ALL that could go wrong did for Werribee Centrals in a 23-point
elimination-final loss to Winchelsea in the Geelong and District
Football League Smiths Holden Cup at St Albans Reserve on Sunday.
The Centurions’ problems were many and varied as they bowed out of
the finals in a straight sets fashion for a third consecutive season.
Player-coach Luke Phipps told the Weekly a combination of factors consigned his club to the finals scrapheap.
“We were a little bit undisciplined early,” Phipps said. “Their
first three goals came from 50-metre penalties and I think they got five
goals from 50s throughout the day. That’s the game there, really.”
The Centurions’ skill errors were glaring and, coupled with
Winchelsea’s unwavering intensity, added up to a bleak afternoon for the
Centurions.
Matthew Walson, a teenager who finished fourth in the club best-and-fairest count, was one of the rays of hope.
Walson has impressed Phipps so much over the course of the season that he will be recommending him to the local VFL club.
“I don’t want to lose the guy because he’s such a good young man
with a good head on his shoulders, but I think he should be trying to
push himself towards a VFL preseason at least,” Phipps said. “I’ll
probably speak to a couple of guys at Werribee and see if they can get
him a run around there.”
You want your star to step up in the big finals, and Tyren Montebruno did not let the Centurions down.
“He got three or four of his goals from holding-the-ball decisions
in the forward 50,” Phipps said. “That’s a remarkable effort from a
full-forward.”
Phipps is confident his club will learn from its elimination,
though it has many reference points to look back on in failed finals
over the past three seasons.
“There’s a few things we can take out of it to try and turn a negative into a positive.”
On a positive note, Werribee Centrals’ reserves had a 62-point win over Corio in the qualifying finals after four goals to Luke Cachia.
The Centurions will meet North Geelong in the second semi final on Saturday.
