By David Nagel
Lang Lang will unveil the boom-recruit of the 2024 Ellinbank and District season when legendary full-forward Marc Holt runs out for the first time in Tigers colours against Trafalgar at Lang Lang on Saturday.
Tigers’ coach Daniel Fry has seen Holt at the peak of his powers; playing for Pakenham against the champ when he led Cranbourne to the pointy end of the Casey Cardinia Football League.
He’ll be happy to have Holt on his side, with the man with the best hands in local football having kicked well in excess of 1000 goals in his career.
He once kicked 22 in a game against Hampton Park which propelled him to 156 goals for the season.
After a one-year stint at Karingal in 2019, Holt returned to Cranbourne and helped the Eagles to the Southern League Division One premiership in 2022.
He retired after that win, but returned in 2023; kicking 64 goals for the season as the Eagles fell short of back-to-back glory by three points.
While now past his best; Holt will still cause some huge headaches for EDFL defenders this season.
Just five games ago he kicked 10 goals against Mordialloc; then a week later seven against St Kilda City.
He’s still a gun; and Trafalgar might be the first team to find out why!
Lang Lang has also boosted its stocks with the inclusion of Tooradin premiership player Dylan Wilson, who captained Lang Lang seniors at age 19 before moving to Tooradin to further develop his football.
Wilson is still in his mid-twenties and will be a vital cog in the Tigers midfield machine; this year and beyond.
The experienced Brad Clark also comes across from Chelsea; with his ability to break lines sure to be prominent on the wide-open spaces at Caldermeade.
This a tough test for Lang Lang, with Trafalgar having finished third on the ladder last season.
But we’ll go for the Tigers to kick-start their season in style; with Holt to kick a handful.
The other big game this week sees Buln Buln host Neerim South in a repeat of last year’s grand final.
Bob McCallum and his Lyrebirds were triumphant that day; and will look to kick off their season in impressive fashion in front of a bumper home crowd.
Neerim South will need to find a new avenue to goal, with Lachlan Bambridge now at Warragul Industrials in the West Gippsland league.
Expect the Lyrebirds to make it two straight against the Cats.
In other games Poowong should be too strong for Yarragon, while Nilma-Darnum will look to break a season-long duck against Nyora.
The Bombers went winless last season, but will look to take it up to the Saints on their home deck.
And the battle between Catani and Longwarry should be a beauty, with both clubs expected to improve from last year.
The Blues have the home-ground advantage, but the Crows look much stronger this season with Jason Wells returning from Kooweerup, and Kane Oldham and Kane Taylor making the move across from Warragul Industrials.
Oldham will be a bull through the midfield, while the experienced Taylor will bolster the Crows big-man stocks.
EDFL Round 1: LANG LANG v Trafalgar, BULN BULN v Neerim South, POOWONG v Yarragon, Catani v LONGWARRY, Nilma-Darnum v NYORA: Bye – Ellinbank.
