Keilor Park coach Rob McCluskey is hoping to book a finals berth for his side in the second half of the Essendon District Football League season.
After a 99-point win against Burnside at the weekend, the Devils are in fifth spot on the division 2 ladder with a 3-4 record.
Already knocking on the door of the final four, McCluskey knows his team isn’t far from challenging the best sides in the competition.
“It’s only been five-minute lapses that have cost us,” he said. “Once we can put it all together I have no doubt we’ll be more than competitive at the business end of the year.”
Keilor Park’s other two wins this season came when the Devils defeated Jacana by 40 points in round four and East Sunbury by 65 points in round six.
After making it into the division 2 finals last year, McCluskey felt like his side needed an injection of pace through the midfield in order to take the next step this season.
The Devils welcomed more than 20 new faces to their squad who are now making their mark.
“Last year, playing in the finals against East Keilor, we had a few guys that were in their late 20’s or early 30’s and we just lacked that leg speed,” he said.
“The new guys we have brought into the side are just young guys.
“We have put together a group of guys that, if we happen to do alright at the end of the year and we are lucky enough to win the flag, they would be more than competitive at that next level going up.
“It was more a process of getting a group of guys together that will hopefully stay together for a couple of years.” Following last week’s win, Keilor Park will take on second placed Roxburgh Park this weekend before a crunch game against fourth placed Moonee Valley in round nine.
The Devils will most likely need to win one of those games to continue the club’s finals push.
“We need to knock off at least two of the top four to put ourselves in the mix,” McCluskey said.
