EFL 2019: Doncaster East improves its record to 10-2

Doncaster East is sitting atop the Division 1 ladder and is viewed as the flag favourite, but coach Steve Buckle has a message for those that believe the Lions already have the silverware won.

Doncaster East coach Steve Buckle. Picture: Stuart Milligan

Any suggestions Doncaster East should start engraving its name on the EFL Division 1 premiership cup should be dismissed, according to coach Steve Buckle.

Satruday’s round of matches highlighted the competitiveness of the Eastern league’s second-tier competition.

The bottom three teams all enjoyed wins and seventh-placed Mooroolbark ran ladder-leader Doncaster East to seven points.

The Lions have a healthy percentage of 180.83 — 66.15 clear of the next best side — and have dropped only two games for the season.

They have star players in Simon White, Brock McLean, Michael Steven, Tom Gordon, Chris Phelan and Jake Summers, but Buckle said the flag race was wide open.

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Former Vic Metro under-18 representative Alex Rintoul made his Lions debut on the weekend, while Tom Davis also made his first senior appearance for the club after being cleared from Balwyn last month.

Rintoul last played for Greensborough in the Northern league Division 1 competition and could have a significant bearing in the run to finals.

“I know a few people were saying it’s ours to lose but I’ve been speaking for quite some time that it never has been,” Buckle said.

“We might have started off really well in the first part of the season but I think teams are really doing their homework and they’re really getting up for that game and playing a similar brand against us.

“We understand most teams are flooding us now and really trying to choke us and stop us scoring.”

Gordon again starred in the win over Mooroolbark to lift Doncaster East to a 10-2 record, with White, McLean, Steven and Jack Sholakis also important contributors.

Tom Gordon takes a mark for Doncaster East. Picture: Mark Dadswell

“We were getting beaten in the middle but as soon as we got Tom Gordon in the ruck, he started winning the hit-outs so he was our best ruckman, he was our best onballer, he was our best clearance (player) and then he almost became our best forward as well,” Buckle said.

“Without him, we would have been nowhere near it.”

Doncaster East had five less scoring shots than a resurgent Mooroolbark but capitalised on its chances to enjoy a 9.5 (59) to 6.14 (50) win.

An upset seemed on the cards at three-quarter time when the Lions trailed by two points before holding the Mustangs goalless in the final term.

With six games remaining, just one win separates fifth to 10th.

Buckle said his side was lucky to bank the four premiership points against the Mustangs, which have recovered from a 0-5-1 start to the season to be just half-a-game outside the top four.

“They missed a couple of really gettable ones and I spoke to their coach (Bret Lavars) after the game and said, ‘I know it doesn’t make it any easier but we got a away with one’,” Buckle said.

“We were outplayed for the majority of the time but we just took our moments.”

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