By KEVIN HILLIER - Division 1 Seniors
IT was the day all Deer Park fans had been waiting for, the senior debut of Brendan Fevola and Shannon Byrnes and no one left disappointed, except the Hoppers Crossing contingent.
Fev was a revelation, turning back the clock with a couple of stunning goals in the 10 he kicked for the day.
Byrnes had a few seconds on the highlights reel as well, but it was unquestionably the Fev Show, and he loved every minute of it.
Juggling the troops will be Marc Bullen’s headache with Fev, Bloomfield and Perkins all noted goal kickers and James Condos keen to strap the boots on as well.
Deer Park head to Albion this week and should be too strong for the Cats even though the headliners are unlikely to play.
Hoppers Crossing is a very young side and the loss of Wayde Skipper really hurt them after half-time.
They showed enough to suggest they will be right up there again this year.
This clash with Spotswood on Saturday will be very interesting.
The Woodsmen were pretty quiet in the off-season with most people thinking they might drop down the ladder.
When you have quality like Langlands, Boyd, and Fairley mixed with some promising boys from last year’s Under-18 premiers, you have a very competitive outfit.
The win over the Saints will give them a real boost to take on the Warriors.
What about the Saints start to the year? Zip and two and facing Altona away this week. They may take time to gel but a third loss will put them under enormous pressure. The jury is still out on their chances.
Altona had the bye and how sides handle that might be the difference in making finals as the season progresses.
Vikings coach Saade Ghazi is a seasoned campaigner and he will be sure his boys are up and about to take advantage of any loss of confidence within the Saints.
The Sunshine v Werribee Districts game will tell a lot about both sides.
Sunshine came from behind last week when Albion looked in control, so they are fit and firing and I like their chances at home.
The bye has come at a good time for Wyndhamvale who will now have a real gauge on what they need to be competitive in their first stint in the top division.
Last Modified on 18/04/2016 17:18