Sandringham and Essendon will complete Round 1 of the Peter Jackson VFL when they play this Sunday at Trevor Barker Beach Oval.
Paul Hudson for the second year in a row will coach the team in Round 1, but this year he will be the official senior coach, taking over from Simon McPhee. Hayden Skipworth is in his third season in charge of Essendon.
We look at both clubs leading into Round 1:
Sandringham
Coach: Paul Hudson (new)
Captain: Adam Cockie
2014 finish: 6th
2014 best & fairest: Adam Cockie
Last premiership: 2006
Alignment: St Kilda
Notable ins: Trent Denis Lane (St Kilda), Clint Jones (St Kilda), Mitch Brown (Geelong), Darcy Brown (returning), Max Hayes (Williamstown), Taylor Grace (Sandringham Dragons)
Notable outs: James Munro (Casey Scorpions), Piers Flanigan (work)
Sandringham will be looking to try and achieve back to back finals campaigns for the first time since 2006/2007 in 2015. The Zebras have only played finals twice since 2007, but look set to hold their spot this year with new coach Paul Hudson openly predicting a top four finish for his side. Although the alignment with St Kilda is soon to end, the Zebras have benefited from offseason delistings from the Saints, adding Clint Jones and Trent Denis Lane to their VFL list. They join the brothers Brown, with Darcy and former Geelong Cat Mitch signing with the Zebras this season. Their young former Sandringham Dragon players like Kenny Ong, Elliott Le Grice and Yiber Zijai are becoming regular senior players, and that is where the improvement has come from for the Zebras over the last 12 months.
Essendon
Coach: Hayden Skipworth (3rd year – 4th total)
Captain: Marcus Marigliani
2014 finish: 10th
2014 best & fairest: Ariel Steinberg
Last premiership: -
Alignment: AFL standalone
Notable ins: Marcus Marigliani (Port Melbourne), James Polkinghorne (Brisbane), Jordan Schroder (Geelong), Sam Heavyside (Bendigo), Liam Byrne (Bendigo), Kyle Hardingham (Essendon), Isaac Muller (Murray Bushrangers)
Notable outs: Ben Duscher (retired), Murphy Ambrose (Norwood EFL), Wayne Schultz (Northcote Park), Al Kefford (Aberfeldie)
Not the most ideal of off seasons for Essendon at VFL, centring their preseason around the goings on of their AFL side. If anything it has given some of their key VFL players a taste of AFL football, and it has proved beneficial with the Bombers recording two wins from their limited practice matches. Experience was a key ingredient to the Bombers recruiting strategy this offseason, and they have attracted a wealth of it with former AFL players Kyle Hardingham, James Polkinghorne and Jordan Schroder joining the line-up, along with a former Essendon recruit and experienced VFL campaigner Marcus Marigliani. This will help cover the loss of captain Ben Duscher, and help further develop the young exciting talent on the list, with State Combine invitees Sam Tagliabue and Dan Coughlan back again in 2015, as well as Aaron Heppell and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti.
LAST TIME THEY MET:
Round 5, 2014
Sandringham 6.4, 10.6, 10.11, 17.17 (119)
Essendon 8.2, 9.7, 13.13, 16.14 (110)
GOALS
Sandringham :
A. Siposs 3, T. Milera 2, B. Maister 2, S. Dunell 2, T. Dennis-Lane 2, S. Ross 2, S. White 1, B. Murdoch 1, C. Shenton 1, Y. Zijai 1
Essendon :
C. Dell'Olio 5, J. Mellington 4, K. Hardingham 3, A. Kefford 1, L. Jetta 1, K. Aylett 1, T. Colyer 1
BEST
Sandringham :
A. Siposs, S. Ross, J. Holmes, B. Murdoch, C. Shenton, A. Cockie
Essendon :
C. Dell'Olio, N. O'Brien, J. Mellington, W. Schultz, T. Colyer, K. Hardingham
MEDIA COVERAGE:
VFL LIVE: On your iPhone: Via the Red Time Sport iPhone app which you can download for free from the iTunes store. On your digital Radio: Tune in each week on Aussie digital radio (SEN 2).
On the web: Via www.vfl.com.au link or CLICK HERE
Essendon Radio: Supporters can follow the VFL Bombers via the live stream on their desktop, or alternatively, on-the-go via the EFC app on their smart phone. The link will be available on essendonfc.com.au leading up to the match.
Last Modified on 17/04/2015 15:50
