Westbourne Grammarians are one win away from a perfect home-and-away campaign in VAFA’s division 4.
The Warriors made it two consecutive unblemished seasons on their home ground when they annihilated Manningham Cobras by 177 points at the Westbourne School Ground on Saturday.
To achieve an impeccable 16-0 season, the Warriors will need to get the job done at one of the league’s toughest away venues on their visit to finals contender Mount Lilydale on Saturday.
“That’s a tough trip for our crew,” Warriors’ playing assistant coach Justin Johns told Star Weekly.
“They’re a top four side and generally play a tough brand of footy. That’s probably a good thing leading into finals, to have something that will test us.”
The message from Westbourne coach Roger Hand won’t differ, even with such a big, and rare, achievement up for grabs.
The Warriors have never focused on win-loss records or margins of victory.
“The coach this year has been heavy on not focusing on the scoreboard or results; it’s more about how we play our footy and making sure each week we attempt to play the same style,” Johns said.
“If we do that every week, we know our best is good enough to match it with anybody. It is good to get little results along the way as a reward for effort, but if we looked back next year and didn’t lose a home and away game but also didn’t do well come finals, it sort of means nothing.”
Westbourne knows all too well about the cut-throat nature of finals.
The Warriors cruised into the finals last season only to bow out in straight sets.
It’s still in the back of the minds of the players who went through the heartache of finishing second last season only to be bundled out in the first week after a shock loss.
“We had a pretty young list last year and I think they learnt a lot from the experience,” Johns said.
“It seems like they’re playing this year a little more determined to make sure they don’t let anything drop away. The effort on the training track is proof that people don’t want to leave anything to chance. Irrespective of Saturday’s result, Westbourne will head into the finals in pole position.
That gives the Warriors the benefit of a finals double chance they missed out on under a different finals system last season.
What it does not reward the minor premiers with is a home final; all VAFA finals are at neutral venues.
That’s a pity for Westbourne considering its stellar home form. “It’s our second season in a row of not losing at home,” Johns said. “It’s become a bit of a fortress out there for us.
“Even a couple of the Manningham players mentioned it’s a tough road trip. They travel an hour, play on our big ground with windy conditions, and it’s hard for them to adjust.”
Meanwhile, Point Cook has locked away second place after a hard-fought 42-point win over Masala at WJ Turner Reserve.
The Bulldogs, who face North Brunswick in a final round test, are a game and a hefty wad of percentage clear of third-placed Eley Park Sharks.
