Woodend-Hesket endures horror run with injuries in RDFL

A FINALS berth was in Woodend-Hesket’s sights during pre-season.

Phillip Shaw starred for Woodend-Hesket on Saturday. Picture: Sarah Matray

A FINALS berth was in Woodend-Hesket’s sights during pre-season.

On the back of a host of recruits, the Hawks thought they were designed for a bright 2016 after winning just six games last year.

What they did not account for was a wretched run of injuries which has resulted in half of their side missing a large chunk of the campaign.

“At the start of the year we were hoping to scrape into finals, but we’ve got 11 of our senior side out,” Woodend-Hesket coach Ross Sleight said.

“They have been for the past two months and they will be for the rest of the year. We’ve got three knees, shoulders, thumbs that need operating on, all sorts of things.

“We thought we recruited pretty well and we retained what we had last year. We added eight or nine but now we’re back to square one. We can’t take a trick at the moment.”

Despite the predicament, the Hawks came together to record their third win of the season over Melton Centrals at Gilbert Gordon Oval on Saturday.

The home side conceded only two goals in each half and kicked on after holding a 30-point advantage at the main break to win its first game since May, 12.17 (89) to 4.4 (28).

“A few of the boys had forgotten how to sing the song,” Sleight said.

“We knew it was a game we had a chance to win as long as we did all the right things throughout the day. We knew that if we got the jump early they would crumble and that’s sort of what happened.”

Having had the acid put on them after a quiet few weeks, Phillip Shaw and Max Ambler both responded strongly for Woodend Hesket.

Filling roles off halfback and through the midfield, Shaw was named the side’s best and iced his performance with two goals.

“The past couple of weeks he’s been down, but he’s stuck at it and it’s starting to come together for him which is good,” Sleight said.

The Hawks face Riddell, Diggers Rest, Lancefield and Macedon in the run home and are confident of adding at least one more win to their season tally.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Rupertswood thumped Romsey by 72 points, Diggers Rest downed Sunbury Kangaroos by 39 points and Broadford defeated Lancefield by 53 points.