By Marcus Uhe
Defending Outer East Football Netball Premier Division premiers Wandin have notched a tenth-straight win in 2024, and reached the marker with a satisfying performance against long-time rivals Woori Yallock.
In “atrocious” conditions at Woori Yallock Recreation Reserve in the words of coach Nick Adam, the Bulldogs restricted the Tigers to just three goals in a 36-point win, with defensive pressure and scoring from turnover being a calling-card of their winning streak.
8.10 58 to 3.4 22 was the final score, a result that sees the Bulldogs leapfrog the Tigers on percentage and climb into second place, raising the stakes even higher for next week’s clash with Narre Warren.
But what will no-doubt frighten the remainder of Premier Division is the room for improvement.
One of the 10 victories was by more than 100 points – against lowly Berwick Springs.
The average winning margin during this span was 44 points, and removing the outlier against the Titans it drops to 36.
Adam feels his side has failed to consistently string four quarters of football together, but found the magic formula against their bitter rival on Saturday.
“I think in at least four of the five games before it, we got to five-goal leads and then not be able to put sides away,” Adam said.
“Whilst the brand of football that we were able to produce on the weekend because of the conditions wasn’t what we would expect normally, it was the first time this year we had no lapses.
“From a coaching point-of-view it’s frustrating that we’re letting that happen and we haven’t found the cure yet.
“I think it’s above the shoulders as much as anything, it’s something that we definitely need to correct going into a finals series.
“There’s a frustration around why we haven’t been able to execute for longer but the reality is, the competition’s significantly more even this year than it was last year.”
Half-forward Jordan Jaworski has discovered some ominous touch, with 19 goals in his last five games.
On Saturday he kicked another three, and will be critical once again if the Bulldogs are to make another deep finals run.
Full-forward Clint Johnson has returned from a personal absence, leaving few players remaining from the side’s premiership-winning 22 of last year.
Cody Hirst, best-on-ground in last season’s grand final, continues his rehabilitation from a knee injury, and will push for a return in the run home, while small forward Tom Merlino is on the verge of returning from a pre-season broken leg.
Woori Yallock’s turn in form since the halfway mark of the year has been significant, with its scoring profile dropping dramatically in the last five matches.
The Tigers broke the 100-point barrier in seven of their first nine games and averaged 113 points per match in those contests, but since round nine the average has plummeted to 50.
The scoring punch is something that must be corrected before September if they wish to keep pace with Narre Warren and Wandin.
