Seniors
Werribee 11.18. 84
Gold coast 12. 12 84
Goalkickers: Bongetti 3, Thorp 2, Tarrant 2, Dickson, Gleeson, O'Keefe, Rockefeller
Best Players: Ross, Rockefeller, Magnabosco, Pask, Kennedy, Obst
Reserves
Werribee 21.18. 144
Franston 5.5. 35
Goalkickers: Kennedy 5, Haby 2, Harrison 2, Perkins 2, Martinello 2, Moloney 2, Denton, Lesko, Black, Scott, Lunardi.
Best Players: Kennedy, Scott, Lunardi, Haby, Harrison, Martinello.
A LARGE crowd at Chirnside Park was treated to a thrilling tie under lights between Werribee and VFL newcomers Gold Coast on Saturday night.
The Tigers in their first home match of the season trailed the Gold Coast side all night before mounting a slow and steady comeback to draw the match 11.18.84 to 12.12.84.
With less than five minutes on the clock and the visitors up by 12 points, new Tigers recruit Mitch Thorp stood tall taking a massive screamer in the forward line. More importantly he kicked a goal to cut the deficit which had been out to as much as 28 points throughout the match.
The ball was blasted long in to Werribee’s forward 50m from the resulting centre bounce; a move which was in stark contrast to the fiddly midfield handballs the Tiger’s had been using in the first half of the match.
Thorp was again the man of the moment taking an overhead grab in the goal square and scoring his second major of the game with a quick snap to level the scores and lift the Tiger’s home crowd off their seats.
In the dying seconds of the game, the ball again found its way from the centre bounce into the Tigers’ forward 50m but the high looping ball was beaten by the siren before anyone could get their hands on it. This resulted in a match all tied up and both side’s without a win from three games this season.
For Werribee coach Simon Atkins, the comeback meant little with his side ignoring early instructions and yet to win a game.
“It’s a loss for us it’s as simple as that,” he said. “It’s admirable to come home, you know (when) you are down (but I’m) dealing with a playing list that didn’t complete the instructions (in the) first half of footy so it’s a loss.”
An overuse of handballs (167 for the match) by the Tigers and a lack of physical pressure on the fleet-footed Gold Coast side was seen as the catalyst for the visitors 5.5 to 1.4 opening term.
“We’re not at a picnic,” a frustrated Atkins said at the quarter-time break.I can talk about physicality until I’m blue in the face but it’s no good unless you are going to go out there and do it.”
The Gold Coast with Nathan Ablett lurking up forward and Gary Ablett Senior and Junior watching on from the sidelines, kept the trend going in the second and third terms. Atkins said his side had instructions to put physical pressure on the developing Gold Coast side, which has youth at its core but they failed to stick to the game plan.
“They (Gold Coast) are a young side. They play really good free-flowing style of football and at the end of the day if we want to go anywhere we have got to be a lot harder and tougher. And to allow 10 shots at goal (in the first term) isn’t about being physical and wanting to close the game down. I mean we are zero and two. I wanted to see a bit more physicality than what I saw.”
With no wins from three rounds, Atkins said the Tigers’ season was on the line when they face Collingwood again at home and at night.
The frustrated Tiger’s coach put the onus on his playing group.
“I am disappointed with our group… I’m a structured coach. I was scratching my head sometimes when I was watching blokes making decisions.
Last Modified on 27/04/2010 16:13