EFL 2019: Vermont scores 66-point win over Balwyn
Balwyn coach Rodney Eade says Vermont would be “difficult for any side to beat” in finals, but the Eagles’ thumping win over the Tigers was not reflective of the difference between the two sides.
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It appears there is only one team that can beat Vermont in the Premier Division finals and that’s Vermont itself.
It will take an extraordinary turn of events to knock the Eagles off the path to their 21st premiership.
Rival coaches would be sweating on a case of the wobbles — or a repeat of the 2017 grand final upset — for the powerhouse to slip up in September.
It seemed odd to be asking if the second-placed side could challenge the flag favourite.
But Saturday’s scoreline in Vermont’s top-of-the-table clash against Balwyn underlined why the Eagles will take some stopping on the way to back-to-back flags.
The Tigers, with a top-three position locked away and no chance of improving their ladder position, experimented with player positions at Terrara Rd.
They were competitive in the first half but fell away after halftime and crashed to a 66-point defeat as Vermont improved its record to 16-1.
Balwyn coach Rodney Eade said the 15.19 (109) to 6.7 (43) scoreline was a fair reflection of the game but not an accurate difference between the two sides.
“We tried a few different things and lost a couple of players and all that sort of stuff but it wouldn’t have made a lot of difference to the end result,” Eade said.
“They played very well. They were terrific. We’ve got some work to do, which we knew anyway.
“We’re defeated but not down. We’ll lick our wounds and try to improve.”
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Veteran defender Kris Pendlebury didn’t play in the second half with tightness in his calf but is expected to take his place in Balwyn’s first final against Blackburn.
Eade said his undersized backline battled hard against Vermont twin towers Brett Eddy and Andrew Ainger.
He said the Eagles would take some beating in finals.
“There’s certainly a gap (but) I don’t know how big it is,” he said.
“Saturday probably wasn’t reflective of the way we want to play and what we do.
“We were certainly disappointed in the way we played, especially after halftime.
“They’re a good side, they’re really even all over the park and got some really good players so it’s going to be difficult for any side to beat them.”
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