Eastern Premier league: Noble Park goes to 7-2 as it sees off Berwick

Twenty-year-old Liam Scott was best-afield as Noble Park got the better of a persistent Berwick at Moodemere St.

Liam Scott with Noble Park coach Steve Hughes.

Liam Scott admits he lost some interest in football last year.

There had been a bit of a buzz about the Noble Park player in 2019 as he earned the attention of VFL clubs and then an invitation to the AFL state draft combine.

He also made three appearances late in the season with the Dandenong Stingrays.

But 2020 was a write-off for him and most people in football.

“I sort of lost a bit of interest in footy, just with COVID and all that,’’ he said.

Scott decided he would play at Noble Park again in 2021 and see what became of it.

Happily, he’s enjoying the game again.

On Saturday at the Pat Wright Senior Oval he gave his best performance of the season and was best-afield as Noble Park defeated league newcomer Berwick by 20 points, 12.10 (82) to 10.2 (62), in Eastern Premier.

Quietly and steadily, Noble has made purposeful progress to the top rungs of the ladder.

No one at Moodemere St holds up this team of Bulls as world-beaters, but their seventh win from nine matches has them third.

For a few minutes early in the last quarter it appeared Berwick might finish over the top of them, with goals from Jed Smith, Josh Burgess and Madison Andrews cutting Noble Park’s lead to 18 points.

Noble Park sings the song after defeating Berwick.

Suddenly the crowd was riding every umpiring decision and there were some shouts of frustration from the Noble Park coaching box.

But the Bulls gained the steadying goal they needed.

And of course it came from captain Kyle Martin, swinging the ball back from a set-shot close in.

Berwick got the next goal through its brilliant little forward Harrison “Easy’’ Money, his third for the match, but by then time was against the visitors.

Kicking into a cold wind, the Wickers had been held scoreless in the first quarter. But from there they kept at it and kept themselves in it; persistence was their best quality on a day when not everything went right for them. They made a few too many skill errors – dropped marks, missed kicks and handballs – to threaten Noble but they did enough things well to test the Bulls.

Three of their experienced leaders were at the heart of the challenge: Andrews and Travis Tuck, both bulls of footballers, and former VFL defender Michael Riseley.

Andrews had asked to play on Martin and went with him step for step. He was named in the best. Martin was for Noble too. Both had 21 possessions; given Martin had 50 touches the previous week, Berwick was calling it a win.

Fellow defenders Lachlan Vaughan, Riley Heddles and Anthony Vella did well too.

Back to Scott, who had 21 possessions and eight marks.

“I thought he did a really good job across half back,’’ coach Steve Hughes said of the 20-year-old.

“He was a little bit off the boil a couple of weeks back. In the first part of the season we played him as a key forward. We wanted to give him a new focus, and he’s got the skill-set to be a good defender. He’s aggressive, he’s quick, he’s strong, he’s good in the air.’’

The same description could apply to fellow defender Ryan Morrison, who had 33 disposals and eight marks.

Tom Glen, Luke Bull, Zig Alwan and Jackson Sketcher had an influence too. Left-footers Ali Zijai and Lachie Quaife both kicked two goals.

Hughes said the win was “hard work’’.

“I thought at quarter time that we’d had an opportunity to break them open, but their good players kept them in the game, I thought: Tuck, Madi Andrews, Money,’’ he said.

“I thought we were the better team. Didn’t play our best footy but we’ll take it every day of the week.

“I think they (Berwick) grow another leg against us because so many of the players know each other. There was some back and forth early in the game. They were up and about.’’

Hughes said he was pleased with Noble’s progress – and said it had “room for improvement’’.

“We’ve got seven or eight VFL-listed players and only one of them played today, so that was a good demonstration of the depth we’re building in the club. It shows we’re building a bit of resilience to those scenarios.’’

Berwick coach Clint Evans.

Berwick coach Clint Evans said his side started slowly again and was made to pay, as it had in previous rounds.

He said the Wicks were competing well in a stronger competition.

“The boys are having a crack but it’s a 10 ort 15-minute lapse in each game that costs us,’’ Evans said.

“We could get away with it from where we came from (AFL Outer East) but against these good sides, a 15-mimute lapse is four or five goals.

“That’s’ where we’ve got to get better.’’

He said Berwick was enjoying its maiden season in Eastern.

“Loving it. You’re playing a good side every week,’’ Evans said.