GDFL finals race set for final twist
THE GDFL season plot is still puzzling its audience, but with only one pre-finals act left the story will soon be clearer.
Winchelsea was again unable to muster the required inner belief to control its destiny. Now the daunting task of upsetting raging premiership favourite Thomson seems to be the Blues’ only hope of claiming the finals position many thought had been certain since April.
Ninth-placed Anakie continued its stunning form of the past six weeks, adding Winchelsea to its list of scalps, which includes other finals aspirants East Geelong and Geelong West.
This late-season flurry again highlights the improved depth of the competition and will send the Roos into a preseason campaign full of hope.
They have always been an admired footy club from the outside, but now prospective recruits will be much easier to coerce on the back of these positive showings. INVERLEIGH has continued to stagger leading into the finals, having now surrendered the double chance to a gleeful Werribee.
The Hawks were measured in their pre-season expectations, but a productive first half of the season had allowed some thoughts of glory.
Their recent form may be a more realistic guide to their true worth, but the list of talent on show within the group suggests they will still have an important role to play during September.
Their opponent in the first week of the finals is still uncertain, but neither of the likely combatants will provide an easy passage into the second week.
They cannot be discarded, but there is plenty of work to be done in a short time to convince those outside the club. THE Werribee Centrals’ 50th anniversary celebrations on Saturday night were given the perfect kickstart, as the players turned on a stunning thirdquarter display to confirm a top-three finish.
With the game evenly poised at half-time, an eightgoal-to-nil burst had supporters rightfully excited.
The party started at that point, but coach Nick Smith will be certain the players are quickly refocused.
The club’s well-known identity, Richard ‘Grubby’ Cations, described the celebrations as the greatest night in the club’s history, with longtime administrator Alan Stewart being inducted as the club’s first legend.
Star players Jason Fastuca, Gary Vaughan, Mick Foster and Billy Hudson were part of a group of 10 club heroes inducted into the Hall of Fame.
This type of momentum might prove to be very hard to stop.