On the right track


Published on Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Author : James Strebinos

Panton Hill coach Steve Layt believes his side nearing peak form ahead of the pointy end of the Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 home and away season.

The Redbacks sit in second place on the ladder having won four of their past five matches, including an impressive 40-point win over South Morang last weekend.

The will now play in a top of the table clash this Saturday when they head to Whatmough Park to take on ladder-leader St Mary’s.

Panton Hill took the chocolates by 23 points in their Round 5 outing, which has proven to be the Burra’s only loss this season.

Layt is adamant only Panton Hill’s best will ensure his side can back up that effort this weekend.

“Right now, we are focusing on St Mary’s and hopefully we can bring our best because we will need to be at our best to beat them,” Layt told NFNL.org.au.

“Our best performance so far this year was the last time we played them, and we will find out how we match up this week.

“With our current injuries, we have nowhere near our best lineup at the moment. We are hoping to get them back soon, so we can get the cohesion right heading towards finals.”

With St Mary’s the only confirmed finalist after 13 rounds, Panton Hill is one of five sides fighting for the final three places in the top-four.

The Redbacks are the best placed side to earn a finals place, having won 8 of 11 matches and already sitting out their two byes.

Layt said he is confident his side is on track to feature in its first finals series since winning the Division 3 premiership in 2013.

“Our goal this year was to make finals and right now we are on target to do so,” he said.

“I’m very pleased with the leadership within the group and I’m extremely confident that when it gets to the pointy end of the season, that they’re going to come through.

“Right now, we would love to consolidate second position on the ladder but as long as the three zones can transition together on a consistent basis then we could go very far this season.

“We would need to play our best over four quarters consistently if we are to go all the way this year, but any side can beat anyone on their day and we are mindful of that.”

Panton Hill’s forward line has been one of the strongest in the competition, averaging 104 points per game – second only to St Mary’s (105) and significantly ahead of third-ranked South Morang (80).

Rhys Boyden tops the competition goal kicking table with 37 majors, while Matthew Byron and Alek Tsardakis have combined for 48.

Layt believes the quality of delivery into attack has been one of the major factors in his forwards’ success, particularly in recent matches.

“The last few weeks we have seen good transition from our midfield to our forward line with a bit of composure, and the players lowering their eyes a bit more and summarising the options, rather than kicking long to the goal square every time,” he said.

“We are just a bit more structured in the way we are going forward at the moment and it’s a good sign because we have tried to get that right all year.

“(Against South Morang) it finally came together after doing a fair bit of work on it throughout the week, so we think we got the right mix now.”

Layt has also been impressed with the emergence of ruckman Nick Parks. The 20-year-old currently sits inside the top 10 of the Coaches MVP award in his first season with the club.

“He’s been awesome for us and everything I thought he would be, but I like his athleticism and ability to follow up his own taps,” he said.

“His ground work is awesome and he has beautiful hands but it’s his leadership around the midfield group, with Scotty Conte and Matty Fowler teaching him, that’s the most pleasing thing.”

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