By Nick Creely
SOUTH EAST FOOTBALL NETBALL LEAGUE
REVIEW – ROUND 12 (SPLIT ROUND)
It’s all about timing in football.
And reigning premier Berwick is the perfect example of how to build a solid form base and accelerate at the right time of the year.
With just four rounds to go after a strong win over rivals Beaconsfield, the Wickers have gone from solid form to ominous form.
The Wickers last lost back in early June to Narre Warren, but since that narrow loss – which was described as one of the best local football games in recent memory by Matt Shinners – have hit a serious purple patch that would have the competition on their toes.
In the five games since that loss, the Wickers have conceded just 26.6 points a game, and leaked through only 17 goals while having an average winning margin of almost 38 points.
It’s a sign of a side flicking the switch and preparing a launching pad for their premiership defence.
“We’re all about building, and trying to find the right balance, and working hard ahead of finals. The form’s been good, but we need to continue to build and see where it takes us,” Wickers coach Stewart Kemperman said of his side only a month out from finals.
On Saturday at Holm Park, the Wickers looked a class above from the outset against a young Eagles side still missing Nathan Langley and Scott Meyer with injury.
The Wickers piled on six first term goals to take a 26-point quarter time lead, with the ball living in the visitors’ front half, giving Harry Money a couple of early goals in a dynamic opening quarter from the small forward.
Money was strong overhead and dangerous at ground level, providing the spark for the likes of Andrew Morozoff, James Magner and Tom Brennan to have an impact, giving the Eagles an instant headache in defence.
Importantly, the Wickers were using the ball smartly off their half back line, playing a direct brand of football as the home side applying some terrific pressure, and stars in Travis Tuck, Bryce Rutherford and the run of Luke Sheppard and Ash Smith were pivotal.
But the Eagles still took the game on at all cost, and hung in, but couldn’t find ascendency in the midfield without Meyer’s towering presence, looking to utilise their speed to break the lines and find an avenue to goal.
The Wickers didn’t have it their own way over the next three quarters despite being in control, with superstar Madi Andrews coming immediately off the ground early with a shoulder injury after smothering the ball on the boundary line, and as Kemperman said, having players ill in the rooms at half time.
The Wickers simply shut the game away to take a 40-point three quarter time lead after blanketing the Eagles’ run over the second and third terms, showcasing their best football before slowing down and managing their side through a tough game.
“We lost Madi early in the game, so we were down a rotation there,” he said.
“We had to hide a couple of the guys that had some gastro, so they were pretty crook – we needed to try and just get the four points.
“Credit to Beaccy, they have got a lot of bounce and spunk about them, and they continued to run hard, which makes it pretty hard to play against.
“I’m pretty happy to come away with the four points, to be honest.”
Money finished with four majors in an another eye-catching display that has him just one goal away from being the competition leading goalkicker, but it was the efforts of Tuck and Rutherford that kept the Eagles from mounting any real comeback.
Tuck’s hands were immense in tight, but it was his kicking inside fifty that was a highlight, while Rutherford crashed the packs and couldn’t be controlled.
In a highly impressive final term that brought the margin back to a respectable 17 points, Leigh McQuillen’s side showed some brilliant fight signs as they wait for star players to come back, with Taylor Joyce slotting five goals as the sole power forward, while stand in skipper Jake Bowd, young defender Peter Alier and emerging star Riley Verbi were prominent.
Kemperman was full of praise for his two stars in the absence of Andrews, who have also hit a purple patch after a slow start to the season.
“They’re (Tuck and Rutherford) building, and they continue to get better – they continue to lead really well from the front, and they really asserted themselves on the game,” Kemperman said.
And Kemperman fired a warning, and said that his side is still finding their right mix despite sitting comfortably in second spot.
“We’re getting close, our personnel are starting to become more available, and that’s important,” he said.
“There’s also lot of players that go through the forward line now at the moment, and we can see the diversity week in and week out with our goal kicking.
“(But) we’re still missing Riley Heddles, Brody Connelly, Trent Thomas and we’ve got a few who are knocking on the door, which is a nice headache to have.”
Berwick has the chance to solidify its position in second spot when it takes on Pakenham at home on Saturday, while Beaconsfield faces a stern ask when they make the trip to Kalora Park to take on the rampaging Narre Warren.
Beaconsfield 11.7 (73)
Berwick 12.18 (90)
