By Nick Creely
SOUTH EAST FOOTBALL NETBALL LEAGUE
REVIEW – ROUND 9
They may sit in third and not be commanding as much attention as the likes of Narre Warren and Cranbourne this year, but reigning premier Berwick is just ticking along nicely.
At this stage of the season, it’s all about learning and building, something not lost on coach Stewart Kemperman after his Wickers routinely knocked off Beaconsfield in the ‘Battle of the Creek’ clash at Holm Park on Saturday.
As was the case in all games across the weekend, rain and heavy wins certainly had its say, but the Wickers put the screws on defensively after half time to restrict the Eagles to just two-points while kicking three themselves to walk away 23-point winners.
The great rivals certainly threw everything they had at each other, but the class and experience of the Wickers came to the fore at the crunch times in the second half.
“We certainly started well, and we adjusted well to the conditions early, but we were worked over a bit in the second and went into half-time level pegging which was a bit disappointing and we undid some hard work,” Kemperman said of the first half.
It was a brilliant defensive display led by the impassable Jo West, who rallied his side to shut down Leigh McQuillan’s attacking forwards such as Taylor Joyce and Nathan Langley, while the injury to champion big man Scott Meyer certainly didn’t do the home side any favours.
“We stepped it up a little bit from there (the first half) – we certainly lifted our intensity around the contest, and we simplified a few things, and we set up a little bit better around stoppages,” Kemperman said.
“That all meant we could have a better impact on the scoreboard, and our defence was strong across the ground.”
After playing solid footy across the first eight rounds, stars of the competition in Bryce Rutherford, Madi Andrews and Travis Tuck relished the wet conditions in a reminder of their class and power.
“They’ve both been ticking along well, but they’re just now starting to hit their better form,” Kemperman said.
“It’s not that they’ve been going badly, but now they’re stepping up a gear, which is nice.”
And there was a welcome return for former Melbourne player and 2017 Berwick premiership player James Magner, who made a non-fuss return with a goal, adding hardness and class to a midfield that has been a bit younger so far this season.
“Obviously, he’s (Magner) a class player – his experience brings a lot to our young group and it’s good to have him back out there, that’s for sure,” Kemperman said.
As for the Wickers’ form, Kemperman is confident that a win over their rivals can start to find the run that made them the most dominant side in recent memory last year.
“We’re getting there, we’re starting to get some players back from injury which helps, so we’re starting to find the right balance for us, so we’re slowly building,” he said.
“We haven’t got one of those scalps yet, so we’re hunting that this week.”
On a disappointing day for the Eagles – who were unable to match the Wickers around the contest – Jake Bowd was once again superb, while Trent Stokoe continues to improve with every game.
Beaconsfield 2.7 (19)
Berwick 5.12 (42)
