Spotswood burst out of the blocks in Usain Bolt-like fashion on Sunday, blowing rivals Altona out of the water early in its Western Region Football League division 1 elimination final at Avalon Airport Oval.
The Woodsmen blitzed the first half with eight of the opening nine goals, taking a commanding 46-point lead at the main break.
The favourites needed every advantage as the valiant Vikings fought back in the second half, making it a tighter than expected finish, before the Woodsmen steadied to a three-goal victory.
Woodsmen player-coach Tom Langlands told Star Weekly it was critical that his side get off to a fast start, something that has eluded it on big occasions this season.
“We’ve had slow starts all year, so we just knew that getting off to a good start and kicking the first couple of goals was important to us,” he said. “I said to our boys at half-time, concentration is going to be the key here.
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“We had a fantastic first half, but we knew they were going to come out and play for their season in the second. We ran out of a bit of legs in the end, but to Altona’s credit, they kept coming; they’re an excellent side.”
The Woodsmen’s defence was called on to shut the gate during Vikings attacks, particularly in the second half. It was the area of the ground where the Woodsmen seemed at ease, rebounding off half-back with aplomb.
Matthew Dumbleton led the resistance, providing drive off the half-back line. Jason Marks on the last line took care of his defensive duties but also repelled to ensure the ball was not stuck in his zone for prolonged periods.
“I honestly felt our ability to turn defence into attack off the half-back line and our patience in the back half to set up our forwards was probably the best we’ve done all year,” Langlands said.
The usual suspects fired for the Woodsmen. Murray Boyd was a constant aerial threat, Christian Elliott won plenty of the ball inside 50 to finish with three goals, and Jye Orchard snared two goals to be among the best players.
But it was the youngsters who caught the eye. Nick Ryan, Conor Daley and James Beilby impressed in their first senior finals.
“To give those guys an opportunity to play in the seniors is really great for their development, and great for the juniors to know that opportunity knocks if you’re doing the right things,” Langlands said.
“We’ve put our faith in their abilities and they’re showing us how good they are.”
Used in a variety of positions and rising to each challenge, Ryan was one of the Woodsmen’s standouts.
“He absolutely starred today,” Langlands said. “He’s a one-on-one competitive beast.
“He’s been a junior at our club right the way through and is going to be a player of the future.”
The Woodsmen face a much sterner test in a cut-throat semi-final against second-ranked Hoppers Crossing at Grant Reserve on Sunday. They’ve met twice so far with a win apiece.
