EFL: Nine goals from Brett Eddy helps Vermont to an 84-point thumping over Norwood

A NINE-GOAL haul from Vermont recruit Brett Eddy guided Vermont to a big win over Norwood in a reminder that the Eagles will again be the yardstick of the competition.

Brett Eddy has 21 goals from the first four games of the season. Picture: Valeriu Campan

IT was a performance that’s become customary from Vermont in recent years but perhaps had not been seen in the first month of the Eastern Football League season.

Until Saturday.

The Eagles blew Norwood off Mullum Mullum Reserve with an 84-point hammering, reinforcing their status as the Division 1 benchmark thanks to a nine-goal haul from former Port Adelaide forward Brett Eddy.

The football journeyman had eight majors by halfway through the third quarter, while captain Lachlan Johns’ fine performance through the midfield was helped by some silver service from ruckman Liam Wale-Buxton.

Vermont coach Harmit Singh ranked the result as one of his side’s best from his 24 games in charge as Norwood suffered a harsh reality check.

“I think anytime a team comes out to Norwood, they are going to be hard to beat, they’re really well drilled, have a lot of really quality players,” Singh said.

“For us it was about committing to the way we want to play and staying the course for longer and to come here and get that win, and win it that way, was really positive and probably gives the group some confidence.”

Liam Wale-Buxton was a tower in the ruck. Picture: Valeriu Campan

While this season is regarded as an even competition, the weekend’s powerful display suggested the Eagles will once again be the yardstick of 2018 as rivals jostle for finals positions.

In a reminder of the depth Vermont has at its disposal, the 19.21 (135) to 7.9 (51) victory was achieved without Eddy’s partner up forward Andrew Ainger, who was a late withdrawal, while Robbie McComb, Rory Lehmann, Shane Davidson and Cam Howat also did not feature.

A week after touching up Noble Park by 15 goals, Norwood trailed by all of the same margin at halftime before falling to its heaviest defeat since Round 2, 2010 when the Norsemen lost by 122 points against Noble Park.

Such was the Eagles’ dominance in the first half, they registered 41 inside 50s to 17 to go to the main break with an 82-point advantage.

Vermont led by 34 points at quarter-time but a clever snap from Zak Carroll in the first 10 seconds of the second quarter looked as if it may spark the home side.

Instead the smart piece of play was an anomaly as the Eagles piled on 11 unanswered goals to blow the lead out to 99 points by midway through the third term.

However, the margin never tipped into triple figures as Vermont rested Jake Best, Ryan Phillips, Sam Wadley and Michael Knoll in the last quarter.

With some new personnel at his disposal this year, Singh said the Eagles would continue to work on their connection.

“We got back to what we’re about today and we had a number guys have key roles to play and across the 22, we just really brought into what we came here to do today,” Singh said.

“It’s just getting used to having a few different players in our system as well.”