By Marcus Uhe
The final score indicates a close battle but Wandin coach Nick Adam took a glass half-full view of Saturday’s 21-point win over Pakenham.
Back-to-back wins against likely finals aspirants in Woori Yallock and Pakenham heading into the bye provided an excellent test for Wandin in what has become a lopsided competition in 2023.
A commanding 13 shots on goal to four in the second half told the story with Wandin finishing 10.13 73 to 8.4 52 winners.
“I felt like we had control of the game, we had the game on our terms for three quarters and weren’t able to create the scoreboard pressure that splits it open,” Adam said.
“You keep teams in it on the scoreboard, you keep them hungry. They’re a good football side, they play well, they play well on this ground.
“They have a real understanding of the way to open it up and open their forward line up, and I felt like they did that better than us today. The opportunities that they took today ended up being better than the ones we created, and they were able to kick goals off the back of it.”
Wandin opened the afternoon with the first three goals of the contest, as frustrations began to bubble for a Pakenham side that worked its tail off for no result.
Rhys Clacy made the opening goal a certainly for Brodie Atkins after he threw Pat Bruzzese to the turf in frustration, granting Atkins a 25-metre penalty and shot from the top of the square.
Pakenham’ quick ball movement was catching Wandin off-guard, but the Bulldogs were able to make the most of a vulnerable Pakenham defence on the counter attack with the Lions forwards failing to convert inside 50s.
Forward pressure led to Bailey Stiles finally breaking through late in the term, a high floating snap following a crunching tackle deep in the forward line providing relief, having avoided the dreaded goalless term.
In spite of facing one of the best midfields in the competition, Pakenham’s Tahj De La Rue in particular, was undeterred.
The prodigy’s star continues to rise, beating Clint Johnson for a ground ball on the far wing in the lead-up to Stiles goal and out-marking Jordan Jaworski at half-forward in the second quarter to force a turnover as Matthew Vaiano began to take over.
Vaiano kicked three for the quarter as his combination of speed and strength had the Wandin defenders bamboozled, tying the scores as Wandin became desperate for a goal themselves.
Their entries inside 50 were uncharacteristically poor for such a skilful midfield group, while Stephen Moray wore Johnson like a glove deep in the Bulldogs’ forward line.
Johnson broke the scoring drought in the 12th minute but Vaiano’s third meant the Lions were going goal-for-goal with the premiership contenders.
A captain’s goal from Bruzzese ensured the visitors held a slender seven-point lead at the long break, having been made to work extremely hard for any semblance of an advantage.
Two goals in a minute to open the half gave Pakenham the lead early in the third term as Wandin blew a number of chances to kick clear.
Jayden Silva held his own in a one-on-one before James Harrison goaled on the run from the following centre bounce, as Pakenham’s midfield was having the better of its star-studded opponents.
Wandin was in dire need of a spark, taking reckless shots on goals from anywhere within the forward 50.
Harrison Byrne assumed responsibility, goaling twice in four minutes to open a 16-point lead, taking a pair of opportunities at ground level deep in the forward 50.
Ruck D’Angelo Taito put the Bulldogs back on the lead after a goal from a ruck contest to cut the lead to 10 just before the final break, before tensions erupted after the three-quarter-time siren.
Connor Smith’s shot on goal after the siren connected with more turf than Sherrin, to the delight of David Sollberger manning the mark.
The 18-year-old gave an assessment of fringe-VFL forward Smith’s kick and received a blow to the back from Daniel Hirst for his troubles, sparking a fracas in front of the Wandin bench.
Hirst and Pakenham’s Jordan Stewart both received yellow cards for their involvement, meaning they both missed the opening 15 minutes of the pivotal final term.
Stewart has been a vital component of Pakenham’s late-game revivals, his versatility allowing him to be swung to all areas of the ground when required.
Wandin had its opportunities to put the game away early in the final term, but missed a handful of chances as pressure intensified, their trademark handball game and foot skills bringing their downfall.
It was up to Bruzzese to break the deadlock, kicking the first of the final quarter to settle Bulldog nerves and push the lead to a game-high 19 points.
Damien Furey converted after the following centre bounce, and in the blink of an eye it was a 25-point game.
The second-half on the quarter was all Wandin, prime-movers such as Joel Garner coming to the fore when it mattered the most.
Furey’s move into the middle late in the contest was significant, as was Jaworski’s onto the wing in the second half.
Pakenham may not play finals in 2023 but they are undoubtedly hard to play against and make its opponents win every game.
Koby Grass and Jake Barclay were both exceptional in the midfield, while Vaiano finished with four goals and Morey kept Clint Johnson to just one.
