Finals runs are made on afternoons like this one, the away trips that look routine on paper and rarely play out that way. Larissa Reserve is where the Redbacks find out how much their momentum is really worth.
Eltham travel to North Sunshine on the back of two wins that have changed the shape of their season, a 6-1 romp away at Langwarrin followed by a 3-1 result at home over North Geelong Warriors. That run has lifted the Redbacks to fifth in VPL Men 1 on 31 points, level with fourth-placed Melbourne Victory and still within range of the leading group, where Melbourne Knights sit on 41 and Northcote City and Brunswick Juventus share second on 39. With six rounds remaining and the margins this fine, every Saturday now carries weight, and Eltham are firmly in the conversation for a top finish.
The temptation with a fixture like this is to look at the table and assume the hard work is done before kick-off, and that is exactly the trap the Redbacks need to sidestep. North Sunshine Eagles sit 13th on 18 points, a lower-half side by the numbers, but they arrive off an historic win in the Australia Cup Round of 32 and a 5-0 win away at Port Melbourne before that, results that will have done wonders for their confidence. Their form before that was patchy, taking in a draw and a couple of defeats, yet a result of that size against Port Melbourne tells you they can hurt a side that switches off. The man to watch is Kaan Elibol, the Eagles’ leading scorer with seven league goals this season, and keeping him quiet will go a long way to deciding the afternoon.
This is the professional away job in its purest form, a side chasing the top six asked to go to a ground where the home team has nothing to lose and plenty of belief off the back of a heavy win. Do it right, keep the same edge that produced the past fortnight, and the Redbacks come home with three points that keep the finals push alive. Take it lightly, and a banana skin becomes a costly one.
Up the ‘Backs.