SPOTSWOOD was back to its meticulous best in a double-your-score 57-point win over Hoppers Crossing in the Western Region Football League division 1 at McLean Reserve on Saturday.
Unlike seven days earlier, when an opening-quarter lapse proved costly in their loss to the Altona Vikings, the Woodsmen produced at the same level throughout against the Warriors.
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“It was pleasing not only to win but to make sure we played four quarters of good footy, especially after last week when we played three-and-a-half quarters of good football and a 15-minute period in the first quarter cost us seven or eight goals and the game,” player-coach Chris O’Keefe said.
“We were really motivated to make sure we put our best foot forward and acquit ourselves as we wanted to for four quarters and it ended up being a good result.”
The Woodsmen had the aid of a strong breeze in the first quarter and burst out of the blocks with a real vigour.
They banged on seven goals to two to lead by 30 at the first change.
Dictating the terms for the duration, the Woodsmen didn’t allow the visitors to get back into the game, keeping them at arm’s length until half-time. Then a six-goal-to-one third term put it totally out of reach.
“The guys were working really hard to make sure we were winning the contested ball,” O’Keefe said. “One of our major focuses was when we didn’t have the footy to make sure we’re putting a lot of pressure on Hoppers Crossing and we were able to do that for a sustained period.
“We played some really good football to make sure they didn’t get back into the game.”
The Woodsmen travel to Albion in Saturday’s third round.
SCOREBOARD:
Division 1
Spotswood 17.12 (114) d Hoppers Crossing 8.9 (57). Spotswood – goals: Callard 4, Cloke 3, Langlands, Elliott 2, Myors, Ross, Orchard, Wood, Ryan, Boyd. Best: Fogarty, Callard, Myors, Ryan, Jones.
Albion 14.11 (95) lt Altona 21.12 (138). Altona – goals: Post 4, Shiels, Andrews 3, Kennedy 2, Rafferty, Miles, Rafferty, Knight, Spiteri, Hevern, Turnbull, Robbins, El Houli. Best: Shiels, Barnaby, Rafferty, Healy, Russo, El Houli.
North Footscray 0.2 (2) lt Sunshine 30.22 (202). North Footscray -goals: nil. Best: Aneet, Aspiotis, Wills, Arakji, Arnott, Wilson.
Deer Park 24.17 (161) d Yarraville Seddon Eagles 10.10 (70). Yarraville-Seddon – goals: Baker 3, Avery 2, Atik, Krakouer, Newtown, Bell, McGrath. Best: Bell, Compton, Moraitis, Downey, Baker, Stretton.
Around the grounds: Port Melbourne Colts 12.12 (84) lt St Albans 14.11 (95).
Next round: Albion v Spotswood, Altona v North Footscray, Yarraville-Seddon v Port Melbourne Colts, Sunshine v Deer Park.
