EFL 2019: Nunawading looking to avoid Eastern Football League’s longest losing streak
Nunawading will enter the Eastern Football League season on the verge on an unwanted piece of history as it vies for its first win in nearly four years.
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Nunawading will enter the Eastern Football League season on the verge on an unwanted piece of history as the Lions vies for their first win in nearly four years.
Nunawading is only five defeats away from equalling Surrey Park’s record of 67 for the longest losing streak in the competition’s history.
The Lions’ losing streak stands at 62, and their last win came in Round 10, 2015.
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Nunawading coach Paul Bevan said his side would be targeting a victory against league newcomers Croydon North/Mount Lilydale Old Collegians in Round 7.
MLOC has joined forces with Croydon North this year after winning five games in the VAFA Division 4 competition last season.
If Nunawading loses its opening five games, it will enter the clash needing a win to avoid inheriting the league’s longest losing streak (the Lions have a bye in Round 6).
“I don’t know how many quality players they’ve brought in or where they’re at but you treat them as a good side,” Bevan said.
“You look at the game and go, ‘that’s one that’s a real possibility’.
“Can we win it? Yeah, absolutely. Can we lose it as well? Yeah, definitely. You pencil some in but there is nothing certain in footy.”
Nunawading has added a number of players over the off-season.
Brothers Phil and Caleb Schulz (Mt Waverley), Brad Reiner (Sandown), Matthew Hume (University of Queensland), brothers Josh and Matt Smith (Boort) and Michael Van Rooy (Pennant Hills) have joined the club.
Reiner played every game at Sandown last year and Van Rooy played in the AFL Sydney Premier division last season after a previous stint at VAFA club Aquinas.
But co-captain Luke Bogdan has departed to South Belgrave, while 2017 Division 4 Team of the Year ruckman Zac Haig has returned to Donvale.
Zac Zaloumis, Luke Davis, Alex Mitchell and Luke Mitchell have gone to Fairpark, while Liam Burns has linked up with Bayswater.
“This year we’ve matured as a group, we’ve added blokes in and I think the blokes that have been there have also matured,” Bevan said.
“We’ve really worked on our fitness and making sure we can run out games and being competitive.
“We were competitive in games but we weren’t competitive for long enough — we’d get blown out in the back of a quarter or the last quarter.
“If we’re in games longer, we’ll have more opportunity to win games.
“The boys and myself are under no illusions we’re where at and where we want to be and obviously winning games is paramount to what we want to do.”
Nunawading opens its season against Kilsyth on April 6 at Koonung Reserve.
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