WERRIBEE Masters president Angelo Muraca said being promoted to Division One of the Metro Masters Association football league was a dream come true.
The Tigers achieved promotion after defeating the Bayside Saints in the Metro Masters Association Division Two grand final on 11 September.
Muraca said one of the best things about being promoted to the top division is his players will be able to compete against several former AFL footballers, who play in the competition to keep fit.
“It’s great – it’s taken us a while but we’ll get to test ourselves against some of the former greats of the game, which is fantastic,” Muraca said.
“This is the most successful year in the club’s 20-plus year history and we’re going from strength to strength, while providing the Wyndham community with football for fun played in over-35s, country and over-47s divisions.”
The Tigers endured a gruelling season, gaining the opportunity to play the Bayside Saints in the Division Two final after defeating a gallant Melbourne side in their northern zone league grand final on 28 August.
The Tigers were behind in the early stages of the game, but fought back through the efforts of captain Brett Cook, Paul Papa, Brad Dickson and Michael Jacob, to run out 10-point winners. The win in the 10-team competition was Werribee’s second in three years.
But it didn’t end there for the Tigers, who were determined to achieve the ultimate glory by defeating the Saints on Sunday, making them the only Werribee side to ever win their division and the overall title in the same year.
In a tough and torrid affair in windy conditions at St Bernards, the best two teams from the northern and southern zones engaged in a thrilling encounter.
Werribee grabbed a narrow three-point lead at the main break, and then kept the Saints goalless in the third term to set up the historic nine-point win.
Tony Pastore was named best-on-ground.
