WERRIBEE Tigers could not have dug a deeper hole for themselves before mounting one of the great comeback near-misses in Victorian Football League finals history.
The Tigers fell an agonising five points short of eclipsing the Geelong Cats in the preliminary final at North Port Oval on Sunday after coming back from the brink with an extraordinary fightback.
The Tigers were taking a standing eight count with a 48-point deficit midway through the third quarter, having been on the receiving end of a constant barrage of blows that had them looking dazed and confused.
The opening two-and-a-half quarters saw the Tigers relive the nightmare of last year’s preliminary final, when they were humiliated on the same stage by a rampaging Williamstown.
This game had a similar powerlessness about it for the Tigers. The Cats did as they pleased for the best part of 75 minutes.
The Tigers must have been wishing for a mercy rule when the Cats produced a mesmerising coast-to-coast goal finished by Mitch Brown to put them 85-37 up.
But this Tigers side is no ordinary team. It was in a similar predicament during the home-and-away rounds and never stopped trying and this was the case again.
When the Tigers need a player to boost their spirits, captain Robbie Castello is their man.
He pegged a goal back in his 150th game to cut the margin to 24 and pumped his fists to rally the troops.
The Tigers needed everything to go right to pull off the great escape and a Malcolm Lynch poster and a horrible Cam Pedersen turnover resulting in a George Burbury goal did little to help.
Ben McKinley got what many felt was a mere consolation goal for the Tigers early in time-on, but it was the basis of one last push by the Tigers to attempt daylight robbery.
Sam Gibson goaled from a snap to bring it back to 17, McKinley showed great courage to make it 11 and when Majak Daw plucked one from the clouds and bombed a long goal from outside 50, incredibly it was just five points the difference.
Daw won the ensuing centre bounce at the 33-minute mark, but tapped it straight down the throat of a Cats midfielder, who launched the ball to the boundary line to run down the clock.
The Tigers had one last chance to start an attack from the last line of defence when Will Sierakowski marked.
He passed to Ayden Kennedy, who danced around Shane Kersten, ran his full distance and delivered a penetrating kick inside 50 to a leading McKinley, who got his hands on the ball, but had it punched away by lunging Cats defender Andrew McLean.
It was their last chance, the siren sounded seconds later and the Cats fell over the line. The Tigers were shattered. Daw, Martiniello and West held their heads in their hands, while Jarrod Mather threw his mouthguard to the turf in frustration.
The Tigers were gallant, but they will be left with a sickening feeling when they look back on their lacklustre start.
PRELIMINARY FINAL
Werribee Tigers 15.13 (103) lt Geelong Cats 16.12 (108)
Werribee — Goals: B. McKinley, B. Warren 3, S. Gibson, R. Castello, M. Daw 2, B. Speight, M. Lynch, W. Martiniello. Best: S. Gibson, M. Daw, W. Sierakowski, R. Castello, K. Hartigan, B. McKinley.
