Werribee Centrals in their game against the Belmont Lions wanted to continue to build on the good form of last week knowing they would need to be in tune to keep with the Lions on their own turf where they can slip under your guard quite easily. Centrals lost Stephen Morgan from last week due to injury leaving their big man stocks depleted and the work would be left to Nathan Lovell. Centrals would not stand as tall as normal and would have to rely on their runners around the centre of the ground and again up forward. Centrals lost the toss and had to kick into a strong wind but this did not deter this side as Lovell won the ball in the centre and the mid field just ran the ball forward at will giving the likes of David Hall and Tyrone Montebruno a good look at the ball early. This was the pattern for the quarter as Belmont had no answer for the pace of Centrals and the lead up work of the forwards getting a six goal break on the home team in the first quarter.
Michael Cassidy gave Centrals the first goal of the second term and it looked how far but Belmont pushed back and the pressure on Centrals increased causing an over use of handball and kicking across the ground rather than heading for goal and errors slipped into the game.
Again against the wind in the third Centrals forwards especially David Hall led hard and was rewarded on the scoreboard. Centrals were creating many opportunities in their forward fifty but were just not able to convert on these opportunities. The game slowed and skill errors again crept in as neither side appeared to be able to gain an upper hand for the quarter.
Coach Luke Phipps asked for a real effort in the last but it did not come until midway through the quarter with Tyrone Montebruno was able to kick four goals on end and the side started to get their rhythm back and came away with a solid win at Belmont. Not much said about the backline but when you keep a side to seven goals they did their job well and really were the springboard as they worked the ball well out of the danger zone many times. Brad McNicol, Michael Knight, Shaun McGuiness and Shane Weatherley together with Blake Quarrier really worked well as a team.
Final Scores:- Werribee Centrals 21.19 – 145 to Belmont 7.7 - 49
Goal Kickers:- T Montebruno 7, D Hall 4, M Taylor 4, D Todaro 2, D Brierty, R Quarrier, M Cassidy & C Koutzamanis 1 each.
Best Players:- T Montebruno, N Lovell, M Cassidy, B McNicoll, D Hall, & M Walson.
Centrals Reserves after a blinder against Thomson last week looked set to continue that form against Belmont kicking four goals into a stiff breeze with Craig Hardingham back in the ruck after an extended layoff, winning the quarter well and the backing that up with a five goal second and seeming to be doing it easy at half time. Then Centrals rested and allowed Belmont to get back in the game as they kicked four goals and Centrals could not register one. Centrals running game was non-existent and even in the last it was left to far too few and they will need to quickly regroup for the big game against Bell Post Hill next week.
Final Scores:- Werribee Centrals 11.14 – 80 to Belmont 7.3 – 45
Goal Kickers:- L Cachia 2, C Colliver 2, M DeLuca 2, B Raymond 2, J Drohomirecki, A McDonald & L Liddicoat 1 each.
Best Players:- S Murphy, A McDonald, C Novenic, B Raymond, C Hardingham, L Liddicoat & M DeLuca.
The Werribee Hyundai Colts side also played Belmont but struggled with the tempo of the game and could not match Belmont when it came to the crunch. They know they can play better than that and I am sure we will see a better performance next week.
This week Centrals are at Home at Galvin Park Shaws Road Werribee against last years Premiers Bell Post Hill and this will give the club a real idea how much they may have improved since 2012. A must game to see at Galvin.
Last Modified on 20/04/2013 20:34