WRFL 2018: Point Cook destroys Parkside in Division 2 preliminary final
PARKSIDE departed the Western Region Football League Division 2 premiership race at the penultimate hurdle as it was monstered by Point Cook.
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PARKSIDE departed the Western Region Football League Division 2 premiership race at the penultimate hurdle on Saturday as it was monstered by Point Cook.
The Magpies copped an 83-point hammering at Whitten Oval, 15.18 (108) to 3.7 (25), drawing the curtain on a season of significant progress.
After claiming last year’s Division 3 flag, Parkside finished fourth on the ladder at the end of the home-and-away rounds and knocked off reigning premier North Footscray in the opening week of finals.
While the club fell short of securing a spot in the decider, its achievements were not lost on co-coach Chris Muratore.
“At the start of the year, if we were playing in a prelim after coming up a division and spending the funds we do, I would’ve taken it in a heartbeat,” Muratore said.
“We probably put in one of our worst performances for the year, which is a little bit disappointing on the big stage, but super proud of the group, super proud of the club and the direction we’re going.
“We’re a very young group and we’ve just got to learn from it.
“Point Cook were cherry ripe and very big bodies. They just came to play and wanted it a little bit more.”
There were ominous signs from the start for the Magpies as Point Cook kicked the only three goals of the opening term.
Parkside managed just one major in the first half and trailed by 37 points at the main break.
The Bulldogs continued to dictate terms in the second half as they advanced to set up a grand final appointment with minor premier Yarraville-Seddon.
Ben Papal, Luke Buttigieg and Igor Bera battled hard on a tough day for their side.
With the intensity “red hot”, Parkside paid for some missed opportunities early in the contest.
“We probably didn’t adapt to the ground really well,” Muratore said.
“It was probably a bit longer than we expected. It was probably an extra kick to get to our forward structure.
“They were really well-drilled. Credit to them.
“They pressed really well, they made us go wide when we really didn’t want to and zoned off.”
The grand final will be staged at Werribee’s Avalon Airport Oval on Sunday.
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