By RHYS WOOSNAM - Division 3 Reserves
THE final weekend of the regular season saw some teams make a statement heading into the WRFL finals.
Tarneit solidified their minor premiership by thumping the Braybrook Bombers to the tune of 119-points.
Their victory saw them finish atop the ladder, two games clear and in the driver’s seat for the knockout stages of the year.
Losing just a solitary match for the whole of 2016, Tarneit are deserved minor premiers and will be very difficult to topple in the coming weeks.
The game was quite competitive in the first-half, with the Bombers only two goals down at quarter time and seven goals at the main break.
Unfortunately for Braybrook, their lack of skill and stamina was exposed in the second-half as Tarneit ran away with 13 majors to one.
One of the primary battles on the day was actually between two teammates as Troy Whiting and Samuel Ingham duelled for the WRFL goal-kicking title.
Ingham came into the game on 46 goals while Whiting sat on 43, but it was a come-from behind performance as they finished on 50 goals apiece.
In a tremendous performance, Whiting led Tarneit’s attack with seven majors with Ingham clinging onto a piece of the prize, kicking four.
The two men won the goal-kicking by a fair margin, with Parkside’s David Orchard the next best on 35 goals.
Momentum heading into finals is a major indicator of future success and so the Wyndham Suns would be feeling pretty confident as they charge into the pointy end of the season.
They fired a warning shot to the rest of the contenders, defeating Newport Power by 75-points.
After being challenged early, the Suns powered away and ended up winning comfortably. They now finish the regular season in third and are a legitimate chance of achieving premiership glory.
Elsewhere, it was a win for Sunshine Heights over Sanctuary Lakes by 69-points who will look to build on this season where they finished sixth with seven victories.
If they can improve again in 2017, finals are a distinct possibility.
Week 1 of the finals will see Tarneit take on Parkside at Wootten Road Reserve on Saturday, before the Wyndham Suns will battle with Newport on the same ground on Sunday.
Last Modified on 16/08/2016 11:46