EFL 2019: Park Orchards scores 45-point win over Knox in Eastern Football League

Park Orchards snapped a three-game losing streak thanks to a comfortable 45-point win over Knox to keep pace with the pacesetters in Division 1.

Jarrod Wright gets a kick away. Picture: Davis Harrigan

Park Orchards snapped a three-game losing streak thanks to a comfortable 45-point win over Knox on Saturday to post its second victory of the season.

The Sharks trailed by seven points at the first change but kicked 13 goals to five after quarter-time to come away with a 16.18 (114) to 9.15 (69) victory.

The result improved Park Orchards’ record to 2-3 after narrow losses against Lilydale (five points) and Croydon (three points).

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The Sharks also held a one-point lead over Doncaster East at halftime in Round 4 before being overrun by the Division 1 flag favourites.

Ben Heyde chases a loose ball. Picture: Davis Harrigan

Coach Dennis Armfield said his side needed to close the gap between its best and worst.

It led by 20 points at three-quarter time against Croydon and let Doncaster East kick nine goals to two after halftime.

The Sharks also lost with the last kick of the game against Lilydale after they had erased a 34-point deficit in the last term.

“I think we’re good enough to be around that mark but we’ve shown on our day we can lose a game just as good as we can win a game,” Armfield said.

“We’ve got a long way to go to close that gap … we know what we’ve got to do and our best is not far off but our worst is a hell of a long way off.”

Armfield said he would have a greater indication of where his side may sit in the competition at the halfway mark of the campaign.

“I’m about to play three or four other teams that I have no idea who they are or what they’re about, except for results and hearsay from the boys,” he said.

“I think we should be competitive, nothing changes for me, we’ve still got a mindset of playing some good finals footy.”

Five sides in the competition’s second tier are separated by just 16.62 per cent on the ladder, highlighting the evenness of the competition.

“We can have patches where we can’t stem the bleeding and we allow teams to kick, two, three, four goals on us, and all of a sudden we’ve lost our lead or we’re chasing,” Armfield said.

“I think our best footy can match it with the best … but it’s just being able to do that for long enough. We’re a young side, and that’s no excuse, but with youth you’re going to have ups and downs in games.”

Michael Philp and Jaye Witnish were influential in the forward line in the win over the Falcons with three goals each, while Jacob Price-Inglis provided dash off halfback and young ruckman Ryan Young was among the best players in his senior debut.

“They came at us really strongly in the third quarter and, to our credit, we knuckled back down, which we probably haven’t done in previous times when clubs have come at us,” Armfield said.

“It was just going back to basics, playing your role, playing whatever position you get told and doing that role to the best of your ability.”

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