Thomastown trumps Eltham to enter Division 2 premiership discussion
Anthony Capeci kicked five goals for the second straight week as Thomastown edged Eltham to confirm itself as a NFL Division 2 premiership challenger.
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If it wasn’t already, Thomastown is definitely in the NFL Division 2 premiership conversation now.
The Bears produced a stirring performance to edge pre-season favourites Eltham by 11 points on Saturday at Main St Reserve.
While the Panthers wasted several golden opportunities in front of goal, Thomastown capitalise on it chances to claim a 11.7 (73) to 8.14 (62) victory and start the season 2-0.
Coach Mario Bandera couldn’t have asked for a better start.
“We obviously think we’ll be thereabouts this season, we’ve just got to put it all together,” he said.
“It’s a good measuring stick for us, Eltham have been up there the last few seasons and have improved their list since last season.
“It was a cracking game and I said to my coaches late in the game ‘if we don’t get up it’s nothing we’ve done wrong’, neither side deserved to lose.
“It’s the age old adage, we’ll take it week-by-week, but when we looked at the first month of the season we believed we could make an positive impact.”
After an early arm-wrestle that saw neither side score in the second term and Eltham take a five-point lead into half-time, the game broke open in the second half as the weather improved.
Thomastown piled on 7.6 while the Panthers added 2.7 to hand momentum and a 24-point lead to the home side at the final break.
Eltham hit back in the fourth term but the deficit was too much.
With Josh Beare and Matt Vasilevski out injured, Anthony Capeci took the captaincy and responded with his second straight bag of five goals.
“He’s learnt a lot about himself, in the past he would have struggled if he was having a bad day or the opposition came after him,” Bandera said.
“I said to his dad after the game, he should be really proud of how far he’s come.”
Tyla Barrow was best-on-ground in his second game for the club after crossing from Division 1 club Bundoora, while Adrian Natoli and Aaron D’Anelo also impressed.
Barrow battled injury during the week but showed no signs of being hindered.
“We didn’t know if Tyla was going to get up, so it’s great for him to stand up under physical difficulty,” Bandera said.
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“He can play tall or small, gives us a bit of run off half-back and gives us some composure in defence that is really important.”
It’s a disappointing result for Eltham, dropping to 1-1, but with a chance to rebound against promotion-winner Panton Hill in Round 2.
Tom Cantwell was named the Panthers’ best for the second straight week, while captains Anton Woods and Brent Macaffer held their heads up and Daniel Jarvis kicked two goals.
Thomastown will look to make it three wins from three starts when it travels to St Mary’s in Round 2.
LEONARDIS STARS IN THOMASTOWN’S GOOD FRIDAY ROMP
Ex-AFL star Tyrone Leonardis has made an instant impact for Thomastown, leading it to 97-point victory over NFL Division 2 rival Epping in a fiery Good Friday clash.
The former Sydney draftee was prolific through the midfield and kicked four goals in a dynamic display for his new club having stepped away from VFL football this season.
Facing his former club, fellow Bears newcomer Joel Carter was equally impressive, while dangerous forward Anthony Capeci booted a game-high five majors.
Thomastown coach Mario Bandera was rapt with his fleet of recruits’ first showing in the 27.17 (173) to 13.2 (80) win.
“We’re first to admit we’re lucky to have guys the calibre of Tyrone and Tangy (Michael Tang) walk into our club and then Joel had a bit of extra motivation playing against his old club,” he said.
“Joel has had a super summer, only missed one or two sessions so he’s super fit, and he’s just a sponge learning the art of ruck work.
“When he walked in the door in November if you looked at his ruck work and tap work now from where he was, he’s A-Grade.
“Young Kane (Slater) was awesome as well, I remember coaching against him and I remember how dynamic he was, he kicked four and probably gave away another four.”
In a sometimes heated contest, the major flash point came midway through the third quarter when boom Epping recruit James Tadd was reported for striking Tyla Barrow.
After a brief scuffle the pair were shown yellow cards and sent off for 15 minutes.
“The umpires handled it really well, it took them three or four minutes but they rounded up everyone involved,” Bandera said.
“I popped my head in after the game and said ‘I don’t usually say this but great job, guys’.”
Thomastown have lofty ambitions this season but couldn’t shake a determined Epping in the first half.
The Bears led by 18 points at the main break as the Pingers made the most of their limited opportunities by kicking an accurate 9.2 to 11.8.
However, it was a different story in the second half as Thomastown found its rhythm, piling on 15 goals to four.
“I spoke to (Epping coach) Aaron (Johnston) after the game and he was pretty happy with their first half, being only three goals down,” Bandera said.
“For all the bad things you hear, Epping moved the ball fairly well, I was really impressed with their ball movement.
“I got stuck into the boys a bit about defence, we weren’t switched on and were giving them too much space.
“We changed up a few things, denied them the space we were giving them, and within 15 minutes we kicked six goals.
“I was really impressed with the response after half-time … both sides were struggling late, it was a war of attrition in the heat.”
Thomastown will be without the services of reigning club best-and-fairest Matthew Vasilevksi after the star onballer injured his hamstring, souring the win.
The Bears were also without key forwards Josh Beare and Todd Hughes but still managing to rack up a huge score, pleasing the coach.
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Thomastown will face fellow Good Friday victors Eltham on Saturday in an extended Round 1.
“I’m pretty happy getting them early, I think we get Lower Plenty, to test us and see how we go,” Bandera said.
“I’ve heard a bit about how they went (on Friday) and we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
It doesn’t get any easier for Epping who face a fresh Lower Plenty in the second of its Round 1 games at Montmorency Park.
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