A week ago, Yarraville-Footscray was considered the west’s best chance of featuring in the premier division bowls finals.
But then neighbouring Altona gate-crashed that party at Francis Street on Saturday.
In a remarkable turn of events, the A’s will enter the final round of the season in a stronger position than Yarraville-Footscray to swoop on a finals berth should fourth-placed Mentone slip up.
For so long the A’s were considered little hope, but their stunning four-rinks-to-nil, 85-52 win over the Bulldogs yielded a maximum 18 points and dislodged the cross-town rival Yarraville-Footscray from the top four.
Bulldogs skip Wayne Roberts was shell-shocked.
“You can’t put your finger on it,” he said of the loss to the A’s. “We were all geed up and keen to do well.”
He said Altona was a good side that had probably been below par this year.
“They’ve got the people to turn it on when it has to be turned on,” he said.
The outlook is grim for Yarraville-Footscray.
The side must beat MCC Kew Sports on the road and needs Altona to lose to Mitcham and Mentone to lose to Bundoora RSL.
The heavy loss was a bitter blow for the Bulldogs.
“The big picture – we’ve had a good season, we’re right in it ‘till a game to go,” Roberts said. “But it’s disappointing to think we were there in the four and we bombed out in a bad way.”
All the Bulldogs can do is go out and take care of their own business.
The penultimate round results have certainly boosted the spirits at Altona, which is six points outside the top four.
If the A’s, last summer’s premier division champions, can sneak into the finals, they might be the team no other side wants to face.
