Young guns fire for Ammos
Warriors coach rues missed opportunities
THERE is still two weeks until Modewarre takes on Torquay in a rematch from Round 1, but its players can expect a fair bit of goalkicking practice in the days ahead.
Saturday’s loss to Geelong Amateur was the fifth time the Warriors have produced poor returns in front of the big sticks this season — and for the fourth time it contributed to a loss that might have gone their way had they kicked straight.
Modewarre co-coach John Meesen said it was frustrating when most other aspects of his side’s game were unfolding as he would like.
“We’re three (wins) and four (losses), but we’ve been in every game,” Meesen said.
“If not for our wayward kicking that could be different but we think our process is pretty good, our ball movement and the way we defend has been quite solid.
“But taking our opportunities in front of goal has probably let us down at crucial times.”
Down by 11 points at the final change, Modewarre champion and fellow cocoach Josh Finch implored his team to dig deep and find the strength to keep running until the final siren.
While they tried hard to overcome the lead, three quick goals to Ammos and some missed opportunities at the other end slashed their hopes, with Meesen saying the lack of scoreboard pressure was a clear factor in the result.
“We came hard late in the game but I think we left it a bit too late and we kicked one goal eight in the last quarter,” he said.
“So they just took their chances better and I thought it was a bit of an arm wrestle. The conditions, especially the second half, made it a bit of a slog, but they were always probably two or three goals in front.
“We kept pegging them back but we couldn’t get three or four goals in a row, and it was probably just a little bit too much in the end.”