Deer Park Lions jump Spotswood early for a 30-point win in WRFL grand final rematch
DEER Park has stretched its lead at the top of the Division 1 Western Region Football League table with a five-goal win over Spotswood on Saturday.
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DEER Park has stretched its lead at the top of the Division 1 Western Region Football League table with a five-goal win over Spotswood on Saturday.
The grand final rematch didn’t quite live up to last year’s finale, with the Lions jumping The Woodsmen in the first term.
Deer Park put Spotswood to the sword, kicking four unanswered goals. Down back, the Lions were even more impressive, strangling the opposition to keep the Woodsmen scoreless for the entire first quarter and establishing a 26-point lead at the first break.
Both sides kicked four goals apiece in the second term, and while the Lions got away early in the third, the Woodsmen pegged the margin back to 23 points at the final break.
But Deer Park limited Spotswood to just one behind in the final quarter to win, 12.8 (80) to 8.2 (50).
Deer Park coach Marc Bullen said it was vital his side started strongly.
“It’s something we really put emphasis on week by week,” Bullen said.
“We made a conscious point of that, and to keep them to a point for two quarters was great.”
Chris Stewart and James Wong were strong up forward for the Lions while Christian Elliot kicked four for the Woodsmen.
Former AFL stars Ryan Houlihan and Brent Guerra missed the game for Deer Park, but Bullen said they won’t be sidelined for long.
“They just had slight niggles, so they’ll come back over the next couple of weeks,” he said.
“We had about four of five out that are walk-in starts.”
The win puts Deer Park clear on top of the ladder, undefeated through five rounds, with a game-and-a-half lead plus percentage over second-placed Werribee Districts.
“We’re building a successful club, and it’s going well, touch wood,” Bullen said.
“Things are tracking nicely. We’ll just put our head down and bum up.” In Division 2, Caroline Springs beat Albanvale by 81 points.
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