THE Wyndham derby was never going to be a showcase of the best skills the sides had to offer.
The fierce windy conditions that could have blown a toupee from a bald man’s head dictated a tight, in-and-under contest that would be won by the more-committed side.
Glenorden has been up since the opening day, winning its first three matches of the season and going into the local stoush as the pre-game favourite. But it was inevitable that a flat spot would come for the Hawks at some point and you do not want to have your lull against this Wyndhamvale Falcons outfit or they will pick you apart.
Click on the image below for our picture gallery from the big game.
“They were hungrier and more committed than we were,” Hawks coach Nick Diker said. “They fully deserved the win.”
The signs were in the wind early when the Hawks could muster only four behinds in the first term with the aid of a two to three-goal breeze that strengthened as the game wore on.
The home side players fumbled with their hands, were sloppy with their disposal and direction-less when moving the play into their attack.
One goal was all the Hawks had to show for the first half.
After Diker gave his players a bake at half-time, they responded to reel off five straight goals in the third quarter and take a healthy 17-point into the last quarter of a low-scoring contest.
Diker admits that he thought his side might have dodged a bullet.
“I thought we had enough [of a score on the board],” he said. “We certainly had a run on.”
However the Hawks failed to hold on. With the vast majority of their players down on form, they were powerless to halt the Falcons’ charge.
Escaping the blowtorch were persistent full-back Ryan Walker, who held dangerous Falcons forward Dean Cachia to a rare goalless game, and onballer Tristan Angelini, who later compounded the Hawks medical room woes with a suspected collarbone injury. He was one of the few willing to launch into a contest to win the hard ball.
