Southern league: Cheltenham to host Bentleigh in Anzac Day clash
Cheltenham and Bentleigh take centre stage with an Anzac Day clash, and the Rosellas will unveil a VFL player for his debut with the club.
Southern
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CHELTENHAM has been hosting Anzac tribute matches in the Southern league for 15 years.
But, in a quirk of the calendar, this Thursday’s clash against Bentleigh will be the first time a game has been staged on Anzac Day.
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The pre-game luncheon is one of the highlights of the bayside sporting calendar, with guest speakers ranging from war veterans to historians and members of the Australian Defence Force.
Royal Australian Navy Commander and orthopaedic surgeon Dr Ian Young AM is this year’s speaker.
On the field, the Rosellas and the Demons can be expected to play out a keen Division 1 clash at Jack Barker Oval.
Cheltenham fell to Dingley in Round 1 but hit back handsomely against Highett seven days later.
The Demons are also 1-1: they lost to St Paul’s first up but knocked over Oakleigh District in Round 2.
“I think our formlines are similar,’’ Cheltenham coach Des Ryan said.
“Bentleigh went down to the reigning premier — and let’s not forget St Paul’s are a pretty good football team — and we got beaten by a really good Dingley side.
“Then they beat Oakleigh District, who probably aren’t at the top of their game, and we beat Highett, who are in their first year back in Division 1.
“(Former AFL player) Jed Lamb is obviously an outstanding player so to have that injection of talent is a huge asset for them (the Demons).
“I think it’s going to be a cracking match. We’ll play as hard as footy as we can possibly play, and pay respect to the day.
“It’s an important day for our club. We lobbied to have it moved to Anzac Day and we’re going to present ourselves to the footy community. It’s a must-win game for us. We’ve made a habit in the past of losing early games. We’ve got to be better than that now.’’
The Rosellas will include Sandringham-listed tall forward Kai Owens for his first game for the club.
The Zebras have the bye in Round 4 of the VFL.
“He’s a great kid and a great prospect,’’ Ryan said of the former Sandringham Dragon.
“He’s 6’4 and super athletic and can jump and run.’’