They were the 70 minutes that stamped Werribee as a contender in Hockey Victoria men’s Vic League 2.
The Tigers roared to a 3-2 win, knocking off second-placed Mornington Peninsula at the State Hockey Centre on Sunday to prove they are the real deal.
Tigers co-captain Jayden Street said the victory gave his side “heaps of confidence”.
“It gives us a live chance of finishing second on the ladder … which would give us a double chance, which would be huge come finals time.”
But Werribee still has work to do just to confirm a finals berth.
The Tigers have met every challenge head on since their slow start to the campaign, going from no man’s land to being well and truly in the finals mix. Should they qualify for the finals, the rampaging Tigers will be a daunting challenge for any side.
“Having a lot of young guys in the team, we were trying to get the structures right early in the season and trying to gel together was a bit hard,” Street said.
“Now we’ve been playing together for a while, we’ve slowly got the structures right and everyone knows their job.
“We’re coming into every game knowing exactly what we’ve got to do.”
In Sunday’s game, the Tigers made their intentions clear early by piling on the first three goals.
That damage was inflicted by short corners, with Ross Cowlishaw scoring twice from deflections and Sam Huxtable finishing expertly with a drag flick.
“We got off to a flyer,” Street said.
It was not all plain sailing for Werribee. The Tigers’ lead was trimmed to two goals by half-time and Mornington added another in the second half.
The Tigers’ patience and game plan were tested as they held on against the Mornington tide.
“We grinded it out,” Street said. “They were pushing for a goal late, but we held our structures pretty well.
“Everyone knew what their job was and held firm.”
The victory has moved the Tigers into the top four, but nothing is set ahead of their penultimate round clash away to MHSOB on Saturday.
The Tigers, in fourth, are only a point behind second and one point ahead of fifth.
“We’ve really got to be on our game in the last two weeks,” Street said.
