EFNL 2024: Jack Mahon stars for Surrey Park in Eastern league return
The Panthers have been boosted by a gun mid-season inclusion, with the ex-VFL man turning out a best-afield showing in a vital win over an Eastern Division 3 top-three rival on Saturday.
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Surrey Park’s latest inclusion has had no trouble adapting to the rigours of the Eastern league’s Division 3, with a former VFL midfielder starring in a best-afield showing on Saturday.
Inside bull Jack Mahon has joined the Panthers’ premiership push, returning to Melbourne after a stretch in Queensland.
Mahon was vice-captain at Doncaster when the club competed in Premier Division and had state league stops at Port Melbourne, Northern Blues and Frankston.
He was most recently listed with QAFL outfit Apsley, and reunites with Kane Henden at Surrey Park after the pair played together at Doncaster.
The Panthers clinched a 10.18 (78) to 9.5 (59) win over top-three rival Coldstream – with Mahon in his maiden appearance.
Surrey Park senior coach James Kenworthy said Mahon returned to Melbourne “two or three weeks” before the June 30 transfer deadline and was keen to play alongside former Doncaster teammate Henden.
“They’re such good mates that they were always going to play together again,” Kenworthy said.
“He (Mahon) is an absolute beast … his contest work was outstanding and he’s so committed – he had our most tackles for the day and the second-most clearances.
“That sort of experience in there really helps us.”
Mahon led a trio of midfield inclusions with Henden and Tadan Vitacca (three goals) also returning.
The second-placed Panthers lifted their record to 11-3, after piling on five majors to none in the opening term.
Despite trailing by 35 points at the half, Coldstream cut the deficit to just 17 with seven minutes expired in the last quarter.
“We wanted to really make a statement and coming into the game as well, we saw Coldstream’s side missing three of their key midfielders (and) we knew we were a chance to get on top in there,” Kenworthy said.
“When you go 5.5 to zero in the first quarter, it’s hard to peg that back – but to their (Coldstream’s) credit, they kept fighting and got close.”
Matches against Silvan, Fairpark, Oakleigh District and Upper Ferntree Gully close out Surrey Park’s home-and-away season, with sidelined names Matt Garvin, Jamie Glare, Tom Smith, Hayden Smith, Lachie Summers and Jack Woods eyeing a return in the run home.
“We’ll look to get a few back over the next month,” Kenworthy said.
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