HOPPERS Crossing stayed true to the form guide and sent newly promoted Yarraville-Seddon Eagles packing with an 11-goal defeat in the Western Region Football League division 1.
The Warriors returned to the field on Saturday after a week’s rest and were certainly scratchy in the opening term at Hogans Road Oval.
They settled into a groove with a six-goals-to-nil second term and the result was a fait accompli from that point on.
“It wasn’t the prettiest of wins, but, in the end, it was a good win,” Warriors assistant coach Glenn McGaw said.
“We didn’t play our best football, we probably struggled a little bit and our skills were a little bit down. A few people commented that we weren’t playing our best, but 11-goal wins, you don’t get them every day do you?”
Brad Murphy was outstanding for the Warrior, the captain topping off his best performance of the year with four goals.
Goals from the midfield was a theme of the day with Kade Carey absent through injury and the key forwards finding it hard to mark inside 50 with the extra defensive numbers deployed by the Eagles.
With the Eagles dropping players back to fill in holes, Murphy relished a day out without the frustration of a tag.
“It was the best game, since I’ve been back at the club, that I’ve seen him play,” McGaw said.
“He had a free run and stayed on the ball for the majority of the game, so he just enjoyed that freedom and he got on the end of a few, which he was pretty happy about.”
James Mulligan, who crossed to the Warriors after spending his time as a key defender with the Western Bulldogs, is certainly not being pigeon holed into one position at his new club.
Mulligan’s aerial dominance was a feature for the Warriors, be it floating around the field as a mobile ruckman or exposing the Eagles lack of height as a forward.
“If a side has a small backline, you’re going to use him where he can do the most damage,” McGaw said.
“He was just too big, too tall and too strong for them, and took probably 15 or 20 marks for the game.”
Young midfielder Ryan Kitchen bobbed up for four goals.
Daniel Riosa rucked for most of the day in Scott Greenhough’s absence.
Greenhough, listed with Collingwood’s VFL team, turns 20 next week and got an early birthday present with a debut for the Magpies in a six-point loss to Williamstown at Burbank Oval on Saturday.
He had the thrill of playing alongside Magpies stars Luke Ball and Alan Didak.
The Warriors will face the Sunshine Kangaroos in a blockbuster on the road at Kinder Smith Reserve on Saturday.
WRFL SCOREBOARD
Division 1
Hoppers Crossing 17.12 (114) d Yarraville-Seddon 6.12 (48). Hoppers Crossing – goals: B Murphy, R Kitchen 4, J Mulligan, T Jehle 2, M Smith, A Poland, J Ramsay, A Williams, K Butty. Best: J Mulligan, R Kitchen, M Poland, B Murphy, M Ryan.
Around the grounds: Port Melb Colts 11.8 (74) lt Sunshine 22.12 (144); Deer Park 20.20 (140) d Altona 19.11 (125); Spotswood 17.14 (116) St Albans 14.7 (91); Nth Footscray 6.6 (42) lt Albion 21.15 (141).
Next round: Albion v Deer Park, Altona v Port Melbourne Colts, Spotswood v North Footscray, Sunshine v Hoppers Crossing, Yarraville-Seddon v St Albans.
Division 2
Parkside 10.16 (76) d Wyndhamvale 7.12 (54). Wyndhamvale – goals: T Westhead 2, K Junker , C MacKey, P O’Shea, Q Suckling, B Parker. Best: L Klein-Breteler, J Van Der Munnik, L Dennerley, C MacKey, D Ellis.
Sanctuary Lakes 14.13 (97) d Laverton 11.11 (77). Sanctuary Lakes – goals: J Marlais 3, J Lampi, J Lampi, J Pace 2, D Hutcheson, B MacArtney, M Davis, M Zurek, T Hyde. Best: J Rogers, J Marlais, J Lampi, J Lampi, D Hutcheson.
Manor Lakes 16.15 (111) d Caroline Springs 7.8 (50). Manor Lakes – goals: H Hunter, S Gebbie, N Smithwick 3, T Priest 2, B Pilkington, N Montague, P Morris, C Hunter, J Palmer. Best: C Hunter, M Ngong, N Montague, B Pilkington, A Heyde.
Albanvale 9.4 (58) lt Glenorden 40.14 (254). Glenorden – goals: D Yze 10, D Barolli 6, J MacDonald, S Comensoli 4, T Angelini, J Magnabosco, J Zangari 3, M Yates, B Bostock 2, D Lee, J Fortune, S Crea. Best: D Barolli, M Yates, D Yze, J Zangari, J Fortune.
Around the grounds: Sunshine Heights 23.15 (153) d W. Footscray 6.9 (45); North Sunshine 6.8 (44) lt Braybrook 15.17 (107).
Next round: Albanvale v West Footscray, Braybrook v Sanctuary Lakes, Laverton v Parkside, Wyndhamvale v Sunshine Heights, North Sunshine v Caroline Springs, Glenorden v Manor Lakes.
