It would be no shock if Footscray Edgewater had a dispirited bunch of cricketers on its hands at this point of the season.
The Bulldogs are the reigning Premier Cricket champions and entered the season with big expectations, but the premiership defence has not gone according to plan – not yet anyway.
The Bulldogs players have far too much pride to give up.
Going into the final round, their fate is contingent on gaining victory against Prahran and hoping one of four other sides loses.
It’s not uncommon in Premier Cricket for the defenders of the throne to struggle.
Melbourne, premier in 2009-10, snuck into the finals by two points the next season, and a similar story unfolded for Dandenong, winner in 2010-11, which finished eighth the next season.
Monash Tigers, premiers in 2011-12, didn’t even make the finals the next summer.
The last premiership side to finish in the top half of the top eight the next season was Ringwood in 2008-09.
Footscray Edgewater doesn’t want to fall into the Monash Tigers category of missing out on the finals.
The Dogs played with a sense of urgency and togetherness to record a season-saving outright win over Hawthorn-Monash University at the Merv Hughes Oval on Sunday.
Coach Steve Chapman was amazed by the energy of his players during the second day’s play.
Going out to inspect the wicket at the tea break, he gained an insight into the attitude of his team at the tail end of what has undoubtedly been a tough season.
“Proud is probably the right word,” he said. “We got a wicket going into tea and just the way the lads got around each other and came together was great.
“I sensed they were up and about and I thought, I’m just going to keep away from everybody … I left them all under their own steam, if you like.”
Irrespective of where the Bulldogs end up this season, this was a win to savour in a tough summer.
They somehow managed to take 20 wickets in the heat on day two and did it in quirky fashion, bowling the Hawks out in a total of 44.3 overs for both innings.
“It was a good day for us, and they’ve been few and far between this year,” Chapman said. “It’s nice to play a game to our potential.
“We put it all together and it was under duress. We didn’t have Guy Walker when we were expecting him, and we didn’t have Lucas Dredge, who pulled up injured at training during the week.”
Jake Haberfield was the chief destroyer for the Bulldogs with 6-32 in the Hawks’ first innings.
The wickets have dried up for the speedster since Christmas, but Chapman says it has had more to do with the negative mindset of the batsmen facing him.
“A lot of people have the goal of not getting out to him,” Chapman said. “He hasn’t gone for many, but he just hasn’t got a lot of people out. He takes the ball and bowls and bowls – he’s an asset because of his ability to keep going.”
Spinner Michael Kelly did the job in the second innings with 4-35, while Tallan Wright had an impact across both innings by taking five wicket.
The Bulldogs, sitting one spot out of the top eight on percentage, will face second-placed Prahran in a two-dayer at Toorak Park to round out the regular season. If the Dogs win, they will feature in the finals if one of Camberwell Magpies, Melbourne University, Essendon or Monash Tigers lose their final-round matches.
Haberfield and Travis Dean were selected to play for Victoria in a Futures League match against Tasmania this week, with Dean raising the bat for a ton on
Monday’s opening of the four-day clash at Jubilee Park.
The finals scenario
Footscray Edgewater will play in the Premier Cricket finals if …
• It beats Prahran in the final round.
• One of Camberwell Magpies, Melbourne University, Essendon or Monash Tigers loses in the final round.
