Park dislodging the Lions from top spot.

While the Panthers remain in sixth position, they face the four teams below them — Avondale Heights, Essendon Doutta Stars, Glenroy and West Coburg — in the run home.

Pascoe Vale is 8-6 and two games behind second-placed Maribyrnong Park, meaning even wins in all those fixtures may not suffice.

And you get the feeling opposition sides would be happy for the talent-laden Panthers to be spectators in September.

“We’ve beaten every side in the competition, bar Keilor, now,” Pascoe Vale director of coaching Adam Contessa said.

“I know our best is good enough, but you’ve got to consistently be bringing that.

“Our three weeks leading up was a shadow of the side that performed (on Saturday).

“That’s a mental thing I think, and you’ve got to come to play every week and bring that effort every week.

“If we do make it, we’re going to be in pretty good form and it’ll mean we’ve won five on the trot before the finals.

“Especially with the evenness of the comp, I think anyone who gets there can win it this year.”

Making the 18.13 (121) to 7.8 (50) win over the Lions all the more meritorious was the fact it was achieved without several key players.

Sam Caruso is enjoying a stellar season for Pascoe Vale. Picture: Mark Dadswell

Ben Ross, Dean Soncin, Lachie Hansen, Patrick Veszpremi, Giles Guest and Shayne Allan were among those missing.

With Pascoe Vale’s midfield savaged by injury, the ever-consistent Sam Caruso and Eamonn Ogden stood tall as Maribyrnong Park was overwhelmed from go to woe.

“I said to the boys after the game that I thought it was our best game (for the year),” Contessa said.

“We had fair few of our high-end players out and backs against the wall in a must-win game to keep the finals alive, and I think we had 22 that played their role and really stepped up to the challenge.

“I think we had 10 or 11 players with 20 possessions or more.

“It was a real even spread. We weren’t relying on one or two key mids to be getting 35 touches.”

The Panthers also boasted 12 goalkickers, underlining the fact they are not reliant on ace forward Matthew Watson.

But, despite all the positives, there is still plenty of heavy lifting to be done.

“We still need to win the remaining the four games,” Contessa said.

“The win still won’t guarantee anything at the moment.”

Pascoe Vale will tackle Avondale Heights at Raeburn Reserve in Round 15.