Werribee players including Ben McKinley fell to the ground in disappointment when the final siren rang at North Port Oval on Sunday. 87150_24 Picture: DAMIAN VISENTINI
By LIAM TWOMEY
WERRIBEE coach Scott West and his playing group were left shattered after the club lost its VFL preliminary final to Geelong by five points on Sunday.
In what was a rollercoaster contest throughout, the Cats shot away to a 48-point lead mid-way through the third quarter before Werribee launched a spirited comeback in the final term.
The Tigers closed the margin to 11 points with just minutes remaining before a crucial mark and goal from ruckman Majak Daw closed the gap to just five points deep into time on.
With another 60 seconds of time on the clock, Werribee could muster one final foray forward with Ben McKinley the target of a kick inside the 50-metre arc.
The Cats were able to clear the ball through a powerful spoil, which had the Werribee fans and players screaming for a push in the back or an arm chop free kick to be paid to McKinley by the umpires.
However, with neither forthcoming, Geelong was able to hold on for the spirited victory, 16.12 (108) to 15.13 (103).
After the match, a disappointed West said he was proud of the way his playing group stuck to the task after being so far behind.
“I think sometimes the one thing you look for in players is character and they certainly showed that today. They just didn’t give in,” he said.
“They (Geelong) just got a couple of quick easy goals, and we ended up getting a guy behind the footy which just stemmed it a little bit mid-way through that second quarter, so we were able to get the game a little bit back on our terms.
“The damage was done there, and it took a lot of energy to come back.
“We had to take risks…but we were able to maintain our composure and kick some more goals, just not enough.”
Sam Gibson was outstanding for Werribee, kicking two goals in a best on ground effort while McKinley and Ben Warren also worked hard on the Tigers forward line to finish with six goals between them.”
Despite the disappointment of the loss, West said there had still been a number of positives to come out of the season.
“We were able to play in a Foxtel Cup grand final, we were able to run a very good team to five points in a preliminary final so look, I think you have to take that,” he said.
“Some of the development of individual players has been great.
“It is hard to reflect on that now but the season is over 25 weeks, so you need to reflect on that whole period of time rather than just one game. We will do that and be proud of what the boys have been able to achieve.
“I think you need to look for all the positives you can. We were one kick away from playing in a grand final.”
Geelong16.12 (108) d Werribee 15.13 (103)
Goals Geelong: Brown 3, Stephenson 2, Holden 2
Best Geelong: Stephenson, Bathie, Simpkin
Goals Werribee: McKinley 3, Warren 3, Gibson
Best Werribee: Gibson, Daw, Sierakowski
