Tara Murray
A lot has changed since the last Western Region Football League division 1 grand final, but at least one thing has stayed the same, with Altona again through to the decider.
The Vikings upset Caroline Springs on Saturday in their semi final to be the first team through to the grand final.
The Lakers were the better team early, before the Vikings hit back with scores level at the last break.
The game could have gone either way, but the four goals to three in the final quarter was enough for the Vikings to seal an 11.5 (71)-9.11 (65) win.
Vikings coach Corey McCall said there was a sense of relief to have made it back through to the grand final.
The Vikings lost the 2019 decider, the previous grand final, by three points to Deer Park.
“From my point of view and Altona’s, there’s a sense of relief,” he said.
“We had 2020, 2021 and now 2022. It’s been three years since the last grand final. We have three or four players who played in 2019.
“We have turned over our whole list and have a chance of winning a premiership, which is huge.”
McCall was among the frustrated Vikings fans early in the game as the side was against close out of the blocks.
He said the Lakers were all over them at the stoppage and it showed on the scoreboard early. The Vikings got back into the game in the second quarter.
“We don’t change that much,” he said. “What we were doing wasn’t what we know we should be doing and the way we want to play.
“We got back to that and came away with the win which was very satisfying.”
Joel Menadue, who kicked three goals, and Joel Bench were named the Vikings best. For McCall it was the overall team performance that impressed him.
“For us to be successful it’s not about how many disposals a player has, it’s about the moments and playing your role for the team.
“It’s really cliché. Several guys stepped up and played their roles when they had moments.”
The Vikings now have a week off before the grand final.
McCall said at the start of finals they weren’t keen on having a bye if it arose, but now it’s a blessing in disguise.
“We wanted to get some game time into guys who were coming back from injuries,” he said.
“In the first 30 seconds we lost a player and played with three on the bench. We’ve had hard hit outs against Deer Park and now Caroline Springs.
“We will refresh and rest up and don’t risk injuries by playing again on the weekend.
“We’ll get everyone fit and healthy for 120 minutes of footy in a fortnight’s time.”
