SUNSHINE must beat Altona this weekend if it wants a double chance in the Western Region Football League division 1 finals.
The Kangaroos suffered a 28-point loss to Spotswood on Saturday, and with Altona beating Yarraville Seddon, Sunshine dropped from third to fourth.
PICTURE GALLERY: Sunshine Kangaroos v Spotswood
If Sunshine wins, it plays either Deer Park or Spotswood in a qualifying final. If Altona wins, Sunshine will meet St Albans in a cut-throat elimination final.
The Kangaroos had a good chance to tighten their grip on third against Spotswood, but a lacklustre second half ended those hopes.
Sunshine took a two-point lead into quarter time and kicked four goals to one in the second quarter to take a 16-point lead at half-time.
Coach Brett Jacobs wasn’t entirely satisfied, saying there were moments in the opening half when missed opportunities prevented the Roos from taking total control.
“We did have a good first half. Our pressure was good, but we missed some set shots that let Spotswood off the hook,” he said.
And as has been evident for years now, Spotswood won’t lie down. The Woodsmen kicked six unanswered goals in the third term to turn the deficit into a 20-point lead. The fourth quarter was more even, but the damage had been done.
Mitch Hahn booted three for Sunshine, which wasn’t helped by Simon Wiggins going down with a knee injury early on. He is expected to be right for the first week of finals.
Jacobs said the result was painful given what was at stake. “Spotswood is a side you can’t let off the hook, it is always going to come back and bite you and we couldn’t match them in the second half,” he said. “They structured up a bit differently and made some positional changes that we as coaches didn’t react to as quickly as we would have liked … so we all learnt a bit. “We know we can match them, but we weren’t able to sustain our effort for four quarters. It comes down to concentration. It’s good to meet the strong sides late in the season because they’re played with a finals-like intensity and we know what’s required come finals.”
In other division 1 matches, St Albans got a percentage boost with a 70-point thrashing of Albion. The Saints led throughout the game and turned it on in the final term, booting eight goals to two.
Deer Park held Port Colts to just two goals in a 148-point belting. The Lions had 12 goalkickers in the thumping win.
– dpaproth@mmpgroup.com.au
