Werribee Centrals staged a remarkable second-half comeback against Belmont to steal a thrilling one-point win on Saturday and stay in touch with the Geelong District Football League leading sides.
Having kicked 1.16 by the midway point of the third quarter, the Centurions were able to straighten up in front of goal and take the lead early in the final quarter before landing the sealing six-pointer in the 32nd minute of the final term to take the win.
The Centrals prevailed 11.17 (83)-11.16 (82) at Galvin Park.
Centurions coach Nick Smith said his side had a forgettable first half, but half-time changes and young legs got them back in it.
“It was just an insane day,” Smith said. “We were just playing terribly – not finishing in front of goal, allowing them to score. We were seven goals down before we kicked our second goal, so we left ourselves with plenty of work to do.
“We changed pretty much everything at half-time. Threw defenders forward, put bigger bodies in the middle – I was basically just throwing magnets at the board, trying to find something that would work. And eventually it did.
“We’re a pretty young side, and we generally finish games stronger than others, but we haven’t always been in front at the final siren so it was nice to grab this one.”
When the goals did come for the Centrals they came in a rush. They closed within three goals of Belmont by three-quarter time and hit the front just seven minutes into the last quarter.
In a thrilling final term, the sides traded blows as they tried to create a break.
It was Tasmanian recruit Nick Bauld who grabbed the final goal of the match to ensure a win for the home side.
Tito Nyawela and Jackson Smith helped to turn the game in the midfield for the hosts, while Nathan Johnson was good in the ruck all day.
“We’ve come from five goals down the last couple of weeks without being in front at the end, so to get the win was big for this group,” Smith said.
“We’ve not beaten all the teams below us and lost to the teams above us, so we are where we should be at this point of the season.
“We’ve now got a great opportunity this week against the reigning premiers [Bell Post Hill] … we go into that one with some real confidence and belief after a result like that.”
