The Werribee players did a good job of keeping the football and festivities separate.
In a landmark night for the club, Werribee unveiled its impressive new multi-million dollar redevelopment of Avalon Airport Oval on Saturday night.
But it was important for its players to keep their minds on the task at hand – a big home opening match against Casey Demons in the Victorian Football League.
The night ended in defeat for Werribee by 16 points after a ripping contest, but it was by no means a case of the players taking their minds off the job.
It was simply that Casey ran the game out better.
Werribee forward Josh Corbett said the players were mindful of the broader importance of the occasion, but their minds were very much on playing matters.
“We broke it down into two processes – the big event, the opening of the new facility, which has been 18 months in the works, but at the same time we still had a game of football to win,” he said.
“We made sure we put our best foot forward to win the game for the crowd and for us … I thought we got off to a good start.
“Our practice matches and the Geelong game up in Torquay in round one, we were a little bit slow to start, so it was pleasing for us to get out of the blocks nice and early.
“It’s unfortunate the result didn’t go our way, but you can’t fault us on effort.”
Werribee coach John Lamont was pleased with how his team handled the situation.
It could have been easy for his players to get caught up in the moment with local dignitaries on hand and a new training and function centre to explore, but they were locked in and mentally ready for the game.
“I thought they handled it really well,” Lamont said.
“There was a good level of excitement about the whole thing, but then they were able to channel that into how we want to play our football.”
Werribee was able to dictate terms in the first half.
The home side led a low-scoring dog fight played in chilly and damp conditions by 11 points at half-time.
Corbett, who ended up being Werribee’s chief finisher with three goals, lauded the work of the midfielders, in particular Tom Gribble, Ben Moloney, Matt Hanson and captain Michael Sodomaco.
“I thought all the midfield group were good in really setting the tone for a hard contest early,” he said. “I thought our pressure was A1 all night.”
A star-studded Casey was never going to back down.
The Demons worked their way back into the contest with a four-goal-to-two third quarter that provided them with the lead at the last change.
The Dees clinched victory with three of the four goals kicked in the last quarter.
While acknowledging Casey’s impressive ability to run and spread from the contest to create scoring opportunities in the second half, Corbett lamented his own team’s inability to turn forward entries into goals late on.
“I think in the last quarter, we just didn’t capitalise on a couple of little opportunities,” Corbett said.
“In slippery conditions, they were able to run in numbers a bit better and spread from the contest … they kicked some crucial goals late in the game to shift the momentum.”
Defensively, Werribee was resolute for most of the night.
The inclusion of Ryley Barrack strengthened the backline, but it was the run and carry of Dane McFarlane that stood out.
New recruit Sam Collins had another strong game, with his intercept marking a feature.
Nick Nott was impressive in the ruck, finishing with 29 hit-outs.
Gribble was Werribee’s standout with 30 disposals, five tackles and a goal.
Despite his side starting the season with two close losses to high-quality sides, Corbett is confident Werribee is on the right track.
“It was disappointing that we haven’t won our first two games, but we definitely feel as though there’s something special within the group,” he said. “Hopefully, we can create something special for the Werribee Football Club.”
Werribee will host Williamstown in a hugely anticipated game at Avalon Airport Oval on Sunday from 2pm.
