On Sunday clubs took on the opening round of the division’s League Cup with a couple of enormous beltings as teams from the top two divisions mingled.
Shepparton South proved the ultimate beneficiary, taking a Sunday afternoon stroll through Epsom Huntly Recreation Reserve at the expense of division two side La Trobe University Black.
New South spearhead Stephen Appiah could not have wished for a better start — or better service from the teammates he linked up with for the first time.
His five goals provided the ultimate confidence boost in acclimating to his new environment as South provided the sacrifice, eviscerating its foes 13-1 to move on with the greatest of ease.
Shepparton United also picked up the desired result in neutral territory at Epsom Huntly, disposing of division two outfit Swan Hill 3-1 after goals from Willie Sauiluma, Adam Dahmani and Joseph Sepe.
Reigning premier and champion Tatura, which tasted stinging defeat to Shepparton South in the final of this cup last year, made a more challenging start in an all-division one clash at Spring Gully.
Strikes from Fraser Gosstray and Cody Sellwood eventually sealed a 2-1 triumph and passage to meet main adversary South in the quarter-finals this weekend, but it was far from emphatic.
Missing several key personnel, Tatura coach Tristan Zito — who himself did not play — was proud of his rotated squad’s resilience.
“The boys played pretty well. We had a few boys missing through suspension and injuries, so it was a different look to our team,” Zito said.
“We kept being patient and got the goals back after going down about five minutes in, so I’m happy with how the boys played and happy to get through to the next round.”
The quirks of fixturing mean back-to-back encounters between the division’s main characters, first in the cup quarter-finals and then in round one of the league season.
“It’s interesting, the way it has panned out having them two weeks in a row,” Zito said.
“I don’t know what to expect because they’ve got a few new faces in the team, so it’ll be good to play them over the next two weeks and see where everyone’s at.
“I did get a look at them yesterday and Steven (Appiah) looks like a handy player, but I’m confident we've got enough in our side provided we turn up on the day.”
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