St Albans’ Tim Jenkins was named in the best players in Saturday’s loss to Hoppers Crossing. 69534
By ADEM SARICAOGLU
ST ALBANS came off second-best in a stunning WRFL shoot-out against Hoppers Crossing at Kings Park Reserve on Saturday.
In conditions that didn’t seem to favour either end of the ground, an amazing 33 out of the game’s 46 goals were scored at one end.
But it was Hoppers Crossing who finished with the wet sail, trouncing the Saints in the final term to win 25.10 (160) over St Albans’ 21.5 (131).
Remarkably, St Albans coach Ian Denny said the conditions didn’t have an impact on the game.
“It was probably about a one-goal wind, that was the funny part,” Denny said. I think teams get a run-on during the game, and the realisation was that when the teams had the run-on they just happened to be kicking to that end. It just seemed the side that got the momentum were travelling to that end.”
There was no discernible advantage to either end in the first quarter, with scores tied at 4.2 (26) apiece at quarter time.
“We were four goals to one down in the first quarter kicking to that end and then we kicked the last three goals of the quarter to level it up at quarter time,” Denny said.
Now kicking to what proved to be the scoring end for the rest of the day, the Warriors were able to kick clear with nine goals in the second and by halftime were out to a 32-point lead.
The Saints went one better after the main break, kicking 10 goals to Hoppers Crossing’s two to snatch back the lead, which by three-quarter time was 14 points.
However, staying true to form, the Warriors kicked a goal in the first minute of the last term and re-established its second quarter momentum.
“Once they had the momentum they knocked us over and knocked over the deficit within five minutes,” Denny said.
“Then it became a bit of a struggle for probably 10 or 15 minutes and then they kicked the last two or three goals just to make the score line look a little bit better than it should’ve been.”
After the game Denny admitted his side “ran out of gas”.
“It was one of those games where we spent all our pennies I think, by the time we got to the last quarter we were just about done,” he said.
However Denny said he was pleased with his side’s effort against one of the better sides in the division.
“When you’re not going so well things don’t go your way and our energy levels were spent, so that hurt us in the last bit, but we were really pleased with the performance.”
Things will only get tougher for the eighth-placed Saints this Saturday, as they travel to Spotswood, who remains division one’s only undefeated side.
