FOOTSCRAY made its finals intentions clear with a 4-1 mauling of cross-town rival Altona in Hockey Victoria women’s state league 1 at McIvor Reserve on Saturday.
The top-four Bulldogs came out barking with three goals in the first half to put the game out of reach. They added a fourth in the second half, the goalscorers being captain Esther Fithall, Amy Turnbull, Leah Merrett and Emma Robinson.
Click on the image below for our gallery of the big game.
Altona got a late consolation goal through Jess Brennan, but it was not enough to temper the pain of a derby defeat.
The Bulldogs are still in the mix for a top-four finish, while Altona will need a lot to go right from here to get back into calculations.
Bulldogs coach Luke Michael told his club’s website that a lift in workrate was the key to turning around the form that saw them beaten convincingly by Waverley seven days earlier.
“Very proud of the way the girls bounced back from last week,” he said. “A lot of first-year state league1 players have stood up over the season and now the challenge for these young players is to play consistent hockey week in, week out.”
In men’s state league 1, Footscray went down the path of a youth policy in their return to the top tier. The Bulldogs have injected valuable experience into their talented youngsters, which is sure to pay dividends in the long term, but there has been an element of short-term pain for first-year coach Travis Brooks and his struggling side. The tricolours occupy bottom spot on the ladder. They remain winless 14 weeks into the season, having endured a number of beatings that would make you cringe.
But a source of optimism could be found in results over the past month. The margins of the Bulldogs’ defeats have steadily decreased and two draws from their past three games would suggest results are on the improve.
On Saturday, in the western suburbs derby against Altona, arguably the most important fixture on the Bulldogs’ calendar this season, they battened down the hatches to claim a share of the spoils in a 3-3 draw.
A calculated effort from the Bulldogs to sit back, invite Altona into their half and punish them on the counter-attack worked on three occasions with Andrew Scanlon, Tynan Whight and Scott Sutherland all making the scoresheet.
The Bulldogs even held a shock 3-2 lead deep into the second half, though Altona was able to penetrate their defence frequently throughout the game, leading to a double to Chris Coleman.
Altona had a long wait to get the game to three-apiece, rueing a string of missed opportunities before Jesse Gatt got a deserved equaliser with five minutes left on the clock.
Go to maribyrnongweekly.com.au for more photos
