Tara Murray
Western Eagles are starting to find their groove in the FV state league 3 north-west season.
The Eagles had won their last three games heading into the weekend, which was after deadline to turn their season around.
The side was sitting in fifth spot, just seven points from top spot, but also seven points from the relegation zone.
Eagles coach Paul Falzon said it had been a learning curve for the group.
“The teams in this league are all very competitive as you can see by the ladder,” he said. “We have found that if we have the slightest of lapses you will get punished.
“The top two teams on the ladder have lots of quality in their squads and to date have set the pace although a chasing pack is still on their tails.”
Falzon said they’ve had some mixed results this season in the first 11 rounds, with player injuries, suspensions and availability contributing,
He said they hadn’t had their starting 11 consistently and that they had dominated games without getting wins.
Falzon said the side had been boosted by some new signings that had helped them turn around their season.
“We have been fortunate to secure the signings of a few attacking players in Daniel Sweeney and Connor Bencich,” he said.
“These guys along with our current players have given us more options and a more attacking edge to our play.
“With the current form of an injury free Matthew Lodkowski goals have been easier to come by.”
Falzon said they weren’t actively looking to add any more players and said they had several players in their reserves squad that could push up into the squad if needed.
The Eagles made it four in a row on Saturday, beating Westside Strikers, 3-1.
Falzon said the belief in the group would be a key in the back half of the season.
“After winning three games in a row our playing group has great belief,” he said. “The group of players are very close and have a strong bond with each other which goes a long way in being successful.
“We know that we can mix it with the top few teams and have not dismissed finishing in the promotion places.
“Our focus for the next few weeks is to make sure that we stay in touch with the teams above us and making sure our players are in the best condition possible to be competitive for our next match.”
