AFL Outer East: Upwey Tecoma coach David Bell fires Tigers to upset win over Wandin

Upwey Tecoma coach David Bell wasn’t happy at halftime and he let his side know. The Tigers responded.

Upwey Tecoma coach David Bell. Picture: Hamish Blair

When David Bell fronted his classes at Whitefriars College on Monday, the teacher was battling the sorest of throats.

The Upwey Tecoma coach was still suffering the after-effects of delivering the biggest bake of his coaching career.

In a season when wins have been hard to come by, his Tigers trailed Wandin by 27 points at halftime of their AFL Outer East Premier clash at Chosen Ave.

It wasn’t that they trailed the Bulldogs, indeed Wandin is locked in late-season battle for fifth spot and had some good recent form behind them, but the way Upwey Tecoma was going about it was more alley cat than tiger.

Ill-discipline, 50m penalties, free kicks, selfishness ... Bell ticked off the list one-by-one.

“It was one of the biggest sprays I’ve ever given,” he croaked on Monday. “But, if we could turn that around, I was confident.”

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It’s been tough this year but David Bell said there’s a lot to like about Upwey Tecoma’s future. Picture: Hamish Blair

Re-energised, Upwey proceeded to kick eight goals to two in the run home and saluted, 11.6 (72) to 8.15 (63).

“We kicked the goal to get ahead and then the rain came,” Bell said.

While it was just win No. 3 for the Tigers, it will go a long way to shaping the five with Wandin now six points adrift of fifth-placed Cranbourne after the Eagles upset Berwick.

And with a final-round clash against Cranbourne at home on August 31, the Tigers could have the final say on just who plays at the business end of the season.

With the inclusion of a number of strong SEFNL sides this season, the bar has been raised considerably for clubs.

“It’s been a hard year, we’ve been depleted by injuries,” Bell said. “Even on Friday night I had two pull out. We've played 42 (players) for the year.”

Liam Beacom (left) was again one of Upwey Tecoma’s best. Picture: Hamish Blair

Despite some deflating afternoons on the scoreboard, Bell said the Tigers could take plenty out of the season.

“I’ve been pretty realistic about where we're at,” he said. “It’s been a positive because people understand where they have to get to.

“There’s no easy way around it, there’s a lot of work to do.

“I believe there’s a lot of talent in this group, if they can work on their fitness, we can get an extra 25 per cent I think, and we’ll do some recruiting.”

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