EFL: Knox in relegation battle as it looks to secure a position in the 2019 Premier division

KNOX remains focused on securing a berth in next year’s inaugural Premier division but coach David Madigan concedes a winless start to the season has the Falcons in relegation territory.

James Curtiss has been one of several injured players on the sidelines. Picture: David Smith/AAP

KNOX remains focused on securing a berth in next year’s inaugural Premier division but coach David Madigan concedes a winless start to the season has the Falcons in relegation territory.

Knox has dropped its opening four games of the season by an average of eight goals, punctuated by two blowout losses against North Ringwood and Doncaster.

After winning promotion back to the Eastern Football League’s top tier last year, injuries to 2017 premiership players Harry Greaves, Ashley Black, James Curtiss, Ethan Murray, Mitch Hanegraaf and Reyne Harris and a host of departures over the summer has forced Knox to turn to youth in the first month of the season.

“I think we had eight young guys out there on Saturday that had played 25 games with the sum tally between them,” Madigan said.

Knox coach David Madigan. Picture: Lawrence Pinder

“I would have thought on the weekend there was probably only five, six, maybe seven, of that premiership team playing.

“This team we are putting on the park is not the same team by any stretch of the imagination, I’m not saying they’re better or worse, they are just younger.”

With the Eastern Football League moving to a five-tier model in 2019, two sides will be demoted from Division 1 at the end of the year to accommodate for the 10-team Premier competition.

East Ringwood also remains winless with a 0-4 record, with both the Roos and Falcons needing to make up a game on Blackburn and Noble Park.

Madigan praised the senior core of Jack Beech, Marcus Jordan, Jesse Plostins, Ryan Johnson and Ryan Wilson for taking the leadership reins, while blooding the likes of emerging talents Tom Walton, Liam Anson, Lucas Woodward, Lachlan Stuckey and Matt Tymensen.

But he said his side had a battle to avoid immediate demotion a year after winning a premiership.

“At 0-4 we are already there (relegation battle), the reality is we are probably already in that spot,” he said.

“It’s probably not going to be a great surprise to many people but we still think we can get a few guys back on the park in the next month or so and win two or three games.”