East Keilor move to 2-3 with win over Deer Park

East Keilor now has back-to-back wins after two recruits starred against their former club as the Cougars’ midfield group took their game to another level.

East Keilor celebrate their win.

East Keilor is starting to click into gear.

After an 0-3 start to the season, the Cougars are now starting to find their best footy with back-to-back wins including Saturday’s 12.20 (92) to 9.12 (66) win over Deer Park.

Many might have predicted last year’s finalists to make a quicker start to the season but with major changes to the playing list in the off-season co-coach Pat Christofi has called for patience.

“We are a new side with new players, it has taken time for us to get the connection across all three lines,” he said.

“People just expect results instantly. We’re building towards the footy we set out to play at the start of the year. We’re learning to play together and the understanding of each other’s games will only grow the more we play.

“It’s a marathon, not a sprint. We’re setting ourselves up to continue improving in the coming weeks.”

Heading into Saturday’s clash, there was plenty of storylines to following including Lachie Smart, Mark Nicholls and Tim Quick facing off against their former club for the first time since they lifted the division one flag last season.

Christofi who had also previously been involved at Deer Park was facing off against his former side.

Quick and Smart went onto have influential roles in the 26-point win, being named in the best.

“Hats off to those guys for how they performed, there was a lot of pressure on them,” Christofi said.

“I thought Quick really nullified Majak Daw’s influence on the game. Smart bobbed up with a couple of goals at a critical time.”

The Cougars midfield played a key role in the result with Bruno Laguda, Zen Christofi, Nayef Hamad and ruckman Matt Dennis all named in the best.

Hamad in particular has caught the eye in recent weeks after crossing from Newport in the off-season.

“He’s lifted in every game,” Christofi said of Hamad.

“Bruno Laguda has been huge as well. Like other parts of the ground they’re slowing building that connection between each other.

“We’re heading in the right direction, and there is still a lot of improvement left in us.”

East Keilor will look to make it three wins in a row when they host Essendon Doutta Stars