Point Cook’s top two clash with Yarraville Seddon was called off on Saturday after a field umpire suffered an epileptic seizure during the Western Region Football League division 2 match.
The game was halted midway through the second quarter for more than 30 minutes and it was ultimately decided that both teams would split the points so to not overburden the other field umpire officiating the game and to not risk injury to the players that had cooled down over time.
Point Cook was leading the game by five points at the time, but Bulldogs coach Ian Denny was not worried about the scoreboard when such a serious medical incident took place.
“It was a pretty scary incident,” he said. “Footy is just a game, the livelihood of an individual is much more important to me.
“I don’t think the result is too much of a worry for either of our clubs at this point in time.”
It was Point Cook’s first big test against one of last year’s grand finalists.
The Bulldogs, who moved their senior team from the Victorian Amateur Football Association to the WRFL this season, showed in a quarter and a half that they would be a genuine contender to the likes of Yarraville Seddon.
“We played for a quarter and a half and were as competitive as they were,” Denny said.
“The state of the game was fairly even, we had a couple more shots than they did, so we know we can match it with them.”
Point Cook has impressed in its first three completed games since crossing to the new league.
The Bulldogs entered Saturday’s game a perfect 3-0 after big wins over Manor Lakes, Newport Power and Albanvale.
Denny has lauded the consistency of his team so far.
“We’re gaining continuity within the team, which is good,” he said.
“It’s worked out alright so far, but we still think our best footy will come in the last five games of the year, not necessarily in the first five.”
Point Cook will feature in another blockbuster this Saturday when it hosts defending premier North Footscray at Saltwater Reserve.
Denny got to watch North Footscray play in the second half of its local derby with West Footscray and found a totally different style of team to the one his side faced against Yarraville Seddon for 45 minutes.
“They’re a stronger type of team than Yarraville Seddon, who are young and lean and love to run,” he said.
“They have got some substantial sized key forwards and some big guys through the middle.”
Meanwhile, Manor Lakes has broken through for its first win of the season, downing Parkside by 15 points at Howqua Reserve.
In division 1, Werribee Districts survived a scare to beat Caroline Springs by four points at Soldiers Reserve and remain undefeated in four matches.
The Tigers will face Hoppers Crossing in a highly anticipated Wyndham derby at Hogans Road Reserve this Saturday.
It will pit the second and third placed sides on the ladder after Hoppers Crossing moved up to third with a dominant 35-point win over Spotswood at home on Saturday.
Wyndhamvale’s slow start to the season continued, going down by 21 points to St Albans at Wyndhamvale South Oval.
In division 3, Wyndham Suns moved a game clear of the rest with a 70-point annihilation of North Sunshine at Dempster Park.
Point Cook Centrals moved into outright second with a 47-point win away to Sunshine Heights.
Tarneit cruised to a 56-point win over Braybrook, while Glen Orden went down to Laverton by 81 points.
