Spotswood turned the pressure up to the maximum in a four-point win over five-time defending champions Deer Park in the Western Region Football League division 1 at Donald McLean Reserve on Saturday.
The Woodsmen have not yet hit their straps in terms of their offensive patterns, but they are certainly not shying away from the contest as their endeavour keeps them in games for longer early in the season.
Woodsmen coach Anthony Eames lamented the inconsistency of his side with ball in hand, but lauded their work rate defensively and attributed that to the hugely satisfying win over the reigning premiers.
“We’re still not playing brilliant footy to be honest,” he said.
“We’re having a crack, which is pretty important, and it’s keeping us in games.
“We’re just not as polished as we would have liked, so we’ve got a lot to work on, but we’re only three games in.”
Leading by a slim two points, Spotswood only needed one goal in the final quarter to stave off a serious threat from the visitors.
Dylan McConachy kicked the game’s deciding goal for the Woodsmen midway through the fourth quarter.
A key match-up for Spotswood was deep in the heart of its defence.
The Woodsmen targeted Deer Park forward Jase Perkins as a player who could potentially take the game away from them off his own boot.
Perkins was kept goalless after a stellar defensive performance from Matthew Rix.
“I thought Matthew did a really good job to quell his influence and he didn’t dominate us like he had in the past,” Eames said.
Another important area of the ground for Spotswood was the ruck duel – both in terms of the tap work and around the ground.
Deer Park ruckman Chris Stewart has been one of the premier big men in the league for a long time and was in fine form entering this game.
The Woodsmen needed a contest from Murray Boyd and that is exactly what they got.
“He had a terrific battle with Chris Stewart all day,” Eames said.
“I don’t think either player dominated the other, it was just one of those classic contests you want to see.
“He’s a great player Chris Stewart and he’s got a couple of inches on Boydy, but I thought Murray competed brilliantly and he led our players from the front.”
Other key players in the Spotswood victory were Nick Ryan, Josh Norton, James Beilby and Dylan Callard, while youngster Josh Drage kicked three goals.
Spotswood will travel to Hoppers Crossing for an early-season blockbuster on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Altona thumped Sunshine Kangaroos by 55 points at Kinder Smith Reserve. Patrick Rose kicked six goals for Altona and Kelly Pickard was named best-on-ground.
In division 2, Newport Power had a nail-biting three-point win over Manor Lakes at Bryan Martyn Oval. Abdul Elkurdi was best for the Power, while Mitchell Taleb jagged three valuable goals.
North Footscray handed out a 70-point walloping to Parkside at Henry Turner Reserve, while Yarraville Seddon served up a 74-point thrashing to West Footscray.
In division 3, Laverton downed Braybrook by four points. The Magpies, led by Zak Stephenson, came from behind to win with a five-goal-to-nil final term.
