Point Cook was the unlucky loser under the new top-six finals
format used in Victorian Amateur Football Association division 4 that
sees the three qualifying finals winners and the highest-ranked loser
advance from week one of the finals.
The fourth-ranked Bulldogs lost to West Brunswick by 27 points at
Garvey Oval on Saturday, but were still alive until an unfavourable
result filtered through, revealing the sixth-ranked Northern Blues had
produced a massive upset over top-ranked Hawthorn, thus spelling an end
to the Bulldogs’ premiership aspirations.
PICTURE GALLERY: Point Cook v West Brunswick
Bulldogs coach Daniel Fraser was not playing the victim and even endorsed the new final-six system.
“Six beat one so we were the second-ranked loser and we’re out,”
he said. “I think the idea is right – I can understand why they went to a
final six. If you win, you don’t have to worry about it and you’re
happy … we knew that was the system before we started, so we’ve only got
ourselves to blame.”
The Bulldogs had a healthy 15-point lead midway through the third quarter and were kicking themselves for letting it slip.
“We had our opportunities and we just didn’t grab them,” Fraser said.
The last 10 minutes of the third term saw West Brunswick get a
significant roll on, to the point of taking a seven-point lead at
three-quarter time.
There was no coming back for the Bulldogs once the pendulum swung, with Wests cruising home with a three goal to nil last term.
Fraser blamed uncharacteristic skill errors from his side.
“We made a couple of ordinary decisions with the footy late in
that third quarter and it swung the whole momentum of the game,” he
said.
“We missed a few targets, ones we would’ve hit during the year,
and their pressure to get back into the game was really good – they
forced us into making mistakes.”
“It’s always hard when you’ve got a team up and about – it’s hard to get the momentum back.”
Rick Munn was brilliant for the Bulldogs up forward, especially
early in the third quarter. Munn provided a focal point, booting three
goals.
“He played a sensational third quarter,” Fraser said. “He is one of the reasons why we got that lead in the third quarter.”
The Bulldogs made progress in their campaign for a premiership, but Fraser was still left with a bitter taste in his mouth.
“All that hard work from November and you get three goals up
halfway through the third quarter and basically blow it,” he lamented.
“It’s a pretty hollow feeling at the moment, but we’ve made some
fantastic strides this year.”
