BIG man Sam Mason underlined his importance to Altona Vikings’ premiership aspirations in the Western Region Football League division1 with a stellar performance in a 113-point drubbing of Sunshine Kangaroos on the road at JR Parsons Reserve on Saturday.
The Vikings have been queried in some circles over their perceived lack of height or absence of an aerial enforcer, but Mason was that and more in a best-on-ground display against the Roos.
Click on the image below for our gallery of the big game.
Mason has been noted for his fine work as a tap ruckman, but his captain Josh Russo told the Weekly that he might have found the aggressive streak he needed over the Queen’s Birthday break.
“It was the most physical that I’ve seen him in the ruck. He jumped well, he contested; it all started with him in the middle. You can’t underestimate how fit he is. He has an unbelievable workrate.”
The Vikings were on a mission from the outset not to let the rot from a week’s rest set in.
They burst out of the blocks with a nine-goals-to-two opening term and never let up.
The travelling side hunted in numbers, scrapped better for the contested footy and made their raft of inside 50s count with a conversion rate of 29 goals from 43 attempts.
Russo says two “blistering” quarters in the first and third saw the margin blow out, but while his side still has room for improvement, they are getting closer to a genuine four-quarter showing against the quality sides.
“In the past, we’ve got out to a lead and cruised a bit,” he said. “We went a long way in the right direction to playing four quarters.”
It was the usual suspects at the coalface for the Vikings. Lee Spiteri, Reece Miles, Anthony Chiu and Travis Lunardi never stopped working.
They saw their efforts being rewarded further up the field with key forward Richard Knight bang on target with five goals.
Teenager Brad Comeadow produced his best performance since his elevation from the under-18s.
He ran his legs into the ground, firstly as a half-forward flanker and later on the wing.
Another good sign for the Vikings was the return of second ruck Josh Rafferty.
A tad “rusty” in his first game back from injury, Rafferty will provide extra aerial assistance at full fitness.
The Vikings remain a game in arrears of ladder-leader Spotswood.
They’ll get a new assessment of their title credentials when they face Port Melbourne Colts on the road at JL Murphy Reserve on Saturday.
