Williamstown won back-to-back premierships in Lacrosse Victoria men’s state league on Saturday.
The Fearons came from no-man’s land in the finals to swoop on their 32nd title. You should never write off a championship team, but some were inclined to do just that after the Fearons were hammered by Surrey Park on the eve of finals, tumbled to third on the ladder, and lost their double chance in the process.
PHOTOS: Lacrosse Grand Final Footscray v Williamstown 10-06-2016
But the Fearons were standouts in the finals – winning three cut-throat games in comprehensive fashion.
They topped off a magical September with a 12-7 win over western rivals Footscray in the grand final at Treyvaud Memorial Reserve on Saturday.
Fearons’ coach Damien Orr was proud of his team’s ability to meet every challenge thrown up during the successful premiership defence.
“It’s difficult to repeat,” he told Star Weekly.
“We had to come from third in the finals, and had a tough season with injuries. We got it right towards the end of the season.”
Williamstown was able to enjoy the grand final for the most part.
Footscray, the minor premiers after a stellar second half of the season, barely fired a shot after the first quarter.
After a tight opening, the Fearons sprung to life with four second quarter goals, and were able to grow their three-goal half-time lead in the second half.
“We wanted to limit them early and not let them get away,” Orr said.
“We then applied ourselves through the middle part of the game, stretched it out to a seven-goal lead at one stage, and then managed the game from there.”
Williamstown’s US import Paul Werner took out the grand final MVP award. Werner scored twice in the opening period to finish with three goals and an assist.
The Geddysburg College product was one of two American imports to play for the Fearons this season, along with Daniel Murray.
“It was the first year we’ve had US players on our team,” Orr said. “It’s good to bring them in and have more college players into the environment because it gave us the structure – it allows us to execute better because there was more of a solid understanding of the strategies we were employing.”
Ben Newman took out Williamstown’s MVP for the season. He was unlucky to be pipped for the grand final MVP, finishing with three goals and an assist.
“He was the most integral person throughout the year,” Orr said. “He had a fantastic season and was really deserving to be voted the MVP.
“He took on a massive amount of the scoring burden and played really solid midfield play.”
Meanwhile, Newport took out its 25th Lacrosse Victoria women’s state league title. The Porters held on for a 9-7 win over a fast-finishing Footscray in the season decider at Greenwich Reserve on Sunday, their ninth premiership in 11 years and third three-peat since 2006. They were guided to the title by player-coach Stacey Morlang.
