It wasn’t pretty, but Bell Post Hill came away with the goods at Myers Reserve on Saturday, defeating Werribee Centrals by 38 points in a match that probably won’t live long in the memory of the large crowd present.
Apart from the opening five minutes of the clash, when the Centurions booted the first two goals, the Panthers never looked in any danger and a seemingly defensive mindset from Werribee ensured the match never reached any dizzying heights. Bell Post Hill coach Robert May said he was a bit surprised by the fact that the opposition adopted a defensive style when they were behind. “They probably played a bit of a defensive role once they got behind which I didn’t really expect,” May said. “It turned into a bit of a scrap fight in the end and no offence to Werribee but I think they might have tried to save face in the end and not get blown out of the water.”
The tactic of playing a loose man in defence for the Centrals was a questionable one, especially when they were five goals down at the final break, but coach David Leatch claimed his side was simply sticking to its game plan. “When we play to our game plan well we are a good side but that just didn’t happen today. We didn’t move the ball cleanly and we just murdered it across half forward,” said Leatch. He admitted that his side does need some sort of contingency plan in place if not everything is going to plan. “We need a plan B and plan C in reality, but at the start of the season we thought it would take until about this time to get our initial game plan in motion so we’re working on it,” he said. In a match that was marred by poor disposal by both sides despite the idyllic conditions, it was the Panthers that had control early and once they stretched the lead to five goals at the beginning of the second quarter, the remainder proved to be a lack-lustre affair.
Only three goals were scored in the second half. Shaun Lewis was back to his Whitley Medallist form; Travis Fursland was dangerous down forward and youngster Attila Sulics continued to show great promise. The return to form of many of the Panthers bigger names is presenting ominous signs, especially since May claimed they are playing better football than last year, when they reached the Grand Final. May conceded that it was pleasing to come away with the win but didn’t believe the Panthers are the side to beat, despite sitting atop of the ladder for the majority of the season. He said that he was more than happy with the fact his side hasn’t received a great deal of attention of late, and that he paid no attention to ladder position. “There are the likes of Thomson and East Geelong who are firing and we went down to Bannockburn a couple of weeks ago so I don’t believe we are really the side to beat.”
Look at Bannockburn, they were on top a couple of weeks ago and one loss dropped them back to fifth. The ladder is just a ladder at the moment.” Bell Post Hill have a tough month on the horizon now, playing three probable finalists in four weeks and with five names still to come back into the side, including May, it has an opportunity to take a stranglehold over the competition. As for Werribee, it has been made clear that they aren’t at the same level as the likes of Thomson and Bell Post Hill, but they aren’t far behind. Leatch said his side has a mountain of work ahead of them but they are relishing the challenge. “It is a real positive that the guys want to work so hard and we have a tough seven weeks ahead of us on track.”
Last Modified on 29/06/2009 13:58