League triumph

They were asked to prove their mettle, and they did – Myrtleford Savoy are the 2025 division one men’s league champions for the second year running. The title was locked away on Sunday at LaTrobe Ground, where the senior men smashed Wodonga Diamonds 4-0, guaranteeing they’ll finish atop the league table no matter what happens. Needing just one win from their last three matches, the boys in blue secured the title at the earliest possible opportunity, courtesy of three first-half goals from the damaging Savoy. Once the lead was pushed to four goals, Savoy went into management mode, and were able to keep a clean sheet while rotating players through the bench to keep them fresh. Coach Jayden Vescio said it was a tremendous accomplishment to secure the league title as early as July without having a single loss in league play. “It was just the perfect day, we played some really good football, probably the best we’ve played in the last four to six weeks,” he said. “It’s one of the special ones – I’ve been involved in five, but I don’t think we’ve won one in July, so to get it done so early with three fixtures remaining was pretty special.” As they have done so often this season, Savoy simply dictated the terms of play, mixing attack and defence with clear ball movement and pinpoint perfect positioning. “We controlled the game, our press was really good early in difficult conditions, but on a good, wide pitch we were able to pay some good football, which was pleasing,” Vescio said. “We knocked the ball around well, our press when we didn’t have the ball was superb on a massive pitch. “Will Keenan opened the scoring, we scored two goals inside the first 25 minutes, and a third before half-time. “To be able to go into the second half, I thought the foot would come off the pedal a little bit but it didn’t, especially in the first 25 minutes. “It puts an explanation mark on why we’ve been the best team over the course of the year.” With the title secured with two matches left to play over three weeks before finals, many teams would be tempted to park the bus, rest up for a month, maybe try some new combinations, but Savoy is different. “It’s a pretty driven group at the moment, we carried on a little bit after securing the league and you can get a bit complacent, but this group wants to go unbeaten in the league,” Vescio said. “It allows us two games to tinker with things but still strive to go unbeaten in the season – I can’t really recall a team that’s gone unbeaten in the league. “They want more, so as a coach, it’s a pretty good spot to be in. “Our list has been hampered in the last month but they’re all coming back. “We will get minutes and manage players, but the seasoned campaigners who have had good, long seasons, they don’t want to rest. “The drive’s definitely there, my goal is managing the minutes and the injuries list, then getting right for three league finals.” Meanwhile, the reserve men fought out a gritty 3-2 win over Diamonds, taking them to fourth on the ladder with a record of 10-6-2. Savoy hosts Albury City this weekend.

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