GREENVALE can lay claim to a stranglehold over rival Maribyrnong Park after an emphatic 65-point win in Essendon District Football League premier division at Monk Oval on Saturday.
Keeping Maribyrnong Park goalless for two of the four quarters set up the 16.11 (107) to 5.12 (42) win as the Jets backed up their elimination final win against the Lions last season.
Greenvale was disciplined in defence and reaped the benefits as it strangled Maribyrnong Park's scoring options as just four players contributed five goals. But Romain Grenville's goal early in the final term did pull the Lions to within 33 points and provide a brief flicker of hope to suggest a miracle comeback was not beyond reality.
But Maribyrnong Park would add just one more point thereafter, similar to goalless second and third quarters.
A Greenvale burst of three goals in three minutes between the three and six minute marks of the third term rattled Maribyrnong Park. A running snap from Ricky Fandrich was arguably the best goal of the day, in between goals from Chris Johnson and Samuel Zumbo.
Greenvale's prime movers Eric Kuret, Travis Jorgensen and Rowan Nayna all had a good day in the engine room. Avenues to goal from Fandrich (four goals), Chris Spinella (two), Zumbo (two) and Johnson (two) provided a range of headaches for the Maribyrnong Park back line.
Jorgensen would have rattled some nerves in the Greenvale camp when he went to the bench cradling his left arm early in the third quarter, but was able to return to the field and play seemingly untroubled for the rest of the match.
"I don't think we were as clinical as we were in [last year's elimination final]," Greenvale coach Anthony Rock said. "But our pressure this year has been very good. We have a long way to go but we want to continue that. I never felt we had the game. You know you're going to get a contest here and these teams have been fierce rivals for a long time.
"Big lead-up forwards find it tough to kick goals on this ground but I thought our variety of goal-kickers with speed - Spinella, Ricky Fandrich and Zumbo - all gave us something.
"I thought Eric Kuret was clearly our best.
"It's a very difficult ground to get clean take-aways from stoppages. I just thought we were strong in the clinches and didn't allow [Maribyrnong Park] to get out."
EDFL SCOREBOARD
PREMIER
Avondale Heights 9.8 (62) lt Strathmore 24.20 (164), Maribyrnong Park 5.12 (42) lt Greenvale 16.11 (107), Aberfeldie 14.11 (95) d Essendon Doutta Stars 7.7 (49), Keilor 19.13 (127) d Craigieburn 12.4 (76), Pascoe Vale 14.11 (95) lt Oak Park 16.20 (116)
ROUND 3:
Greenvale v Keilor, Craigieburn v Pascoe Vale, Oak Park v Essendon Doutta Stars, Strathmore v Maribyrnong Park, Avondale Heights v Aberfeldie (Wednesday)
DIVISION 1
Keilor Park 10.9 (69) lt East Keilor 25.18 (168), Glenroy 27.21 (183) d Moonee Valley 8.9 (57), Roxburgh Park 6.4 (40) lt Airport West 27.14 (176), Northern Saints 22.27 (159) d Hillside 16.9 (105), Hadfield 12.14 (86) d Westmeadows 11.11 (77), West Coburg 19.19 (123) d Tullamarine 12.19 (91), Jacana 1.4 (10) lt Taylors Lakes 34.21 (225)
Round 3:
East Keilor v Glenroy, Moonee Valley v Roxburgh Park, Airport West v Northern Saints, Hillside v Hadfield, Westmeadows v West Coburg, Tullamarine v Taylors Lakes, Keilor v Jacana
MEDIA:
North West FM 98.9 and northwestfm.org will broadcast the Anzac Day game between Avondale Heights and Aberfeldie from 2pm on Wednesday and the round 3 match Tullamarine v Taylors Lakes from 2pm on Saturday.
Follow @edflfooty on Twitter for match-day live scores and updates.