POINT Cook regained that spring in its step in a 95-point mauling of Mt Lilydale in Victorian Amateur Football Association division 4 at Saltwater Reserve on Saturday.
The Bulldogs were reinvigorated after the bye, with coach Daniel Fraser suggesting the week’s rest came at the perfect time for his players to rest weary minds and bodies.
PICTURE GALLERY: Point Cook v Mt Lilydale
“The bye came at the right time.It refreshed us and we had a good week on the track,” he told the Weekly.
“The boys came out and played really well.”
The Bulldogs were in command with the exception of a 10-minute burst from the visitors in the second term.
They conceded just one behind after half-time to claim an important percentage boost that moves them a game and 8.73 per cent ahead of fifth-placed North Brunswick
A top-six spot is under lock and key.
Fraser was full of praise for his defensive unit, led superbly by Jason Whitling.
“Apart from that 10-minute spell in the second quarter where they kicked three goals, our backline was in complete control,” he said.
Whitling, at half-back, was best-on-ground.
So damaging was he that Mt Lilydale tried to tag him out of the game but was unsuccessful. “He had an absolute blinder,” Fraser said. “In conjunction with his five mates down back, he repelled everything and his ball use was fantastic.
“He’s a very slick footballer.”
Paul Archibald, a veteran who has re-emerged in the second half of the season, and Matthew Herbertson, an injury-prone forward, both kicked four goals.
Moreover, their presence in the forward line made the Bulldog attack less predictable, freeing up Andrew Auciello to run through the midfield.
Fraser’s dream of ‘‘wishing you had two Andys’’ will be alleviated if Archibald and Herbertson continue that kind of form.
“With those guys starting to hit the scoreboard a bit more often, it’s allowed us to play Andrew up through the midfield a bit more and gives us a few more options,” Fraser said.
The Bulldogs hit the road to face Chadstone in the penultimate round on Saturday.
