To make club history
Anglesea coach still impressed despite loss
time they would do so all day.
If that was the first metaphorical punch thrown, then Modewarre countered it just as brilliantly.
Three goals in three minutes — the last a crowd-lifting Mitch Fisher bomb — swung the match back in the Warriors’ favour.
Modewarre was already winning the most important battle of the day — centre clearances — receiving silver service from ruckmen John Meesen and Nathan Ablett.
And with a flexible forward line looking to exploit any potential mismatches, the Warriors were now seeing the fruits of their labour on the scoreboard, too.
At the other end, it was clear that Erskine would have to be a dominant force to give the ‘Seas any chance of winning.
Swingman Dale Carson began the match down back and wouldn’t be tried inside forward 50 until the final quarter.
Erskine’s tally of five goals deserves plaudits, but other opportunities went begging also. A purple patch of form shortly after halftime saw Erskine boot two in two minutes and nearly could have had a third.
But right on cue, after a 10-minute stalemate, one of the BFL’s all-time premier midfielders, Josh Finch, kicked a goal that would extend Modewarre’s lead back out past 12 points, finishing off the hard work of a Meesen ground-level handball.
The pair’s synergy as cocoaches, both on and off the field, is recognisable.
The final margin of 38 points might not have accurately reflected how tight the match was for the majority of the afternoon, but it indicated one thing — that when Modewarre gets on a roll, it is difficult to stop. TWO huddles formed almost immediately after the conclusion of Saturday’s preliminary final between Modewarre and Anglesea.
Barely a minute had passed before each coach had rounded up his players and delivered an address out on the field, eager to project their immediate thoughts to the playing group.
It would be easy to guess there would be jubilation from one camp and despair from the other.
But Anglesea coach Paul Carson was keen to make it clear to his players that all was not lost from the 2018 season.
While the defeat will sting in the coming days, the Roos have taken giant strides this year — rising five spots up the ladder to finish second, winning their first final since 2011 and breaking another drought by defeating long-time nemesis Geelong Amateur.
“I just wanted them (the players) to realise that we’d actually had a terrific season and I wanted to let them know that I’m proud of their season,” Carson said.
“We gave ourselves a real chance at it and it wasn’t because of effort or attitude that we didn’t succeed.
“To make it to the prelim, it’s still a very good achievement in itself, so I just wanted to reinforce (that) and the boys understand that.”
The final margin of 38 points belies the endeavour with which Anglesea fought.
Although trailing at every break, the ‘Seas were able to fire shots early in each quarter.
Four of spearhead Jordan Erskine’s five majors were scored in the first 10 minutes of each term.
Clearly the focal point for Anglesea, Erskine’s lone hand up forward — in stark contrast to Modewarre’s raffling of the goals down its end — proved telling.
He would keep them in the match on numerous occasions through strong overhead marking and timely goalkicking.
A controversial non-paid mark to Erskine nine minutes into the third quarter, which would have put the ‘Seas within a point had he converted the set shot, felt somewhat inconsequential at the time but ultimately sparked a “what if?” given the context of the game.
The pace shifted shortly after and the Warriors kicked three unanswered majors to go 27 points up at the last break.
“We feel like we had momentum at times, we just probably didn’t take enough of it,” Carson said.
“All our indicators — inside 50s and those areas — show that we were only just off Modewarre. We just weren’t able to sustain it, which was probably the most disappointing thing.”
Carson was full of praise for Erskine, however, noting his finals series as a whole was pivotal to the success of the team.
“He (Erskine) was on fire today and I’m rapt with his efforts,” Carson said.
“He kicked 5.5 but the opportunities that missed, they don’t fall on his shoulders. I think we still went inside 50 a lot and we weren’t able to capitalise.”
Carson, who is locked away to coach his third season at Alcoa Oval, now turns his attention to 2019.
“We’ve already put pen to paper with probably 90 per cent of our list,” he said.