NFL 2018: West Preston-Lakeside adds greater depth to forward line in push for Division 1 finals finish

COACH Rob Maiorana has added a few pages to West Preston-Lakeside’s playbook in recent weeks due to the absence of two ex-AFL forwards.

West Preston’s Jackson Clarke flies for a mark against Heidelberg’s Chaz Seargeant. Picture: Mark Dadswell

COACH Rob Maiorana has added a few pages to West Preston-Lakeside’s playbook in recent weeks.

The absence of Ahmed Saad (suspension) and Patrick Karnezis (injury) during the second half of the Northern Football League season allowed Maiorana to tinker with his line-up and hone tactics he hopes will keep the club’s rivals guessing come finals.

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Jackson Clarke, who had kicked four goals in 31 games, has swung from defence to attack and bagged six majors in the past three rounds.

Contributions from VFL-listed talls Aidan Tilley and Jaylon Thorpe, midfield duo Luke Lirosi and Ozgur Uysal and key target Liam McVeigh have showcased the depth of the club’s attacking weapons.

“One of the things we wanted to do this year was take our reliance away from one or two (forwards),” Maiorana said.

West Preston’s Jackson Clarke flies for a mark against Heidelberg’s Chaz Seargeant. Picture: Mark Dadswell

“We are a little bit more unpredictable and getting contributions from more players.”

Opposition coaches would wisely spend most of their time planning to stop ex-St Kilda small forward Saad, last year’s leading goalkicker in Division 1, who has booted 46 goals in 10 games this season.

But with a sidekick of Karnezis’ quality and enviable depth in attack, Maiorana is flush with options to base the Roosters’ forward structure around.

“We can change the look of our side pretty quickly with that versatility,” he said.

“They are things you put in your back pocket and maybe they get used later in different scenarios, or if things aren’t quite working on the day with plan A, you have different options.”

Nathan Valladares hauls in a mark for West Preston-Lakeside. Picture: Mark Dadswell.

West Preston, which has averaged 98 points per game this year, is locked in a tense battle to secure a finals berth, sitting fourth after a 16.16 (112) to 5.9 (39) victory over Northcote Park on Saturday.

The Roosters’ greatest advantage is their percentage (153.7), the best in the competition and considerably higher than Bundoora (109.3), Northcote Park (87.2) and Heidelberg (92.3).

“We have got a big advantage over some sides with a lower percentage,” Maiorana said.

West Preston takes on Montmorency, Whittlesea and Greensborough in its remaining games, with the Round 18 clash against the Boro to potentially decide which teams carries a double chance into finals.