Local footy: Tullamarine win an EDFL thriller against Westmeadows
A former VFL club best and fairest was a class above in Tullamarine’s big win over Westmeadows making the challenging conditions look easy.
Essendon
Don't miss out on the headlines from Essendon. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Someone forgot to tell Tullamarine star Matt O’Dwyer conditions were meant to make footy difficult on Saturday.
The former Werribee VFL best and fairest starred in his best performance of the season with five goals to lead the Demons to a 14.10 (94) to 12.16 (88) win over Westmeadows in a thrilling contest.
Tullamarine was forced to do it the hard way, kicking the last two goals of the game — into a strong breeze — to avoid a second loss of the season.
O’Dwyer was a class above according to Demons coach David Connell finishing with five straight in tough conditions.
“He was the cleanest player on the ground,” he said.
“Every time he got the ball inside 50 it looked like he was going to kick a goal. He didn’t get a massive amount of the footy but it was quality over quantity for Matty.
“In a game where lots of guys were making mistakes he made it look easy at times.
“His impact was outstanding.”
Shaun McKernan again enjoyed a sensational display with two goals, also spending time in the ruck to help his side gain control of the contest after Westmeadows burst out of the blocks after halftime.
He along with Dom Micallef, Michael Dalrymple, Anthony Prestia and Brandon Marlow were among Tullamarine’s better players.
Omar Saad finished with three goals for Westmeadows while Jayden Ranno was named the best player on the ground.
“It would have been a great game of footy to watch, not really coach,” Connell joked.
“I thought we were really good in the first quarter but weren’t able to make the most of our opportunities — we kicked 3.6 and that allowed West to have a bit of a sniff.
“It probably looks like we stole it a bit because of the way we finished and I do feel for West because they’re a terrific side. I thought the boys showed great character which was really important for us.”
The Demons sit second on the ladder with an 8-1 record heading to a week off.
Their only loss came against fellow premiership contender Airport West.
“We haven’t played anywhere near our best footy yet,” Connell said.
“The last three weeks have been improvement compared to what we showed in the first six games but we know we’ve got a lot to fix.
“That’s what’s exciting. We’re looking forward to seeing what we can produce in the back half of the year.”
Tullamarine will face Sunbury Kangaroos on June 18 while Westmeadows welcome Moonee Valley.
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.