SANCTUARY Lakes shocked Sunshine Heights with the opening five goals of what most felt would be a lopsided Western Region Football League division 2 match at Ainsworth Reserve.
But just as quickly as the Sharks burst to a 30-point lead, it evaporated into thin air en route to a 111-point loss.
CLICK HERE for our picture gallery of the big game.
“We kicked the first five, which we were a bit shocked about,” Sharks coach Nick Waddell told the Weekly. “As quick as we got five, before we knew it we were a goal down at the break.”
That is the life of an expansion club. But it offered Waddell a glimpse of what this young team has to offer.
Waddell wants that future to be in division 2, not a diluted talent pool in a talked-about third tier.
He is adamant his young players are learning from their exposure to battle-hardened clubs, such as Sunshine Heights.
“I’d rather play in division 2 and play against quality every week,” Waddell said.
“It fast-tracks our kids and it’s going to be beneficial for next year.
“No one likes being beaten by 15 goals, but we look at it like it’s all learning.”
The Sharks have four wins under their belt and have a goal to finish in the top half of the table.
“We haven’t dropped our heads at all this year and we’ve kept our numbers up at training,” Waddell said. “We knew where we were going to stand with the top five and our goal from here on in is to try and beat every side outside the top five.”
The Sharks will pay a visit to Albanvale in what can be considered a winnable game at Robert Bruce Oval on Saturday.
In other division 2 games on a lopsided weekend, Parkside pummelled Braybrook to the tune of 160 points.
Manor Lakes, Sunshine Heights, Glenorden and Albanvale all registered triple-figure margins.
