East Geelong’s loss to Bell Post Hill in round one might have been the motivation it needed with the Eagles stringing together four consecutive wins to sit second on the Geelong & District Football League ladder.
New coach Ned Aulsebrook said the opening round wake-up call might have been a blessing.
“Round one was probably the kick up the backside we might have needed,” he said.
“We took a bit of solace in that we had nine recruits and essentially a whole new-look side.
“Bell Post Hill, the heat they brought that day was unreal. If we’re not on, this is what can happen. There’s no easy games in the comp this year.”
Aulsebrook has come from a winning culture after spending seven years at Barwon Heads in the Bellarine Football League.
“I moved to Geelong seven years ago and Barwon Heads has been home,” he said.
“It’s not a challenge, but something I’ve had to adapt to a little bit. Three days a week there for seven years you get pretty comfortable with the place.”
However, Aulsebrook said the warm welcome into the Eagles’ nest has made the transition quite easy.
“I’m heavily leaning on the guys who have been around for a while,” he said.
“Jeremy Power is helping me out, which has been great. He has pretty good knowledge of the comp. John McIntrye as well.”
East Geelong defeated Corio in round four by 37 points. What pleased Aulsebrook most of all was holding the Devils to five goals.
“Corio have been averaging 90-plus a game so it was promising to hold them to 40 points,” he said.
“We had plenty of opportunities in front of goal so we just need to straighten that up a bit.”
The Eagles take on Geelong West Giants this week. The Giants defeated Bell Post Hill by 48 points.
“One thing I’m really enjoying about the GDFL is that we go down to Eastern Beach and it feels like half the comp is doing recovery there,” Aulsebrook said.
“I was chatting to (Giants star) Matthew Iannelli and he was very pleased with how they went the day before. If you let them get a run on they can be up and about.”
East Geelong has had two disappointing finals campaigns in a row and Aulsebrook said that had to change.
“It’s been fairly well spoken that we’ve been in the mix at the pointy end of the season,” he said.
“For us to set a goal on anything less than improving on that would be a shame. The age profile of the group, they are so happy to learn and push themselves.
“We’ll be aiming at having the ultimate success, but we have to tick a lot of boxes and a lot can happen before then.”
GEELONG WEST notched up win number two with a 48-point triumph over Bell Post Hill. Midfielder Tom Jenkins was outstanding and Jackson Dunlop booted four goals for the Giants.
BELMONT continued its impressive start to the season with a 38-point win against Anakie. Barwon Heads recruit Bradley Michell was best afield for the Lions and booted four goals.
BANNOCKBURN had to dig deep to overcome a dogged North Geelong by 15 points. Leopold recruit Rob Maibaum stood up while Zac Justin made the most of his promotion from the reserves.
WERRIBEE CENTRALS defeated Winchelsea by 10 points with ruckman Patrick Daley starring while Finlay Parish was best for the Blues.
THOMSON won a cliffhanger at Inverleigh by seven points with Jordan Camm and Billie Smedts best while Adam Donohue booted five goals for the Hawks.
