SENIORS:
DEER Park capped an unblemished season with its second successive premiership, thumping Spotswood by 77 points in the Western Region Football League Division 1 grand final on Saturday.
Those who believe in fairytales would have thought the Woodsmen were right in the hunt for a major upset at quarter time, but the Lions scored seven of the next eight goals in a repeat of the semi-final a fortnight ago. At half-time, the Lions led by 54 points and the contest was over.
The Woodsmen came again, led by David Iaccarino in the midfield and Christian Elliot up forward.
They slotted four of the first six goals in the second half and Jason Cloke had the chance to kick his second in as many minutes.
But Shylo Smith pulled out a piece of magic to halt Spotswood’s momentum, gathering near the boundary line to slot his third goal from the tightest of angles.
He went on to boot five, only eclipsed by teammate Kwame McHarg, who bagged seven majors to walk away with the Herb Pascarl Medal for best-on-ground in the dominant 22.26 (158) to 12.9 (81) victory.
The win sees Deer Park the first club in the history of the Western Region Football League division 1 to land the premiership with an undefeated season.
READ LEADER SPORTS REPORTER DAMIEN RACTLIFFE'S FULL STORY HERE...
RESERVES:
Earlier in the day, it was a clash of the titans battle for premiership glory in the Division One Reserves Grand Final as St.Albans took on Sunshine.
Finishing the home and away season in the top two positions on the ladder, this match was always going to go down to the wire.
Coming in fresh from the week off, St.Albans opened the first term in commanding fashion, piling on nine scoring shots to the Kangaroos’ three.
Familiar faces Kirk Wintels, Zammy Muhtari and Alan Pajtak were dangerous up forward, harassing the ball at every opportunity to kick a combined eight goals.
Despite trailing at half time by 27-points, the boys from Kinder Smith Reserve found a much needed gear, booting the next four goals in the third to be within a sniff going into the last.
While Sunshine’s Jonathon Frost, Hamish Andrew and Steve Considine were ruthless in the last, it simply wasn’t enough to drag the Roos over the line, eventually going down to the Saints by 19-points. The final margin 11.14.80 to 8.13.61.
St.Albans’ Konrad Soznowski, Reece Panetas and Steve Hoare starred for the Saints, but best on ground honours was saved for teammate Jarrod Tuppen who capped of his season in style.
UNDER 18s:
The grass was cut, the sun was shining and there was not a single cloud in the sky to hinder what would be a great day of Division One Grand Final football.
First off the rank was the Under 18s where competition juggernauts Spotswood and Werribee Districts fought for football’s ultimate prize.
Coming off an impressive win over rivals Hoppers Crossing the previous week, Werribee Districts was keen to make it two wins in a row and follow in the footsteps of their Division Two side who took home the premiership over Newport Power.
Standing in its way though was a determined Spotswood outfit that came out in the first term all guns blazing, slamming on three times as many scoring shots to the Tigers.
Despite their dominance in the forward line, Spotswood’s nerves saw them miss ample opportunities in front of goal, with poor accuracy keeping the Tigers in the race.
Great ruck work from the likes of Werribee’s Kier Bol and forward line pressure from Matthew Knezevic and Jake Petitt was what the Tigers needed, however Spotswood had the lead and was determined not to let it slip.
Multiple goals from James Beilby, Jordan Bennett and Charlie Bettiol gave the Woodsmen breathing room in the last quarter, eventually sailing home to win by 22-points. The final margin 9.18.72 to 8.2.50.
While the silky skills of Nicky Ryan, Connor Daly and Sam Davis were on show, co-captain Bryce Williams stood tall for his side to take home best on ground honours.
Last Modified on 19/09/2014 10:27