SPOTSWOOD was not as self-assured as the powerhouse we have come to know during a 26-point loss to Deer Park in the Western Region Football League division 1 on Saturday.
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The last time we could say that about the Woodsmen was in round 14 last year when Altona Vikings announced it would be a premiership threat with an eerily similar 28-point margin.
The Woodsmen had a touch of the fumbles at the weekend and were forced into errors by the visitors for much of the hard-at-it, low-scoring blockbuster. Their own famous ball pressure was still evident, and they led by two points after three brutal quarters of football.
Shoddy ball movement leading to turnovers and wasted chances inside 50 would eventually catch up with the Woodsmen.
The Lions used the final 30 minutes to make a statement. A powerful one.
They produced their most breathtaking football of the season, putting the foot down with an eight goals to three last term.
They were out of sight in the blink of an eye and automatically installed as a threat to the Woodsmen and the Vikings supremacy.
“One of the things that hurt our chances in the first three quarters was not executing well going forward,’’ Woodsmen player-coach Chris O’Keefe said.
“We turned over the ball quite a lot, we had a hell of a lot of forward entries in those first three quarters and weren’t able to kick a lot of goals, which at the end of the game hurt us.
“Our decision making wasn’t great at times, but that also comes with pressure.
“They’ve put together a very good team, but I wouldn’t say they’re super slick, they go hard, they work hard, they pressure the footy and they use the ball well.’’
You will not find the Woodsmen hitting the panic button just yet.
The Woodsmen concede they must improve considerably to catch up to the unbeaten Deer Park.
O’Keefe knew this before the season and certainly before the ball was bounced on Saturday.
“I know that we’ve got a hell of a lot of improvement in us,’’ he said. “We’re building towards the end of the year and that hasn’t changed.
“We aim to finish in the top three, we’ve got 11 more games to make sure that happens.’’
One of the positives for the Woodsmen was ruckman Lachie McGhie. McGhie is in his third game back from injury and is ‘‘starting to find some touch’’.
Michael Fogarty was a willing participant in some brutal scrimmages to be the Woodsmen’s best.
“He worked tirelessly all day,’’ O’Keefe said. “He’s very good around the contested footy and worked hard both ways.’’
The Woodsmen will travel to Kinder Smith Reserve for a clash with an on-the-up Sunshine Kangaroos on Saturday. O’Keefe is expecting another tough challenge with the Roos sitting pretty in second.
“It’s certainly not easy to win out there,’’ he said. “We want to bounce back strong and bounce back really quickly. We really can’t afford to be dropping any more games.’’
In other division 1 games, Terry Knight kicked seven majors as Hoppers Crossing beat Albion by 10 goals at Parsons Reserve.
St Albans, led by Marc Dawson and four-goal star Lachlan Baddeley, scored a 17-point upset over Altona Vikings at Grant Reserve.
Port Melbourne Colts survived a scare to defeat a gallant North Footscray by eight points at Hansen Reserve.
Sunshine Kangaroos, with six goals apiece to Patrick Wiggins and Chris Tripodi, rolled Yarraville-Seddon by 45 points.
