The Western Region Football League division 3 ladder presents something of an illusion.
Tarneit is fourth in the standings yet it has been the most impressive side in the competition.
The Titans are the only undefeated side in the competition and have knocked off ladder-leader Newport Power in the season opener and backed that up with a gritty nine-point win over second-placed Sanctuary Lakes at Wootten Road Reserve on Saturday.
The reason why the Titans are down in fourth is because they are the only side in the top four to have had their first bye of the season.
Titans playing assistant coach Adam Taylor told Star Weekly the team had a good launching pad.
“Having two wins and a bye after round three and finding ourselves beating Newport and Sanctuary Lakes, who are one and two at the moment … we’ve put ourselves in a good position,” he said. “There’s still a lot of hard work to do – division 3 is going to be a lot more competitive this year than some people think.”
Tarneit made its disposal of Sanctuary Lakes a little harder than it had to be.
The Titans wasted opportunities in front of goal early and lacked a bit of composure late in the game. They will make late-game awareness a priority in preparation for Saturday’s trip to take on third-placed North Sunshine.
“In the last quarter, we could’ve steadied the tempo a bit better than what we did,” Taylor said. “We played on a bit too quickly where we could’ve held the play up a bit more, and we had a turnover here and there.”
He said the players would learn from the experience.
Utility Jay Gorman took best-on-ground honours for Tarneit. He showed a bit of flair in a swingman role between half-forward and half-back.
The athletic Jesse Clark has warmed to his new role in the ruck after spending most of his time at former club Wyndhamvale in defence.
Tough-as-nails Tom Weybury took a number of hits but dusted himself off to win the lion’s share of in and under ball.
Meanwhile, Wyndham Suns won a tight affair over North Sunshine by 12 points.
In division 1, Hoppers Crossing had a gutsy 18-point win over Spotswood away at McLean Reserve, but it was a disastrous day for Werribee Districts, which lost in an upset by 57 points to Sunshine.
In division 2, Glen Orden was no match for Caroline Springs, losing by 88 points, and Manor Lakes went down by 96 points to Yarraville-Seddon after leading by 17 at quarter-time.
