EFL 2019: Vermont pair Ryan Mullett and Cam Purdy to return for Premier Division semi-final clash
Vermont will welcome back two of its biggest names for the semi-final against Balwyn as it looks to complete one of the most dominant seasons in the EFL.
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Vermont is expected to be at full strength for Saturday’s semi-final against Balwyn in its tilt at back-to-back premierships.
The Eagles will welcome back Ryan Mullett and Cam Purdy for the clash at Bayswater Oval.
The winner will book the first spot in the EFL Premier Division grand final.
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Vermont went through the home-and-away rounds with a 17-1 record and its percentage of 206.6 was the highest recorded in the top-tier since 2005.
Mullett and Purdy were rested from the Round 18 clash against North Ringwood but will return for the match against Balwyn.
It will leave Harmit Singh and his coaching panel with some selection headaches.
“We’ve basically got a full list to choose from, which is nice given the position we were in for probably the first half of the year,” Singh said.
“We played 41 players so we’ll see how we go with selection but there’s obviously a few selection calls that we’ll have to make.”
Such is Vermont’s strength, 2018 premiership pair Luke McComb and Connor McCafferty have been omitted to the reserves.
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The two would be walk-up starts in any other senior team.
“There’s probably 30, 35 guys that are performing really well in the development team,” Singh said.
“Hamish McGowan has played 10 (senior) games this year, Pat Wallis, Jack O’Keefe has kicked a number of goals in the reserves, Josiah Duncan …”
Singh coached Morwell to back-to-back flags in 2013 and 2014 and he could be a two-time premiership coach at Vermont this September.
“The strength of this group is also the closeness of the group,” he said.
“It’s something I look back on when we were able to win back-to-back premierships at Morwell as to how united the playing group was and the resolve around achieving a common goal.
“This group is a really resilient group, a hardworking group.
“Obviously they are leaving no stone unturned in terms of their own individual preparation and what they can control.”
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