Blues, Centrals serve up another thriller
GDFL
WHAT is it about matches between Winchelsea and Werribee?
For the second straight year, one point separated the sides, with the Blues holding off a fast-finishing Centurions for a 10.7 (67) to 9.12 (66) victory that could prove crucial in the make-up to the finals race.
Recruit Matthew Sprigg was the Blues’ hero deep in the final quarter, kicking the matchwinner in the 33rd minute of the last term to hand his side a memorable win.
Thirty points down at three-quarter time, Werribee roared back to life with a stunning burst of momentum, piling on five unanswered goals and hitting the lead when Nathan Johnson slotted truly.
“They (Werribee) just got some good momentum and then it wasn’t until two-thirds into the final quarter that we were able to stem the flow,” Winchelsea coach Brendan Forssman said.
“We only had one opportunity, so we were very fortunate to get a score from it.”
Werribee was without ruckman Brayden Sneddon and Luke Cachia for the clash, a situation exacerbated when key forward Nic Bauld (groin) hobbled off in the first term.
“It was a really competitive game from start to finish,” Forssman said.
“We had a good margin at three-quarter time but by no means did we think we had the game won. Both teams were fierce around the ball all day so it wasn’t a great spectacle to look at but it was highly pressurised, which was good.”
This marked the ninth time in Forssman’s 24-game stint as a GDFL senior coach where a game was decided by 10 points or less — and also the fourth time by a single point or draw.
Last season, the Blues came back from a 44-point deficit to beat Geelong West 8.15 (63) to 8.14 (62) before facing a onepoint loss to the Centurions after the siren five weeks later.
Sitting third on the ladder at 5-1, Winchelsea hopes to regain Joseph Fama (back), Brodie Wilson (ankle) and Matt Worland (hamstring) after the interleague bye.
CORIO faded after halftime in its 46-point loss to East Geelong. The Devils teased the competition for a half, leading by six points at the main break. But it failed to kick a goal in the second half as East Geelong cleared away to record an easy win in the end.
BANNOCKBURN’s Patrick Knott outscored the entire North Geelong team with his 10-goal game helping the Tigers to a 59-point win.
ANAKIE remains winless after going down to Belmont on Saturday. The Lions were down at halftime but kicked eight goals to three after the break for a crucial victory.