Altona broke its hoodoo against Powerhouse/St Kilda in spectacular fashion on Saturday, registering a commanding win over last year’s finalist to shoot themselves to second on the premier league ladder.
Despite conceding early goals, Altona ran riot in the second half to win 6-2 and banish some demons in the process.
Altona captain Steve Campbell said it was an important win in the context of their season.
“We hadn’t been able to knock off Powerhouse over the last three seasons, so we went in as the underdogs but pretty confident despite that,” Campbell said.
“They got the jump on us, but then, like we’ve done the last couple of weeks, we were able to wear the opposition down and overrun them in the second half.
“Getting a win on the board against these guys was important for the season, it really sets us up for the next part of the season where the majority of the sides we play will be below us.”
Powerhouse/St Kilda dominated the early parts of the match to grab two goals in the opening twenty minutes, and looked like they may run away with the game as they had on numerous other occasions.
But Altona dug in their heels, weathered the storm and then struck back, grabbing one goal in the first half before dominating the second half.
Five different players got on the score sheet for the hosts, with Jyah Johnson grabbing two goals from a strong midfield game, and Lachie Arnell getting a goal in his first game in the ones for the season.
Campbell was particularly impressed with the win, given the youth of his side.
“We had two of our most experienced players out, so we had to bring in two young players which made it quite a young squad,” Campbell said.
“For the guys to not lower their heads when Powerhouse could have played over the top of us, and then to bounce back, was something I was really impressed with.
“We speak about maturity and development, and we try to bring that to our squad, and in past years we would have dropped that game so it was pleasing not to do that.”
