By Jonty Ralphsmith
Endeavour Hills threw Murrumbeena a significant challenge in Division 2 of the Southern Football Netball League, but ultimately fell short, going down 8.10 58 to 12.13 85.
In a scrappy affair at Murrumbeena Park, Endeavour Hills was able to nullify the hosts in the midfield and limit the aerial dominance of their twin towers up forward.
Ultimately, though, they were left to rue a series of missed opportunities through the middle of the game, going into three-quarter-time with an 11-point lead when they had plenty of opportunity.
The Falcons were ultimately outlasted in the final quarter, conceding 6.4 while scoring just two behinds in an anticlimactic end to a battle which reiterated their competitiveness in the Division 2 competition.
Ben Holland and Harrison Malone were among the defenders who competed above their weight-class and proved they could match it, and they were assisted by a hard-working Falcons midfield.
As well as applying pressure and protecting easy exits out the front of stoppage, John Rafferty, Liam Hasler and co. worked back hard to flood the backline, which limited the potency of their forward entries.
Ultimately, though, there were small signs of the class difference throughout the day.
Late in the second quarter, Murrumbeena was able to convert a goal from 50 on counterattack after Endeavour Hills controlled proceedings for a sustained period.
The ability to capitalise and efficiency going inside 50 when the game was on the line were key factors behind the result.
Emerging key-position player Tyler Studd took another enormous step forward in his development, taking repeated intercept marks to assist the undersized backline.
Travis Hall and Matthew Rogerson were key contributors for the Falcons when they were able to give themselves opportunities to open up a lead.
While the result effectively ends Endeavour Hills’ finals hopes, sitting three games and percentage outside the top five approaching the halfway mark, the first half of the season suggests an eight-win season is still very reachable – an excellent result for a club’s first season in Division 2.
