EFL 2019: Mooroolbark rises into Division 1 top five

Mooroolbark was winless after the first six rounds of the EFL Division 1 season, but the Mustangs are now one of the form teams of the competition as they push for a finals berth.

Aaron Mullett has been one of Mooroolbark’s best player. Picture: Andy Brownbill

Mooroolbark has risen from the bottom of the EFL Division 1 ladder to enter the top five for the first time this year.

The Mustangs were winless after the first six rounds and were anchored to the bottom of the ladder, but are now one of the form teams of the competition.

Their percentage remains the second worst in the division, but their win-loss record has them sitting fifth after a 16-point win over Upper Ferntree Gully on Saturday.

Mooroolbark captain Sean McManus said he did not expect his side to be in the five after starting the year 0-5-1.

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“It’s pretty crazy, hey?” McManus said.

“Once we started winning games six, seven weeks ago, it was still close back then. We were bottom or second bottom and there was still two to three games to fifth and now that is even closer.

“We were just all about week to week … get the next win and try snowball from there.”

Mooroolbark’s only defeats since Round 6 have been against top-two sides Croydon (17 points) and Doncaster East (nine points).

But it challenged the Blues when scores were level at three-quarter time and had six more scoring shots against the ladder-leading Lions.

“We’ve done enough so far to get in there (top five), but it’s so close that if you drop a game you slip down to eighth or something like that,” McManus said.

“It’s all in our control now. The teams we’re coming up against are the teams we started winning games against at the start of the year so we’ve definitely got every opportunity to hold the spot.”

McManus pointed to Mooroolbark’s defensive efforts as to the reason behind its climb up the table.

The Mustangs have conceded an average score of 48 points since Round 7.

“It wasn’t totally there the first six rounds but the last six or seven games, that’s been our barometer and what we want to do well in and making other teams accountable all across the ground,” he said.

“At the start of the year we struggled to kick a winning score as well but we have more contributors across the board and we’re kicking more goals.

“I think that has been a big thing because other than Doncaster East in Round 3 when they beat us by 100 points, we haven’t really had big scores kicked against us.”

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