WERRIBEE conceded a late equaliser to walk away disappointed in a 1-1 draw with Knox on the road in the Hockey Victoria men’s state league 3 on Saturday.
The Tigers held a one-goal advantage right until a unforgivable turnover with only seconds left on the clock, which resulted in a goal to Knox striker James Theofanis.
It was the Tigers’ game to lose when they had a free hit in their front half and only had to kill the game off. But their inability to release the ball gave the umpire no option but to reverse the
free hit.
Knox took full advantage of the wide open space that opened up in the Tiger defence and pushed the ball directly to Theofanis, who scored to earn the home side a share of the points.
“There was about 10 seconds to go,” Tigers captain Ross Cowlishaw said.
“The umpire blew the whistle saying we took too long and they hit the ball straight to their centre forward and he took it in and scored.”
In an instant, the Tigers were punished for their wastefulness in the first half.
Instead of going into the half-time break with a huge buffer after dominating the opening 35minutes, they went in nervous on the back of a goal to Cowlishaw from a short corner.
The second half saw the tide turn dramatically with the Tigers’ chances in the attacking circle limited, detonated by Knox’s defence-first approach and their own inability to string passes together with regularity or trap the ball cleanly.
It was an ugly performance from the Tigers.
“We’re not overly happy with it,” Cowlishaw said. “We’ll take it. It’s better than a loss.”
The Tigers had their depth tested, with veteran defender Darren Wale pulling out with a hamstring strain.
This compounded the news that Tim Dean could miss the rest of the season with a serious knee injury and the indefinite unavailability of fullback Max Evans who is studying.
Tigers co-coaches Brian Cowie and Russell Skoglund tried a new defensive pair, using the established Daniel Collins and youngster Sam Huxtable, and it worked flawlessly until the final minute.
“They both worked quite well together,” Cowlishaw said. “They’re real quick and run off each other.”
The musical chairs in the Tiger team provided an opportunity for Adam Hopkins to play his first senior game of the season and he did not disappoint in the midfield.
The unsettled Tigers will face pre-season conqueror Geelong at President’s Park on Saturday.
The Tigers feasted on goals in a 6-1 drubbing of Casey in the women’s state league 3.
Tigers captain Laura Baker scored a double, while Taylah Gentzen, Chloe Pickersgill, Cath Gladman and Nadine Forsyth also found the scoresheet. – Lance Jenkinson
SCORES:
Men’s state league 3: Knox 1 Werribee 1.
Women’s state league 3: Casey 1 Werribee 6.
