West Preston set up a dream preliminary final clash with Heidelberg after comfortably accounting for Greensborough in the first semi final.
The last time the Roosters and Tigers met in September was the 2010 Grand Final, when West Preston caused a huge boilover to claim a 21-point victory that ended Heidelberg’s dream of five consecutive Premierships.
On Sunday the Roosters again strengthened their credentials for back-to-back flags with a commanding 15.11.101 to 8.10.58 over the Boro.
The Roosters jumped out to a 38-point lead at quarter time courtesy of a six-goal to zero start with a strong breeze, before defending admirably in the second term to hold a 23-point buffer at half time.
Luke McKenna got West Preston going early and kicked a long goal from outside 50 metres for the first major of the match.
As the wind howled to the Cramer St end of the ground, West Preston made full use of the advantage and kicked long at all opportunities.
Glenn Robertson kicked the second after intercepting a shocking kick across the face of goal by Boro defender Drew Wilson, and had two on the board two minutes later with a lovely 55 metre effort at the 12-minute mark of the quarter.
Billy Micevski then kicked the easiest of goals from a boundary throw-in to make for a 24-0 scoreline.
Greensborough was winning the ball from the middle of the ground, but had no forward structure to kick to as it pushed extra numbers back to defend against the strong wind.
McKenna then pirouetted around two tacklers to kick his second long-range goal before Anthony Rocca, who was being well-held by Josh Riddle at that point in time, used his strength to take a big mark which he converted from 40m.
Despite trailing by 38 at the first change, Greensborough knew it was still well and truly in the contest as the wind blew a gale.
Unfortunately, the young Boro side didn’t use the breeze as they should have as the wise old heads of Billy Morrison and Simon Prestigiacomo peeled off their forwards to mark countless Greensborough drives forward.
The Boro butchered the ball through the middle of the ground and, unlike West Preston, were unable to kick goals from outside the 50m arc as the Roosters crowded their defensive 50.
Mitch Anderson kicked Greensborough’s first major 14 minutes into the term, before Aron Burns received a downfield free kick to make it two in a row.
They were the only two goals the Boro would score with the wind before West Preston again demonstrated how best to use the breeze in the third quarter.
Rocca twice broke free of Josh Riddle within the opening three minutes to kick two majors, before Damian Smith wandered forward to make it a 42-point ball game.
Rocca then provided the highlight of the day with a 70m drop punt that sailed through the goals at post height, before having another 75m attempt touched on the goal line.
By three-quarter-time West Preston’s lead was out to 63 points, a task beyond Greensborough even with such a big breeze.
Scott Conte kicked a goal early in the final term to provide a glimmer of hope before Billy Micevski sealed the game, kicking the first goal of the day to the city end of the ground.
The Boro fought on to kick five more goals, including two each to Josh Grubb and Josh Riddle who was moved forward in the last quarter, to add some respectability to the scoreboard.
It was a disappointing end to a fantastic season for the Boro, one which saw them emerge as a serious premiership threat over coming years.
West Preston now looks to continue its superb form at Preston City Oval when it meets Heidelberg with the winner to earn the right to tackle Bundoora in the Grand Final.
Final score: Greensborough 8.10.58 def by West Preston Lakeside 15.11.101
Last Modified on 05/08/2012 23:29