Roosters Closing In On Qualifying Final Spot
West Preston are one step closer to securing a top three finish in the 2010 Division 1 season after comfortably defeating Greensborough by 39 points at J.E. Moore Park last Saturday afternoon.
The Roosters blazed away in the opening term booting four consecutive goals. The flood of goals came from the hard work that was initiated in defence by Shannon Watt. Watt continued to put his body on the line and ensured goals weren’t conceded.
Greensborough began to lift and provide a contest through the midfield with good defensive pressure. West Preston turned the footy over allowing the Boro the opportunity to press forward. The Boro wasted the opportunity bombing the footy long with no real direction or target and had no-one to pick the ball up when it hit the deck.
The Boro’s Chris Libertino was able to slot a goal from a set shot drawing the margin back to within 15 points.
Greensborough coach Neale Carroll told his players at the quarter time break “to make sure we use the footy, run with the footy and put the pressure on”.
The inability to kick goals continued to trouble Greensborough in the second term. West Preston read Greensborough really well, getting numbers down to collect the footy as it went to ground. The Roosters utilised their pace on the rebound to catch the Boro off guard.
West Preston was impressive in the second term, winning the footy out of the centre clearances. Nick Meese and Pece Micevski kicked a goal each to extend the margin and were the only ones able to contribute to the scoreboard for either side.
Scott Barnett centred the kick for Dylan Cunningham to have a set shot after the siren. He was unable to convert, summing up how the side faired overall in the second quarter. The Boro needed to lift in the second half to avoid a thumping at the hands of West Preston.
Guy Pemberton stood tall in the Boro midfield, winning the contested footy and had good awareness of teammates, dishing it off to Tim Atkins who on a tight angle slotted the goal providing his side with the belief they could get back in the match.
West Preston was dealt a blow after Jacob Ramaekers appeared to have injured his shoulder and was immediately taken from the ground, taking no further part in the match.
Momentum had well and truly swung in Greensborough’s favour with Matthew Tarr kicking a banana goal on his left foot. Greensborough dominated play, increasing their intensity on the ball carrier. West Preston made uncharacteristic mistakes, fumbling in the centre of the ground allowing Greensborough to kick five goals to West Preston’s two, setting up an exciting final term closing in on the margin, just 27 points the difference.
West Preston coach Vin Dattoli was seething of his players at the final break suggesting that “when we are up, we get lazy and think everything is going alright”. Dattoli provided his players with a stern warning saying, “don’t sit back, everyone needs to get involved”.
In a rather different mood, Carroll told his players “now’s the opportunity to see how hard you want to work and take your chances”.
West Preston put their foot on the pedal in the final quarter, prepared to put their body on the line and get their hands first to the football. The Roosters were able to use their slick hands through the centre corridor.
Nick Meese and Billy Morrison were the only two players to kick multiple goals in the match, booting five and four goals respectively to assist West Preston to a 39 point win.
Next week West Preston will travel to Heidelberg in an attempt to be just the second team to beat the powerhouse of the competition. While Greensborough will host North Heidelberg who will look to rectify a disappointing loss when the two battle it out at War Memorial Park.
It's more than just a game 