Eltham has bounced back after a tough week to destroy Diamond Creek

After a tough week on and off the field, Eltham answers its critics in emphatic style, keeping Diamond Creek goalless for three quarters in a dominant win.

Kyle O'Sullivan in action for Eltham. Picture: Stuart Milligan

Eltham answered its doubters on Saturday, putting Diamond Creek to the sword.

The Panthers held their NFL Division 2 top-five rival to just four behinds in three quarters of football before running out 68-point winners at Central Park.

It was an impressive response following last week’s defeat to Thomastown and the loss of co-captain Brent Macaffer to suspension.

The 15.10 (100) to 4.8 (32) romp lifts Eltham up to third ahead of the Bears on percentage with Diamond Creek and St Mary’s a game behind.

Panthers coach Rob Hyde had no doubt it was the “best game since I’ve been at the club”.

Anton Woods in action for Eltham.

“We needed to respond a bit, we brought in nine players and played a couple of kids,” he said.

“We’d been competitive in every game but dropped away in patches … their intent was fantastic (on Saturday).

“To keep them to four points at three-quarter-time was terrific … I should have gone to Sportsbet before the game, I would have got 100-1.

“Look they had an off game and as I said to Andrew (Tranquilli) one team only needs to up 10 per cent or off 10 per cent.

“We’ve been pretty good at keeping teams to low-ish scores, even Banyule only kicked five goals, but our pressure and tackling was fantastic and the way we shifted the ball out of defence was really pleasing.”

A seven-goal second quarter set up a 50-point lead at half-time and only some late goals saved Diamond Creek from further embarrassment.

Mikael Avramov, Tom Carafa, Cooper James, Matthew Keys, Josh Merkel, Brendan O’Sullivan, Kyle O’Sullivan, Michael Still and Bailey Taglieri were the nine inclusions.

Still lead the Panthers with three goals, while Kyle O’Sullivan was among the best.

Jackson Weatherald was named best-on-ground after an outstanding performance in midfield.

“He’s just a really clever bloke, Jacko, when we get the footy to him he rarely makes a mistake,” Hyde said.

“With Caff out and Chipper Taglieri a couple of youngsters had to step up and Ben Smith, he’s only just turned 19 or 20, came on and did a terrific job.”

The win puts Eltham in the box seat for a double chance come finals time.

The Panthers face Watsonia and Panton Hill before their Good Friday bye with undefeated Banyule waiting on their return.

Macaffer will be available for the blockbuster against the ladder-leading Bears at Beverley Road.

Hyde was adamant his team couldn’t afford any slip ups in the run home.

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“It’s a stupid old cliche but we’ve got to make sure we win first but we’ve got five games to go and we’ve got the bottom four and Banyule,” he said.

“We’ve got Watsonia and Panton Hill before a break, if we can play good footy until then, regroup and then we’ve got Banyule, which will be a real litmus test.

“We’ve just got to keep on winning if we want the double chance, which won’t be easy because Thomastown will keep coming and Diamond Creek have a game on us.”

Diamond Creek will look to bounce back when they host Epping at Coventry Oval.

“FRUSTRATED” MACAFFER COPS THREE-WEEK BAN

Eltham will be without influential co-captain Brent Macaffer for the next three weeks after he was suspended by the Northern Football League tribunal.

Macaffer was cited for striking Thomastown’s David Folino in the third quarter of the Panthers’ eight-point loss on Saturday.

He was offered a two-match ban but will serve three after Eltham’s appeal attempt failed.

The Collingwood premiership player will miss the critical clash against Diamond Creek this week as well as fixtures against Watsonia and Panton Hill before returning for a Round 14 blockbuster against Banyule.

Panthers coach Rob Hyde said his skipper was ‘frustrated’ but knew he needed to be better.

Brent Macaffer and David Folino clash.

Brent Macaffer and David Folino clash.

“He knows he’s got to hold his (frustration) in,” Hyde said.

“I’m going to contact the umpires adviser, it’s not just him but some of the really good players get tagged and belted, they’re not protected enough.”

After Macaffer disposes of the ball Folino can be seen to raise his elbow as he approaches before being taken high by the Panthers’ star.

No free kick was paid at the time of the incident.

The Bears midfielder stayed down briefly before returning to play and finished the game.

Macaffer narrowly avoided suspension earlier in the season after being red carded in the win over Diamond Creek for umpire abuse.

The Panthers successfully appealed the suspension with footage showing Macaffer’s spray wasn’t directed at the umpire.

The ban means he will also be ineligible to defend his NFL Division 2 league best-and-fairest win from 2019.

It adds insult to injury after the loss to Thomastown.

Hyde said his team needed to learn how to win the close ones if it was going to contend for the premiership this season.

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“We haven’t been able to close games out like that this year, we got our noses in front against Lower Plenty and then lost by a goal,” he said.

“Other times we’ve plugged away and had bad periods, like our third quarter cost us three or four goals on the weekend, then we work hard to get in front and a lack of composure cost us.

“It’s very tight around that third, fourth, fifth area.”

Eltham sits fourth on the ladder, ahead of Diamond Creek on percentage, and only a game ahead of St Mary’s in sixth.