ALTONA has the capacity to take its performance up another level when it appears in a Western Region Football League top-tier grand final for the first time on Saturday week, says coach Anthony Eames.
The Vikings had the more positional winners and better passages of play in Saturday’s semi-final, but it was hard to find genuine four quarter performers, aside from their sturdy defensive unit.
‘‘We had a few guys down, whether they be midfielders or half-forwards,’’ Eames said. ‘‘We’re going to need those players in a couple of weeks to play at their best. All in all, I thought our defence was the better part of our game today.’’
The Vikings defence was underpinned by a heroic effort from Joey Halloran on the out-of-sorts Jason Cloke. He was ably assisted by Joel Magnabosco, Aaron Freeland and David Barnaby, all hardly putting a foot wrong.
When the Vikings needed a spark, they had to look no further than exciting half-forwards Travis Lunardi and Steve Kennedy. Lunardi was the man of the moment with four goals, including two late ones that brought his club’s supporters to their feet.
Kennedy was the main link between the midfield and forward lines, who never stopped providing a get-out option for his teammates and finished with three valuable goals.
Captain Josh Russo was the most consistent of the Vikings onballers and Anthony Chiu, Tyler Healy, Lee Spiteri and Brett Shield showed flashes of brilliance.
The Vikings get a week’s break, avoiding the dreaded preliminary final, which was their downfall last season. Eames is sceptical about the benefits of leapfrogging the penultimate weekend of the finals.
‘‘I watched Spotswood last year play every final, and they were all bruising encounters, and come out against Albion [in the grand final] and give it to them quite convincingly,’’ he said.
‘‘I don’t think it necessarily is an advantage or a disadvantage.’’
Speaking for a players’ perspective, Russo is pleased to get the week off to nurse the bumps and bruises stemming from a physical semi-final.
‘‘Backing up next week is going to be tough for anyone,’’ he said.
‘‘The week off gives your body a bit of a break, but we won’t be taking it easy, we’ve got a grand final to prepare for.’’
