WRFL scores: North Footscray defeats Glen Orden by 52 points

Coach David Battistella addresses the WRFL Division 2 club’s injury woes in 2021 and talks up one of the Devils’ young stars.

Joel Richardson contributed three goals for North Footscray. Picture: Local Legends Photography

North Footscray has copped its fair share of injuries this season.

Like several clubs, the Devils have struggled for continuity and battled to field their best line-up in Western Region Football League Division 2.

But the enforced layoff amid the coronavirus pandemic allowed them to regain some key personnel for Saturday’s clash against Glen Orden.

The result? North Footscray produced its best performance of 2021 as it scored a crushing 52-point victory over its higher-ranked opponent, 18.8 (116) to 10.4 (64).

The Devils iced a dominant display with six unanswered final-quarter-goals, leaving it fifth on the ladder with a 4-4 record, equal on points with third-placed Newport and the fourth-placed Hawks.

“The way they played didn’t surprise me. I think the end result was more of a surprise with the margin, which I think flattered us a little bit,” David Battistella said.

“All clubs have been in situations since the start of the year with key personnel not playing.

“We’ve definitely gone through a fair run of it. I’ve never used that as an excuse because I know it happens across the board.

“But there’s no doubt that throughout the year we haven’t been able to put out what we believe to be our strongest side on the park.

“Having the extra two weeks, plus the Queen’s Birthday break, allowed us to get four or five players back.”

Declan Wakefield and Alex Maloney returned to the line-up, while Brandon Walsh, who has been limited to four games in an injury-interrupted campaign, bagged four majors.

“We’ve got a lot of new players and it’s the fact they need to play consistent football together. They haven’t been able to do that, because we’ve always got one, two, three or four missing,” Battistella said.

Adam Petridis continued his red-hot form in the midfield with a best-afield performance.

Petridis, who is in his fourth season of senior football, has been named in the Devils’ best players seven times from eight outings, underlining his consistency.

“He’s got a lot of potential,” Battistella said.

“He’s got natural speed, he works hard, barely misses training and is as tough as they come. He’s only going to get better for us.

“Because we had to recruit a bit and lost a lot from 2019, he’s playing with a midfield that is predominantly different to what he was used to in 2019. He’s still getting used to playing with different blokes around him every week.”

Sam Kater and Joel Richardson contributed three goals apiece for the winners, while James Carey and Guillermo Ochoa also impressed.

North Footscray will tackle undefeated ladder-leader Parkside away from home this weekend.