EFNL 2021: Why East Burwood accepted Division 2 promotion

Rams coach Stuart Wynd reveals why his club accepted the Eastern league’s offer to compete in Division 2 next season.

East Burwood took up the EFNL’s offer of promotion after Warrandyte declined. Picture: Davis Harrigan

East Burwood is set to embark on its second new division in as many years, and coach Stuart Wynd says his group are up for the challenge.

It was revealed last week that the Rams had accepted an Eastern league invitation for promotion from Division 3 to join Division 2.

The move comes after the club shifted to Division 3 following a 2019 season which yielded a grand final appearance in Division 4.

It finished second in Division 3 this season with a 7-3 record – behind Warrandyte which first declined the league’s invitation for promotion.

Wynd said the lure of playing a higher division of football was too good to refuse after receiving the offer.

“We’re rapt that we’re going up, we’ve got a really young list and all those boys just want to play the best footy they can,” Wynd said.

“Our goal four years ago when I took over was to try and get up through the divisions, and whilst we haven’t won a flag doing it, we’ve put ourselves in the position to get the opportunity to go up.

“It’s so hard to win premierships these days, and if you don’t take the opportunity when you get it to go up, you never know how long you’re going to be in that division for.”

East Burwood coach Stuart Wynd says his club is “rapt” with the move. Picture: Steve Tanner

But the Rams coach, who recently re-signed for 2022 for a fifth year at the helm, is under no illusions of the challenge at hand.

“It’s not going to be easy – it’s a pretty big jump from third division to second division, and we’re just hoping to be competitive,” Wynd said.

“We think our style that we play holds up – we’re quick, we’ve got really young legs … I know the teams in it have got good young lists as well.

“It’s certainly going to be a good challenge to not just make up the numbers.”

Wynd said “the majority of the group” had signed on for next season, while he’ll also look to unearth emerging talent who played in the under-19 program this year.

“We’ve signed up 18 or 19 of our under-19 players which is just crucial for us … they’re all 20-and-a-half now, and there’s four or five of them that are ready to play (seniors),” he said.

“We’ve got some really good young talent coming through and they’ll get opportunities – hopefully we can find three or four good senior players out of that next year.”

Southern league club Oakleigh District is hoping to join the Eastern league in Division 2 next season, while Outer East top-flight outfit Beaconsfield is seeking a move into Division 1. A vote on the pair’s moves is set to be put to clubs on September 29.

Meanwhile, Park Orchards accepted an invitation to be promoted to Premier Division as Coldstream heads to Division 3.