EDFL: Coburg Districts secure upset win over Oak Park
Tom Gleeson last week declared “we’re coming”. Now Coburg Districts have backed up their coach’s words with a shock win over Oak Park.
Essendon
Don't miss out on the headlines from Essendon. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Coburg Districts coach Tom Gleeson last week declared his side were “coming”.
And they’ve now stormed into EDFL Division 2 premiership discussions after upsetting ladder leader Oak Park 10.10 (70) to 8.8 (56) on Saturday.
The win was built on a brilliant opening term where the Lions kicked 5.3 to 0.1.
Despite Oak Park working its way back into the contest, the Lions would lead at every change to write the latest chapter in a remarkable turnaround this season.
Gleeson said while the four points were “very pleasing” there was plenty for his side to work on.
“At the end of the day it’s a good building block for us to go on from,” he said.
“It’s Round 12 and there’s still a lot of footy to be played. We’re doing a lot right at the moment.
“The boys cracked in massively and I thought it was a great contest. I wouldn’t say Oak Park played poorly.
“It was a good game of footy.”
Cooper Keogh continued his fantastic season with a best on ground display while Gleeson and Ricky McGill finished with two goals apiece.
Nicholas Georgeades, Bailey Wileman, Spencer Aitken, Tom Lay and Matt Landini were also impressive for the Lions.
Gleeson said the performances were a “reward for effort” for his side.
“Internally there has always been the belief that we can content with the top teams,” he said.
“We just needed to prove it to ourselves by getting that type of result.”
In the weekend’s other game, Northern Saints stunned Hadfield who has now lost its last five matches.
The result handed Coburg Districts a two-game advantage over the Hawks.
“I think Northern Saints are a well-coached team and are a lot better than people think,” Gleeson said.
“Results probably haven’t shown that this year thought. They certainly helped us out.”
Taj McCartney was named the best player on the ground for Oak Park.
Next weekend will see the second half of the split round completed.
GLEESON: DISTRICTS ARE ‘COMING’
Coburg Districts coach Tom Gleeson has boldly declared “we’re coming”.
Gleeson’s fighting words came after the Lions moved back into the EDFL Division 2 top four for the first time since round 1 following a 9.7 (61) to 5.12 (42) win over Hadfield on Saturday.
It was the Lions’ fifth win in their last six games as they improved their record to 6-5 while also moving a game clear of the Hawks.
The Lions troubling start to the season, which saw them fall to 1-3 after the opening four rounds, saw injuries wreak havoc with key players missing weeks at a time.
Despite injuries continuing to be a challenge, Gleeson is hopeful the worst is behind his side.
“We’ve been pretty stiff with injuries and illness — it’s meant we’ve had to make a lot of changes to our side,” he said.
“But we’ve had guys come in and do a job for us which is all we can ask. I believe the club has a strong core group of 30 and we bat pretty deep.
“The boys are all good mates. They all genuinely want to be out there on a Saturday with each other. We’re getting players back.
“We’re coming and we think our best footy is ahead of us. If that happens, we should be there abouts.”
Spencer Aitken continued his brilliant form for the Lions on the weekend with a second straight best on ground display.
It was a performance which led Gleeson to describe his star onballer as a “machine”.
Bailey Wileman, Cooper Keogh, Nicholas Ciampa, Tom Lay and debutant John Lindon also impressed.
“Spence is our barometer,” Gleeson said.
“He has been unfortunate with injury over the past couple of years but he has done everything in his power to get him playing the footy he is at the moment. He’s someone who also stands up when we need him.
“As our co-captain with Aaron Aquilina, they always lead from the front.”
Coburg Districts were forced to come from behind to secure an important four points after kicking just one goal in the opening half.
They turned the game on its head after the main break with eight goals to Hadfield’s one.
“We weren’t about to execute in front of goal,” Gleeson said.
“I put it on our leaders to halftime and told the boys there was no need to panic because we were giving ourselves opportunities and the reward would come.
“It became a case of being harder at the footy for longer.”
The Lions next face a huge test against Oak Park while Hadfield will aim to bounce back against the Northern Saints.
Ranked: The ex-AFL players who lit up local footy this year
From the bush to the ‘burbs, former AFL players thrilled local football crowds across all corners of the state this year. We’ve named the best – and ranked the top 15. See who heads the list.
Every signing of the EDFL off-season
The EDFL off-season has only just started but some clubs have already well and truly started making moves for 2025. Keep up to date with every signing in our signing tracker.