Altona has come within a whisker of an unlikely WRFL division 1 grand final berth.
Few gave the Vikings a chance at the start of the finals, but they handed out football lessons to Spotswood and Werribee Districts in cut-throat situations before providing a scare for highly-fancied Hoppers Crossing in an absorbing preliminary final at Avalon Airport Oval on Saturday.
The Vikings walked off the ground nine-point losers, but they certainly won their share of admirers and will enter pre-season this summer with a bounce in their step.
Vikings coach Saade Ghazi said the club was proud of the team’s efforts, if a little disappointed with its third-quarter showing.
“We could’ve been closer at three-quarter time,” he said. “I always knew we’d come home strong … if we were a bit closer, we might have snuck home.
“But you’ve got to give credit to Hoppers Crossing – they’ve had a good year and only lost three games … they were better today for longer.”
Hoppers controlled the first half, taking a 20-point lead into half-time.
Altona found its groove in the third quarter, but it could only shave three points off the deficit in 30 minutes, with its downfall all its own making.
While the Vikings strived to bridge the gap on the scoreboard, it proved too big a task.
“The great thing is we fought it out,” Ghazi said. “The boys had a crack. We had our chances in the third quarter. We had a lot more inside-50s but couldn’t convert.”
Altona finished the season as a totally different side to the one that came out of the blocks shakily with a 1-3 start to the season.
The Vikings picked up nine wins from their 16 games, one better than last season, to finish one position higher in fourth.
They claimed the biggest scalp of all in round six when they beat Deer Park, a side which had thrashed them on both occasions last year. Two finals victories – both runaway wins – gave the Vikings the improvement they yearned for at the start of the campaign.
“To win two finals quite easily and really challenge in the preliminary final, you’ve got to sit back and say it’s been a good year,” Ghazi said.
Improvement made in 2016 will mean little when the first day of pre-season comes around in November.
While the sole focus of his players have been on the finals, Ghazi has been working hard behind the scenes to set the team up for next season, which he knows will be harder again for his club now that it has pushed the grand final sides all the way.
“You don’t just front up next year and think you’re going to improve,” he said. “We have to do all the hard work again.”
