WERRIBEE Districts lacked a bit of composure and experience at crucial times in Saturday’s 12-point loss to Old Haileybury in the Victorian Amateur Football Association Premier B at Soldiers Reserve.
The Tigers trailed through the middle part of the game but came home strongly to get within a kick in the last quarter and provide a real scare for their more-fancied opponents.
Tigers president Rod Harrington told the Weekly that errors and wayward shots at goal cost his side a chance to complete what would have been a stunning comeback from 21 points down at three-quarter-time.
Click on the image below for our gallery of the game.
“We clawed our way back in the game and the last quarter was a real arm-wrestle,” he said. “We missed a couple of what I’d call easy shots at pivotal times.
“They probably won the game as a result of our turnovers.”
The Tigers’ stocks were again tested to the maximum. The club is battling not only injuries, but also losing a high volume of quality players it feeds weekly into the VFL system.
It’s not an excuse for the Tigers – just a fact – and one they hope will be a catalyst to unearthing more young players of the future who are forced into the senior spotlight before their time.
“It’s a titanic struggle at times,” Harrington said.
“We’re asking a lot of them to do the job and perform roles and do it against some ex-AFL players and harder bodies.
“We’re a bit like the GWS in the AFL.
“Once you get 50 games into these kids, they’re going to be really good players.”
Wayne Pelar, one of the more seasoned campaigners, set the example with another strong, head-over-the-ball performance in the midfield.
Stefan Callea, who is “knee-high to a grasshopper” when standing alongside some of the competition’s bigger-bodied midfielders, showed he has a bigger heart as he dominated the hard ball in and under the packs.
Josh Huxtable, one of three Tigers co-captains, finished with three goals from a key forward position. The Tigers remain two games clear of the relegation zone and seem in no danger of relegation with a month to go in the season.
They are likely to get back a handful of players from the Werribee VFL reserves for Saturday’s clash with Old Melburnians at Soldiers Reserve.
SCORES
Premier B: Werribee Districts 10.15 (75) lt Old Haileybury 12.15 (87).
Division 3: Old Westbourne 8.12 (60) lt Hawthorn 15.9 (99).
Division 4: Point Cook 12.18 (90) lt Eley Park Sharks 17.14 (116).
