EFL: Doncaster moves a game clear in the Division 1 top three after an 83-point win over North Ringwood

PLAY was stopped during North Ringwood’s Eastern Football League Division 1 clash against Doncaster when an ambulance was called after a sickening headclash between two teammates.

North Ringwood footballer Darcy Harris was discharged from hospital.

DONCASTER’S commanding 83-point win was overshadowed by a sickening head clash between two North Ringwood players on Saturday.

The game was stopped for about 20 minutes early in the first quarter when Darcy Harris clashed heads with a teammate competing for the ball.

An ambulance was called and Harris was taken to hospital after the heavy hit but was later given the all clear, suffering a severe concussion and stitches to his lip.

Nasty early clash here unfortunately- friendly fire between 2 Saints, this will be an ambulance on the field so could be a long delay @footyefl @NorthRingwoodFC

— Doncaster FC (@DoncasterSharks) June 2, 2018

Great job by the ambulance here, been on the field and gone 24 minutes since the incident @footyefl @NorthRingwoodFC

— Doncaster FC (@DoncasterSharks) June 2, 2018

The blow was further compounded when Tim Jones suffered a dislocated elbow in the opening term.

The 17.13 (115) to 4.8 (32) victory at Quambee Reserve moved the Sharks a game clear in the Division 1 top three after Rowville’s surprise defeat at the hands of Noble Park.

The Saints were kept to just one goal after halftime as the Sharks piled on 10.11 to power to their sixth win of the season to move to a 6-2 record alongside South Croydon.

“We felt we had control of the game (at halftime) without putting the scoreboard pressure on and then it broke open in the second half,” Doncaster coach Andrew Tranquilli said.

“It was a game we came off the ground saying, ‘OK, there are two ways to look at it, did they drop off because of what happened (the head clash) or did we just take over and I think it was the latter’.”

Doncaster has had an even spread of goalkickers up forward this year, with James Munks the only player to kick more than 15 majors after eight rounds.

But the Sharks have the second-best set of defensive numbers in the competition behind Vermont, conceding an average of just 62 points a game.

“We don’t have a Leigh Williams that is going to be the focal point and kick you six, seven, eight-a-game so our style of play is to make sure we keep the ball alive in our inside 50 and then it’s our pressure acts that can convert to scoreboard pressure,” Tranquilli said.

“Our whole philosophy is about being defensive first, whether it is backline, midfield or forward line, regardless of where you start in the 18.

“It’s not about stopping goals as a defensive six but it’s about stopping opportunities as an 18-unit.”