THEFOOTBALLER
By Ben Parker
After receiving the footy at the top of the goal-square, Covelli rolled around onto his dangerous left foot and booted through goal 100 of the season.
It made for a remarkable scene, and gave the Sharks a tidal wave of surging momentum for the remainder of the final quarter.
It was always going to be a challenge for the Kangaroos to come home after this, and with that said, the Sharks went on to claim victory and capture senior men's premiership success for the first time since 2013.
Hillside’s hunt around the contest and pressure rating was a defining element of the match, with the Sharks dominating at stoppage and strangling the Roos all day with their intensity.
They won the clearance count by 10, 48-38 and were relentless in winning the ball back off turnover.
Ultimately, it was the Sharks' pressure which was the standout
They had 52 more tackles than Oak Park and posted a final figure of 86 tackles to the Roos' 34.
Aligning with this, Hillside produced a final pressure rating of 200 for the day, with Oak Park only mustering a mere figure of 91
These figures aren’t surprising, with the Sharks' hunt and endeavour on full display for onlookers.
Khalil Kaakour put a stamp on what has been a brilliant first season with the Sharks with a performance that saw him take home the
By Luke Mathews
Strathmore with another four goals.
Coach Mick McGuane said his side were clearly outplayed at the contest and their defensive transition was as bad as it’s been for the year.
The reigning premier was able to make some changes in time for Sunday’s preliminary final which saw the side win the contest and clearance battle.
The key matchups will be at either end of the ground which will likely decide who takes home the cup in 2025.
Keilor will have to find an answer for Liam Cavanagh with the veteran dominating in the three clashes against the Blues in 2025.
The defender picked up 36 touches in Round 3, along with 33 disposals in Round 12, and 27 in the semi final.
The Blues forward line was firing on all cylinders last weekend with Jermarl Daly kicking six goals, however they’ll need to find a way of holding Cavanagh accountable and stifling his influence
The Strathmore backline will also need to find an answer for Kosmas with the utility booting 24 goals against the Mores in six clashes across 2024 and 2025.
At the other end of the ground, Keilor will need to find a match up for Matthew Allison
The Blues have had the number one defence in 2025, however could be undermanned this Saturday with Xavier and White under an injury cloud.
STRATHMORE
Alexander Fish
Alex Tonelli
Archie Cottom
Daniel Robertson
Ryan Maddox
Ahmad Abdallah
Jett Laidler
Jonathan Leeds
Levi West
Jake Bruni
Maddox Armstrong
Rydah Anderson
Nash Mihailovic
Nicholas Staropoli
Michael Cross
Aidan Hobson
Cody Liersch
Nicholas Page
Zachary Martin
Noah Pierce
Jad Naim
Izaiah Da Silva
Sebastian Moffett
Charlie Bruni
Samuel Wood
Christopher Scerri
Jack Ryan
Whitfield
Diesel Docherty
Finn Daffey
Jake Filia
Keanu Kim
Ayden Diaz
Lucas Bellino
Alex Sikora
Will Ryan
Max Ibic
Jesse Kirk
Aiden Harris
Vaughn Murphy
James Privitelli
Joshua Palmer
Leo Anderson
Marlon Arhanic
Archer Beattie
Will Atkinson
Charlie Tudor
Kruize Kim
Myles Luca
Daniel Sexton
Joshua Falla
Lucas Myszka
Dean Roumeliotis
Isa Merhi
Oscar Sampson Xavier Murphy
Official sponsors ofthe Essendon District Football League
ABERFELDIE
President: Sean Howard
Coach: Daniel Mangan
Aaron Stone
Benjamin Smokrovic
Cameron McLeod
Harry Moore
Callum Symons
Ryan James
Lachlan Brown
Konrad Karner
Tom Newman
Riley Macdonald
Jhett Gaskett
Alec Smokrovic
Conner Bassett
Leon Manago
Nic Walsh
Josh Misiti
Jack Arceri
Ryan Koenig
Brady Coleman
Samuel Beckinsale
Daniel Ruscigno
Joshua Docking
Zac Truccolo
Riley Grant
Cooper Anderson
Matthew Caddeo
Xavier Young
KEILOR
President: Shaun Morris
Coach: Stephen Pace
Harry Withoos
Nathan Ellis
Mitchell Ellis
Oskar Haintz
Miller Harvey
William Cameron
Billy Johnson
Riley Ham
Emmanuel Parissis
Nathan Ryan
Parker Sneddon
Brock Jacobsen
Thomas Guljas
Ryan Hargreaves
Michael Teal
Kobe Long
William Teal
Jayden Teal
Nathan Ellis
Brodie Catania
Lachlan Sneddon
Connor Vosper
Fredrick Frew
Ashley Reed
STRATHMORE
President: John Toniolo
Coach: Nick Ash
Trent Dumont
Luke Jarrad
Liam Cavanagh
Benjamin Holian
Mitchell Purcell
Kade Mueller
Adam Iacobucci
Andrew Gallucci
Matthew Allison
Kyle Weightman
Chris Scerri
Hudson Radecki
Matthew Pellegrino
Brock Egglestone
Daniel Mighell
Corey Grindlay
Ryan Brodie
Sam Hayes
Lucas Cavallaro
Daniel Mammoliti
Nick Ingleton
Athan Tsialtas
Lachlan Plant
Cooper West
Tom Denning
Max Cirigliano
Jesse Horton
Will Janky
Oscar Mammoliti
Hugh Allison
President: Shaun Morris
Coach: Mick McGuane
Kyle O’Connor
Corey Ellis
Matthew Bartlett
Kane Barbuto
Cody Brand
Reuben William
Bradley Xavier
Josh Honey
Nicholas O'Kearney
Billy Johnson
Joel Sadler
Jamie Papalia
Jay White
Blair Wyllie
Riley Ham
Christos Kosmas
William Burke
Nathan Ryan
Harvey Wilkes
James Bailey
Jermarl Daly
Mason Thomas
Harrison Kennedy
Damon Hollow
Joseph Ciranna
Jovan Petric
Daniel Sargent
Liam Hude
Christian Olivieri
Kade Long
By Evan Tudor
after just 14 games played this year The 2024 Werribee premiership player returned to his home roots after last year’s season of success in a quest to create something similar at Aberfeldie. His season highlight came when he was unstoppable in Round 7 and slotted 17 goals.
DIVISION ONE
Josh Covelli (Hillside – 89 goals)
Our highest goal-scorer across the entire Strathmore Community Bank Men’s 2025 season is Hillside’s Josh Covelli who slotted a staggering 89 majors from 17 regular season matches.
On the Sharks’ list since 2022, Covelli was an unstoppable force all year and didn’t miss a beat from Round 1 to Round 18
Jesse Martini (West Coburg – 51 goals)
Jesse Martini cemented his second-place finish on the Division One goal-kicking ladder after a dominant season of football at the Burgers that saw him bring up 51 majors.
Kane O’Halloran and Damien Petrone (Oak Park & Taylors Lakes – 41 goals)
An equal-third finish for these men from the Kangas and Lions sees them share honours at 41 goals each.
Kane O’Halloran was a very consistent force for the Oak Park line-up proven by his ability to score majors in all-but-one regular season outing
Damien Petrone’s first year at Taylors Lakes was a huge success with impressive matchaverages of 12 possessions and three goals.
