By LIAM TWOMEY
DEER Park remains undefeated and on top of the Western Region Football League ladder after accounting for Spotswood by 26 points. There was nothing separating two of the competition’s powerhouse sides for the first three quarters on Saturday as the margin hovered around the single digits in a low-scoring contest.
It was Spotswood which took a two-point lead into the final term and looked to have the momentum however, everything was about to change.
The Lions booted eight goals to three in the last 30 minutes to break open the game and seal the 13.11 (89) to 8.15 (63) win.
Deer Park coach Marc Bullen said a few positional changes at three-quarter time were the key.
“We put Kwame McHarg and Josh Jones on the ball who were pretty fresh because they had played down forward for the majority of the game,” he said.
“Those guys managed to get centre clearance after centre clearance and it was a great result to kick 8.2 in the last quarter.
“They (Spotswood) have been a terrific side for a number of years, and this year they have been the number one percentage side and attacking side. We set ourselves to try and go there and take away the points which we were lucky enough to get.”
Ryan Crawford was named best on ground for the Lions while McHarg finished with four goals.
For the Woodsmen, Dylan Callard worked hard throughout the match and finished with two goals.
Saturday’s result sees Deer Park one game clear at the top of the WRFL division one ladder with a perfect 7-0 record for the season.
The Lions have also now beaten both last year’s premier (Altona) and runner up (Spotswood).
The Woodsmen move down to third place with a 5-2 win/loss record.
“It was always going to be a challenge to get everyone on to the same page with our game plan and buying into the footy club, but hopefully this is a good step for the rest of the year,” Bullen said.
“We are 7-0 at the moment, but I’ve been around footy for a long time and I know that things can change pretty quickly.
“We need to maintain our composure and our training methods and everything like that.
“We will have to play Spotswood another couple of times I’m sure before the big prize comes up later in the year.”
When round eight gets underway this weekend, Deer Park will take on the struggling Port Melbourne while Spotswood will meet second-placed Sunshine.
