It was only three weeks ago that Werribee was second-last on the Hockey Victoria men’s Vic League 2 ladder and at the mercy of the rest of the competition.
Things have changed dramatically for the Tigers, who have risen to fourth on the back of three straight wins and will head into the final two home-and-away rounds with their destiny in their own hands.
“It’s been a nice turnaround the past few weeks,” Tigers assistant coach Jayden Street said.
“It’s in our hands now with two games to go, so if we keep winning, we play finals.
“We control our own fate and that’s how we want it.”
Werribee has not only picked up the wins it has needed to turn its form around and steer clear of the relegation zone, it has produced statement victories in blockbuster games.
The Tigers beat second-placed Monash University and third-placed St Bedes in consecutive weeks, with both of those sides failing to put a goal past in-form goalkeeper Aaron Durajski.
Durajski almost secured another clean sheet in a 3-1 win over Old Melburnians on Saturday, but a consolation goal came from a penalty corner after the full-time whistle.
The big question now is, can Werribee match it with Old Xavarians, the best team in the competition?
We get to find out in the penultimate round this Saturday when the Tigers travel to Koonung Secondary College to test themselves against a Xavs team that has lost just once in 14 games this season.
“They’re top for a reason,” Street said.
“They’re a pretty handy team.
“Hopefully if we play our best hockey, it will be enough to get us over the line.
“We’ve knocked off second and third in the last few weeks, so we’re going into the game, like we do every game, hoping we can get the result our way.”
Werribee came out a little bit flat in the first half against Old Melburnians.
The Tigers went into half-time with a one-goal lead, but it was far from convincing.
“We probably weren’t playing our best hockey in the first half,” Street said.
“People were trying to do too much on their own. We were able to re-assess at half-time and get back to what we know and how we play our hockey.”
A half-time rev up from player-coach Andrew Purcell and an across-the-board lift saw Werribee get back to their best.
Goals to Jamie Beamish, Ross Cowlishaw and Sam Huxtable secured the victory that moved the Tigers into the top four.
Huxtable is back to his best form. Instead of playing his usual attacking role, Werribee is using his skills as a centre half.
“We’ve moved him into a bit of a different role as a centre half the last few weeks and he’s been giving us a bit of drive through there because he got good ball distribution,” Street said.
In women’s Vic League 2, Werribee cruised to a 7-1 win over ECHO, with Michelle Fleming and Brittany McIntyre leading the charge with two goals apiece. The Tigers, who face third-placed PEGS at President’s Park on Saturday, remain on top on goal difference with two rounds to go.
