The situation looked bleak for Hoppers Crossing going into half-time of its Western Region Football League division 1 clash with Altona on Saturday.
After being in control for much of the first half, the Warriors conceded five late goals in a row to see their 20-point lead turn to a 10-point deficit.
But in front of the Hogans Road Oval home crowd, the young Warriors weren’t about to let anyone down.
PICTURE GALLERY: Hoppers Crossing v Altona
They stormed home in the second half to secure a vital 15.14 (104)-9.11 (65), 39-point win.
Hoppers Crossing shut Altona down, allowing it to score only a single goal in the third and fourth quarters.
There was no such trouble at the other end of the ground as the Warriors made the most of their chances.
Even in the rain and wind, Hoppers appeared to be playing dry-weather football, booting eight second-half goals.
“We really rate Altona and we knew it was going to be a hard game,” Hoppers Crossing coach Steve Kretiuk said.
“We got about four goals up at one stage and then, whether they stepped up another gear or we stopped, they kicked seven goals in that second quarter.
“We addressed a few issues at half-time and made some positional changes.
“Although the third quarter was quite even, I think we controlled the game in the second half.
“It was a tough contest so it was great for the guys to come back … we were really happy with the result.”
Ryan Kitchen was outstanding for Hoppers Crossing, kicking four goals and winning a lot of important ball around the ground. He was well supported by Ben Jago, Brydon Coles and Adam Poland, who kicked two goals each.
Kretiuk it hoping his side can learn from its second-quarter fade out.
“When you are up and about and things are going your way, I think guys tend to run harder,” he said. “We are trying to teach them that when things aren’t going our way, like in the second quarter, that’s when you need to work even harder.
“I think that is an area we need to get better at. We don’t have as much depth as some of the other sides and we can’t choose when we want to work hard.”
The weekend’s result lifts Hoppers Crossing into fourth place on the division 1 ladder with a 3-2 win-loss record.
In other division 1 results, Deer Park got the better of Sunshine, Spotswood smashed Albion, St Albans proved too good for Yarraville-Seddon, and Werribee Districts and Port Melbourne delivered a draw.
