The Peter Jackson VFL will showcase the clash between Werribee Tigers and the Northern Blues in this week’s ABC TV Match of the Round. Whilst Werribee Tigers moved to fifth spot after a win in round 8, this week proves a must win for the Northern Blues, as they sit in eleventh spot with only one win for the season – three games behind their opposition this weekend.
The Tigers enter Round 9 after a comfortable 33 point victory over Frankston. However, Werribee learnt a hard lesson that many other Clubs’ have been taught this season – Frankston come out of the blocks ready for a battle.
Werribee coach Scott West admitted that the Dolphins placed some demands on his team early on in the game.
“It was a slow start on the scoreboard against Frankston but there was certainly a lot pressure around the contest. To Frankston’s credit they forced us into mistakes which meant we couldn't take the opportunities we created.”
West attributed Werribee’s quarter time about turn to his side’s ability to focus on their own game and not be intimidated into playing the game on Frankston’s terms.
Werribee have developed a core unit that has carried them into 5th place on the competition ladder. Cameron Pedersen and Sam Gibson, both previously members of the Box Hill Hawks, have given the team a maturity and stability both in mind and in body.
Ben Warren has provided Werribee with a much needed strong target up forward, currently sitting 3rd on the leagues goal kicking tally with 19 majors. Warren has proved that he holds a noticeable influence on the game, with opposition coaches providing him with the most votes for his side this season in the Ford VFL Coaches Player of the Year Award.
The Northern Blues will have to place a focus on Warren (if not selected in the final North Melbourne side) this weekend as they will need to keep Werribee to a low score if they want to be in for a chance towards the end of the game.
West approaches this Saturday’s contest with the bigger picture in mind.
“There is no doubt the Blues have a lot of talent in their team but for me if you concentrate too much on one individual then someone else always stands up and gets under the guard so it's really important we play well as a team,” West said.
The Northern Blues enter their Round 9 clash with Werribee sitting at 12th place on the ladder after a few too many near misses throughout the first eight rounds.
Coach, Robert Hyde feels that the Club are performing well, but they struggle to seal the deal at the end of the day.
“We have been right in each match until the last quarter. We have turned over many senior players and both the Carlton listed and Northern Blues listed players are really young. We aim to improve as the year goes on.”
Their Round 8 contest played out in a similar fashion to their other matches with Sandringham finishing stronger in the final quarter.
“At three quarter time we were one point down and then we were ordinary in the final term. We went into our shells a little and weren’t bold enough. We needed to take the game on more,” Hyde said.
Season standouts for the Northern Blues have been Adam Marcon and Kane Lambert, who provide the team with an aggressive nature and ‘grunt’ that many young players take years to develop. As a result, both have been rewarded with selection into the State Squad. Marcon’s hard work has also earnt him a spot in the VFL Academy.
Ruckman, Nick Meese will be the key to Northern’s success against Werribee. Meese will have a large task on his hands to single handedly compete against the Tigers powerful tall’s in the ruck like Daw and Sullivan. Meese tallied the equal highest hit-outs in Round 8 (35), proving that his hard-hitting tactics can produce results.
Werribee Tigers vs Northern Blues – Saturday 1pm on ABC TV
Last Modified on 18/05/2012 17:03