EFL 2018: Upper Ferntree Gully moves to second on Division 2 ladder after 19-point win over Lilydale
Upper Ferntree Gully has leapfrogged Lilydale into second on the Eastern Football League Division 2 ladder after a last-quarter rally gave the Kings a 19-point win.
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THE quiet achievers have taken another scalp.
Upper Ferntree Gully has leapfrogged Lilydale into second on the Eastern Football League Division 2 ladder after a last-quarter rally gave the Kings a 19-point win.
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It’s the first time since Round 1 the Falcons have slipped outside the top two, sitting outside the finals double chance zone behind the Kings by .99 per cent.
It’s also the first time this year Lilydale has suffered consecutive losses after the surprise Round 15 defeat against Mooroolbark.
The Falcons led at each of the first three changes but were held goalless in the final quarter as Upper Gully finished with a 9.2 (56) to 5.7 (37) win.
Despite what may appear to be a form slump, Falcons coach Ben Neagle said his side’s form was coming together ahead of a mouth-watering clash against ladder-leaders Doncaster East.
“We were terrific on the weekend, we just didn’t do it for long enough,” Neagle said.
“I really think we’ve turned the corner, I’m rapt we get to go up against Doncaster East this weekend to really have a go at them.
“I just think it’s great to go into a finals series playing the better teams around us, it really bodes well for some finals stuff.”
Little has been said of Upper Gully’s rise this year but the Kings are on track to contend for a second flag in three years after going through the 2016 Division 3 season undefeated.
After kicking just 4.1 in the first three quarters, the Kings slotted 5.1 in the final term and kept Lilydale to three behinds to move to a 12-4 record.
“We just dropped off after having a really good day, we controlled a fair bit of the game to be honest, I think we had it on our terms for a long part of the day,” Neagle said.
“We’ve probably been off the boil a little bit over the last two or three weeks, so I said to the guys after the game that I was really pleased with our effort for three quarters and the way we played, but we just went away from a couple of things and to Upper Gully’s credit, they were terrific in the last quarter.”
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