Hoppers Crossing is the real deal in division 1 of the Western Region Football League.
The Warriors offered further proof of that when they put a six-year Spotswood hoodoo behind them with an impressive 16.12 (108) –
8.7 (55) win at Hogans Road Reserve on Saturday.
Warriors coach Steven Kretiuk told Star Weekly it was time for his side to step up in a meaningful game against a powerhouse club, and they had done so in a fashion even he didn’t see coming.
“For us to take the next step, we had to beat someone like Spotswood, which we hadn’t done since 2009. It was a really important win for us mentally.”
The Warriors made their intentions felt from the first bounce, piling on the pressure on the Woodsmen’s defence.
By the time the teams went into their quarter-time huddles, the Warriors had kicked 4.5 (29) while leaving the Woodsmen scoreless.
But Spotswood hit back, as a good team does, in the second quarter to trim the deficit to 16 by half-time before the Warriors reasserted their dominance with a spectacular nine-goals-to- three second half.
Excluding the second quarter, the Woodsmen managed only three goals, which underlines where the Warriors won the game.
“We defended really well and our defensive mechanisms worked,” Kretiuk said.
“Our whole defence was outstanding, led by our two talls in Harley Armstrong-Weston and Jackson Viola.”
Armstrong-Weston and Viola are still wet behind the ears when it comes to senior football. Yet with every passing week, the youngsters strengthen their hold on their position in the Warriors’ back six.
Viola received the ultimate praise from his coach.
“If he’s not the best tall defender in the competition, I don’t know who is,” Kretiuk said.
While the young guns fired for the Warriors, the master on this day was ruckman Wayde Skipper.
There was no area of the ground not patrolled by Skipper at some point. And he had to do it while curtailing the influence of 210cm Woodsmen ruckman Angus Milham.
“He’s probably the most competitive player I’ve played with and seen,” Kretiuk said of Skipper. “He hates getting beaten and he wants to lead his team. He probably played the whole game – I can’t remember him coming off – so for a guy who’s 32, he’s still pretty evergreen.”
Matthew Smith was the stand-out Warrior onballer on the day.
Kretiuk revealed that Smith contemplated the rest of the year on the sidelines with a shoulder concern before deciding to play out the season.
The Warriors, who hold a game and percentage lead over third-placed Spotswood, will face in-form Altona in a danger game at Grant Reserve on Saturday.
“We’ll really set ourselves for these two weeks,” Kretiuk said. “We haven’t beaten Altona at Altona for a number of years.”
Meanwhile, Ryan Harrington booted six goals for Werribee Districts in its 49-point win over Albion. The Tigers remain in the double chance hunt, just one game off third-placed Spotswood.
In division 2, Wyndhamvale had it all its own way in a 103-point mauling of Glenorden at Wyndhamvale South Oval.
The Falcons piled on 19 goals to three in the final three terms with Todd Lawrie (five) and Chris Graham (four) leading the way for the top-of-the-table side.
A slow start proved costly for Manor Lakes in a 42-point loss to West Footscray at Howqua Reserve.
Two games and percentage out of the four, the Storm are going to find it tremendously difficult to reach the finals.
In division 3, the Wyndham Suns took out the local derby over Tarneit by 20 points at Goddard Street Reserve, moving a step closer to finals football in their first season.
