Werribee Tigers will take on anyone, any time, anywhere.
They fear no team nor any away trip – an asset they will need come finals time if they miss out on a top-four finish in the last VFL round this weekend.
To make the four, the sixth-placed Tigers need to beat Footscray (fourth) at Avalon Airport Oval on Sunday … and hope Richmond upsets Essendon (fifth).
The likely scenario will have the Tigers missing out on the top four, meaning all of their finals matches would be played away from Watton Street.
Four games on the road would be a daunting prospect for many teams, but the Tigers have just completed a three-game set on the road and impressively won all three … add the visit to Williamstown, one of the toughest away venues in the league, as their latest conquest.
VIEW PICTURE GALLERY/SALES FROM THIS MATCH
The Tigers were victorious by 15 points at Burbank Oval on Saturday, and even the Seagulls conceded the scoreboard flattered the home side.
Werribee had a whopping 15 more scoring shots for the day and was in control of the game for most part.
The Tigers had previously won tough away games at Port Melbourne, Box Hill, Casey and Essendon.
The bigger the challenge, the better it is for the Tigers, it would seem.
Tigers’ coach John Lamont is thrilled with the form of his team, which has bounced back to premiership contention after a rough patch mid-season.
“They’ve done well in this last block of games, there’s no doubt about that,” Lamont told Star Weekly. “They’ve had three quality wins against good teams at away venues.
“Geelong beat them on the last kick on the siren down here at Werribee, and I think it stung them; it really disappointed them and, after that loss, we were eighth on the ladder with Port Melbourne nipping at our heels.
“We had a bit of a chat about the road ahead and they’ve really responded well and shown plenty.”
The Tigers were full of beans coming off the bye. They toppled Williamstown, who have only lost five games, for the second time this season. Wayward kicking – 11 goals from 33 scoring shots – is all that stood in the way of a blow-out.
Despite the Tigers controlling play, Lamont and his coaching staff were never sitting comfortably.
“They’re a very good team, Williamstown. They’ve got a lot of experience and a lot of blokes who really hang in there and never give up,” he said. “We were all over them, but still they were coming at us late in the game.
“We just couldn’t shut them out, unfortunately.”
The Tigers’ midfield of James Hussey, Matt Hanson, Ben Speight and Scott Sherlock were on top all game. Experienced defensive trio Jake Wilson, Jesse Crichton and Scott McMahon snuffed out the Seagulls’ attacking threat, while Josh Porter was the focal point of attack with four goals.
This was a victory built on the back of a solid team performance.
“You need everyone contributing and doing their bit,” Lamont said.
