By Lance Jenkinson
It was a day that Wyndhamvale would rather forget.
The Falcons were second best in every facet of a 67-point loss to Yarraville Seddon Eagles in the Western Region Football League division 2 grand final at Avalon Airport Oval on Sunday.
Falcons player-coach Chris Moreland conceded the opposition were far too strong for his side on the day.
“Sometimes days like today, your best isn’t good enough,” Moreland said.
“They started slow, but when they kicked into gear, they were slick.
“The way they were using the footy and the way they were flicking it around, we got caught ball watching a bit.
“They’re a good unit.”
Despite the scoreline blowing out, Moreland believes his side tried hard until the bitter end.
Frustrations boiled over late when Yarraville Seddon star Andrejs Everitt perhaps over-celebrated in front of the Falcons fans, leading to a push and shove among the players and a free kick to Everitt, who kicked another goal to take his team’s score to triple figures.
PHOTO GALLERY: WRFL Division 2 grand final
Aside from that, the Falcons remained disciplined throughout, but just could not get any momentum in the game.
“When I was growing up, you always play siren to siren,” Moreland said.
“You never fall on your sword.
“You always try to finish off the game pretty strong.”
Wyndhamvale’s main deficiency, the lack of a powerful marking key forward, was exposed in the finals.
The Falcons kicked scores of 55, 42 and 34 during the finals, not the offensive output the minor premiers would have desired.
Moreland already has one eye on next season and will be targeting a key forward and key defender.
With some long-term injured players to return, already solid depth on the list with 41 players featuring in the senior side this year and having enjoyed a strong year in which the Falcons won the minor premiership, Moreland is not predicting the need for wholesale changes. “We have got recruits in mind, it’s whether or not they’re a good fit for us,” he said.
There were not too many winners on the day for Wyndhamvale.
Bol Kolang, the tireless ruckman, was the best four-quarter performer for the Falcons.
Nathan Bisset was lively in attack, Elia Tzagarakis worked hard defensively and Moreland covered a lot of ground.
After half-time, onballer Liam Scarborough and half forward Jack Tessari tried to ignite the Falcons, but it was all to no avail.
Relegated from division 1 last season, Wyndhamvale has established itself as a powerhouse of division 2.
The energy is back at the Falcons nest after some lean years in the top flight.
While the grand final loss will hurt for some time, another season in the second tier might not be a bad thing for Wyndhamvale.
“A lot of the boys could’ve walked away from the club after the poundings that they copped in division 1,” Moreland said.
“I’ve always said, it’s about getting the Wyndhamvale community back together and just embracing each other.”
