Percentage is all that stood between Westbourne Grammarians and a Victorian Amateur Football Association division 4 finals appearance – and by a minuscule margin.
The Warriors missed out on the final four by an agonising 1.05 per cent after finishing on equal points with fourth-placed Manningham Cobras.
Needing a victory to stay alive, the Warriors took care of business by defeating local rival Point Cook by a runaway 37 points at Saltwater Reserve.
Nikko Arias, so lethal in front of goal in recent weeks, filed another brilliant performance with a season-high six goals to finish with 33 for the campaign.
Matthew Muhar, Carl Chesterman and Michael Culliver had a big impact on the win, while Justin Ray kept the scoreboard ticking with three goals.
Then came the waiting game.
With victory all but sealed heading into time on in the last quarter, the Warriors were desperate to find out how the Cobras had fared in their tough match-up against West Brunswick at Koonung Reserve.
News filtered through of a Cobras loss, momentarily raising spirits in the Westbourne camp.
Once the calculators came out, the Warriors joy turned to despair as they fell victim to an inferior percentage.
Under coach Roger Hand, the Warriors can be proud of their efforts to get back into the finals race after turning at mid-season with a 3-6 record.
The Warriors won seven of their final nine games, momentum they can surely take into the off-season and relaunch for a finals tilt next season.
