By Mark Murray
SUBURBAN rivalry is set to be reborn on Saturday when a rejuvenated Werribee takes on the Casey Scorpions for the inaugural Peet Cup at Bartercard Oval.
The Tigers have won their past two matches by a total of 207 points and will meet their south eastern rivals in a Victorian Football League match expected to attract a big crowd at Werribee.
The Scorpions are desperate for a win, languishing on just one for the season, while the Tigers could move inside the top eight if they can string together their third straight victory.
The match will be televised live on ABC.
Werribee general manager Mark Penaluna said the club was hoping to continue its strong form in front of a parochial home horde on Saturday.
“It’s another big game for us and is even bigger given we’ll be playing for the cup and the match is being built up a bit,” Penaluna said.
“We’re happy to be involved in these kind of matches and to support local footy, and obviously we commend Peet Limited for that and glad to have them on board.
“We’re looking for to continuing on our form and hopefully the guys can come out with the same sort of attitude they have had the last few weeks.
“Hopefully that will reflect a win, but you can’t take anything for granted.”
Penaluna said the availability of several Western Bulldogs-listed players and a shift in attitude had helped turn the Tigers’ season around after a poor start.
“We have developed a bit of self-belief,” he said.
“For some reason out guys started second guessing a bit, but we have gone out the last few weeks and played with some vigour early on and it carries on.
“There is some fluency and their skill level has improved, which has culminated in some good wins.”
Both clubs are sponsored by Peet Limited, which has brought about the creation of the cup.
And both clubs have been active to promote the match in the lead-up, with players from the Tigers and Scorpions visiting Peet Limited’s Tarneit Gardens and Brookland Greens estates to show the local children some winning tips at a community kick-around day.
“Peet Limited is excited to be involved with these two great VFL clubs and this match,” Peet Limited managing director Warrick Hemsley said.
“With so many developing communities on both sides of Melbourne, the Peet Cup is a fantastic opportunity to provide a great day.”
