Tara Murray
It wasn’t Werribee’s best performance of the season, but it did enough to get across the line in the Victorian Football League on Saturday.
Hoping to complete a clean sweep against the standalone sides, Werribee was put to the test by Frankston at Avalon Airport Oval.
After trailing at the first break, Werribee hit back in the middle quarters to take control of the match.
The last quarter opened up, with both teams kicking five goals, but the game had already been one with Werribee getting the points, 15.9 (109).10.5 (65).
Werribee coach Michael Barlow said they had been expecting a tough challenge and they got exactly that.
“You know what you get with Frankston and the way that they play,” he said.
“They were really good and won two of the four quarters, the first and last quarter.
“They didn’t catch us off guard, we knew exactly what to expect. Their midfielders got on top of us most of the game.”
After trailing by 10 points at the first break, Werribee was able to lead by 10 points at half time after keeping the Dolphins scoreless for the quarter.
The margin could have been a lot more had Werribee kicked straighter, having had 10 more scoring shots.
Barlow said they weren’t missing easy shots, but it was something that they needed to fix up.
“Outside of 30 metres we kicked 1.11,” he said.
“It’s something the players have got to work on if they’re put in that situation. We didn’t execute, it will be pressure if it becomes a trend.”
Barlow said their general ball use by foot and around the contest wasn’t particularly great either, but the scoreboard pressure was the one that everyone noticed.
Werribee was able to kick six goals to one in the third quarter to open up the game before a more even last quarter.
“We played well in patches in the second and third quarters,” Barlow said. “Our defence was really good.
“It was one of our best defensive games until the final quarter when we gave up a pretty significant score.”
Barlow said while it was tough watching the game and the group not performing to the level they can, he said they would take lots of positives out of it.
He said from a coaching perspective they had some evidence based footage to help them wrestle through some things.
“This week we have a good opportunity and individual opportunity to focus on areas of the game,” he said.
“That is great. We have been up for a while and going well for a while.”
Shaun Mannagh kicked three goals for Werribee, while another four players kicked two goals each.
Mannagh, Hudson Garoni and Louis Pinnuck were the main culprits of those to miss in front of goal with three behinds each.
Dom Brew had 25 possessions, while Mannagh had 24 and Kye Declase had 23.
Barlow said they didn’t have many four quarter performers in the win.
“We had a few done, but a lot did bounce back and showed a fair bit of resilience,” he said.
“Nathan Cooper was really good in the backline, Hudson was good but if he could tidy up his goal kicking it would help everyone including himself.
“Dom Brew just continues to take his game to another level.”
The win keeps Werribee in second spot, percentage behind the Gold Coast Suns.
Barlow said they could have a couple of players return from injury which would be a boost for the side.
He said Jay Dahlhaus has got through a couple of weeks at local level after some concussion issues and would be pushing for a return.
A couple of others, including Matt Hanson, could also potentially return as well.
Werribee this week faces North Melbourne on Sunday at 1.05pm at Arden Street Oval.
Barlow said it would be another tough task.
“We have to take care of what is in front of us,” he said. “North Melbourne are coming off the bye and are in the top six at the moment.
“It’s a log jam at the moment. We’re keeping our eyes open and wanting to solidify our spot in the top six, but it’s secondary to how we prepare.”
