Weekly sports reporter Lance Jenkinson looks back on the biggest moments of the 2013 Wyndham sports year.
A CLASS ABOVE
Glenorden talked the talk and walked the walk in the WRFL division 2.
Hawks coach Nick Diker made no secret of his determination to bring silverware to the refurbished clubrooms at Heathdale Oval.
Second best is not an option when you have the likes of brothers Adem and Damien Yze, the latter booting 136 goals for the year, and Kent Kingsley, Chris Scudamore, Dash Barolli and Jesse Fortune on your side.
The Hawks outclassed everyone this season, capping off a dream campaign with a 43-point win over Parkside in the grand final at Chirnside Park.
PICTURE GALLERY: Glenorden v Parkside WRFL division 2
MATCH REPORT: Glenorden wins WRFL division 2 premiership
CENTURIONS UNDEFEATED
Werribee Centrals were untouchable in the Geelong and District Netball League A-grade, going through the campaign without a blemish.
The Centurions claimed the premiership in coach Lina Luta’s first season with a 49-31 mauling of Bell Post Hill in the grand final.
Mickayla Ward and Eleanor Tubbs formed the most damaging attacking circle combination in the league.
Brigitte Ardossi, a former WNBL basketballer who was once drafted by the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA, shored up the defence with Noni McClure.
MATCH REPORT: Winning Werribee Centrals’ cup of joy
DROUGHT BROKEN
For the second year in a row, the biggest match on the WRFL division 1 calendar produced an unforgettable one-point cliffhanger finish at Chirnside Park in Werribee.
Deer Park stole victory with a late flourish to eclipse Spotswood in the grand final by the barest of margins.
The Woodsmen were inconsolable at the final siren and will be remembered for losing consecutive grand finals by single points.
The Lions were eyeing league domination when they assembled a matured-age squad and lived up to the hype under player-coach Marc Bullen, snapping a 19-year premiership drought.
PICTURE GALLERY: Deer Park v Spotswood WRFL grand final
MATCH REPORT: Deer Park premiers over Spotswood
PRODUCTION LINE
A number of western suburbs-aligned players made it to the AFL via the national and rookie drafts.
James Sicily was the only current Western Jets player drafted when Hawthorn used pick 56 on the forward.
Johnny Rayner, a former Jet and talented sportsman who took the athletics route, gets a second chance in the AFL system after being rookie listed by Essendon.
In a signal of the strength of the Werribee-North Melbourne alignment, two Tigers, Ben Brown and father-son selection Luke McDonald, made their way to North’s primary list through the draft.
Werribee Devils basketballer Michael Luxford was picked up by Geelong as a category B rookie because, like Rayner, he had not been registered in an AFL competition for three years.
TOP-FLIGHT BEES
Werribee City celebrated promotion on the last day of the Football Federation Victoria men’s state league 1 campaign.
In a virtual playoff for the second automatic promotion berth, the second-placed Bees held off third-placed Sunshine George Cross to win 1-0 at Galvin Park. Fittingly, it was Leigh Minopoulos who scored the game-deciding goal – he was one of the Bees’ best players all season.
Where the Bees play next season is anyone’s guess.
Normally they would be promoted to the top-tier Victorian Premier League, but with the off-again on-again National Premier League Victoria finally given the green light, the Bees may find themselves in the new competition, which was their aim when assembling a talented young squad.
PICTURE GALLERY: Werribee City v Sunshine George Cross
MATCH REPORT: Young Bees swarm into VPL
DEVILS DELIGHT
Werribee Devils came back from the dead in the Big V basketball women’s division 2.
Under coach Lloyd Klaman and big-name players Lisa Troyahn, Elisha Burnette and Emma Coyne, the Devils turned a 2-16 record in 2012 to an 18-2 record in 2013.
Unfortunately, they put up a finals series shocker, bowing out in straight sets to Keilor Thunder in the semi-finals.
FALCONS TAKE FLIGHT
Wyndhamvale was back on top in Williamstown and District Cricket Association A turf.
The Falcons came from third in the finals rankings to shock the league by winning the premiership.
A magnificent 112 from Andrew Ford and 8-47 for Jake Styles lifted the Falcons to an outright grand final win over minor premiers Williamstown Imperials at Bryan Martyn Oval.
MATCH REPORT: Wyndhamvale Faclons win A turf premiership
THIS TIME, TIGERS?
Werribee earned the respect of the Victorian Sub-District Cricket Association by making the grand final before losing to a red-hot Melton at MacPherson Park.
The Tigers, home to VSDCA team of the year members Shaun Dean and Tim O’Brien, have built on that experience and been installed as premiership favourites this summer.
PICTURE GALLERY: Werribee v Melton VSDCA grand final
MATCH REPORT: Werribee loses to Melton in VSDCA grand final
CENTURIONS FLAWLESS
Werribee Centrals achieved perfection in Victorian Turf Cricket Association west B1.
The Centurions went undefeated all the way to the title and earned promotion back to the north division.
Opening bowler Sam Crea (6-30 and 3-25) and middle-order batsman Jared Lions (109) put St Andrew’s to the sword in a one-sided grand final at Laverton Park.
PICTURE GALLERY: Werribee Centrals v St Andrew’s VTCA grand final
MATCH REPORT: Werribee Centrals win premiership in style
HITTING THE BIG TIME
Women’s football took a giant step forward in the west.
The first AFL-sanctioned game took place between the Western Bulldogs and Melbourne at the MCG.
At a grassroots level, Wyndhamvale became a force in Victorian Women’s Football League north-west division 2.
The Falcons made it through to a preliminary final, where they were pipped by a goal by Deer Park in a thriller at Highgate Recreation Reserve.
