First-gamer a positive in tight run for top five
IS it possible to find a silver lining in a 104-point loss?
If it is, Winchelsea assistant coach Paul Liistro has found it.
Liistro, who is captaining the ship in the absence of coach Brendan Forssman, says the Blues learnt plenty about their depth in the loss to premiership contender Thomson at Godfrey St.
Winchelsea was without Heath Walsh, Clinton Place, Josh Carracher, Jackson Smith, Sam Jackson, Kyle Brookes and Will Ford, and struggled to fill those seven big holes in the 22.
However, first-gamer Sam Durnan, Zach Moules and Josh Turner all stood up, giving Liistro hope they could all cope with extended runs at senior level if needed again this season.
“Absolutely we have, today was huge,” he said when asked if he had learnt much about the club’s second-tier players.
“He (Durnan) was very close to being best on or was definitely our second best. Zach came in on late notice and did his job really well.
“Josh Turner was another one to surprise us. Initially he wasn’t keen on playing senior footy, he wasn’t keen on playing at all, he just wanted to train. He has come along and was brilliant in the guts.
“We have definitely found we do have some depth. We’ve got a lot to come back in a short amount of time.”
The loss puts a decentsized dent in Winchelsea’s top-five hopes, but its finals dream still remains in its own hands.
Winchelsea has won two of its past six games and sits two points inside the top five with Werribee Centrals hot on its tail. The equation is simple. If it wins its remaining four games, then it will play finals.
But if the Blues slip up, in particular to Centrals in Round 17, then the finals race will be blown right open.
“We control our own destiny, which can be good and bad. We don’t have to rely on anyone else, we just need to focus on us and what we are doing,” Liistro said.
“I’d rather have that than sitting here saying, ‘we need such and such to win, and such and such to lose’.”
The Tigers had the game won by halftime, leading by 44 points at the main break. But that margin did not tell the whole tale with the home side having 18 scoring shots to four for the half.
Thomson continued to build its lead in the second half, stretching the lead to almost 100 points by threequarter time.
“It was just one of those days, I think. Thomson was very, very good,” Liistro said.
“That first quarter from them was outstanding with the way they pressed up. They set up really well behind the ball and we just didn’t have any answers.
“All the message early was to reset and to take the game on. We had nothing to lose, so if we made a mistake we wanted to make a positive mistake and not go down without a fight.”