IT’S not the way they started, but the way they finished that counted for Spotswood.
The Woodsmen was slow out of the blocks before putting Hoppers Crossing to the sword in a second-half blitz to run out 68-point winners in the Western Region Football League division 1 at Hogans Road Oval on Saturday.
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They appeared sluggish in the opening 15 minutes, but the tide turned dramatically when young Warriors ruckman Robert Wittmer went down with a leg injury.
Play was halted so the medical staff could attend to Wittmer and not only did the Woodsmen have a chance to re-group mid-quarter, but the Warriors lost a key marking target around the ground.
Woodsman player-coach Chris O’Keefe, the main spark in a vintage onball display to go with his four goals, admits the Warriors were on top in the game until the Wittmer injury.
“We knew Hoppers were going to come out hard at us and have a real crack, and they did that,” he told the Weekly.
“He [Wittmer] was playing really well and they were all over us.
“You never wish it upon anyone to be injured, but it just gave us two minutes to re-group and say ‘righto, let’s start winning the contested ball and getting the game back on our terms’ because normally the first opportunity you have to say that is at quarter-time.
“We managed to wake up a little bit and get back into the game and after quarter-time. We probably controlled more of the game than they did, especially in the last half and the last quarter we ran away with it.”
With a bulging injury list that includes big-name players Jason Cloke, Tom Langlands, Jai Audley, Chase Morgan, Lachie McGhie, Joel Salmond and Will Phillips, the Woodsmen were crying out for an impact from the younger brigade.
Ali Ali, in his first senior game of the season as a half-forward flanker, Will Krithararis, second up on the forward line and Simon Pocervina, also in his second senior outing for the year across half-back, filled in admirably.
“These guys all really impressed me,” O’Keefe said.
Mahmoud El-Hawli responded to his coach’s call for a lift with five goals.
“He had a down week last week and I put it on him before the game to make sure that he bounces back really well and he did that,” O’Keefe said.
“He kicked five. He presented well and was really strong up forward.”
The third-placed Woodsmen will be hot favourites against Albion at McLean Reserve on Saturday.
In other division 1 games, Altona hammered Albion by a massive 107 points.
St Albans overcame Port Melbourne Colts a real dog fight to strengthen its bid for a top-five finish.
Sunshine Kangaroos extended the North Footscray losing run to 11 this season, and Deer Park maintained its unbeaten run, too good for newly promoted Yarraville-Seddon.
In a lopsided weekend of division 2 results, Parkside pummelled Braybrook to the tune of 160 points.
Manor Lakes, Sunshine Heights, Glenorden and Albanvale all registered triple-figure margins too.
Sadly for neutrals, the closest game of the round in the second tier was Wyndhamvale’s 97-point win over Caroline Springs.
