Keilor Park continued its resurgence in division two of the Essendon District Football League at the weekend, knocking off Burnside Heights by 48 points.
After being hammered a number of times last year, Keilor Park has made a consistent start to this season. The weekend’s 17.12 (112)-10.6 (66) win took them to three wins and two losses.
First-year coach Marcus Barclay said the leadership shown by senior players on the field was one of the main reasons for the improvement.
“We have a lot of guys 26 or 27 … that age range,” he said.
“They’re here for all the right reasons. There’s not a lot of money here and they’re not interested in that sort of thing.
“It’s a matter of just keeping the doors open and so far it has been excellent.
“When they look is if they’re in a little bit of trouble they find a way to dig deep and either win a game or keep it as tight as possible.”
What makes Keilor Park’s start to the season even more impressive is the club’s ability to overcome a long injury list.
The Devils are missing 10 of their best 22 and Barclay hopes they will return in the coming weeks as the club will need all hands on deck if it is to make a run at finals.
Fifth-placed Keilor Park will now take on seventh-placed Jacana and sixth-placed East Sunbury in the lead-up to the midway point of the season.
“Jacana seems to be getting better as the season goes on,” Barclay said.
“East Sunbury is a little bit of the unknown. They’ve started quite well so we’re looking forward to that.
“They will be big games and, hopefully, we can get a few of our better players back into the senior side.”
In other division two results from the weekend, Moonee Valley defeated East Keilor 11.9 (75)-10-7 (67), Roxburgh Park knocked off Jacana 11.15 (81)-10.11 (71) and Coburg Districts edged East Sunbury in a thriller, 8.14 (62)-9.7 (61).
