St Albans has given coach Fab Carelli the perfect send-off, upsetting Altona by one point in a Western Region Football League division 1 thriller at Kings Park Reserve on Saturday.
The undermanned Saints were given little hope of beating a Vikings side that needed to win to make the finals, but they threw out the form guide to produce one of the shocks of the season.
“To knock Altona out of the finals was huge for us,” Carelli said. “If we were going to take a scalp, this would be perfect because Altona were playing for that fifth spot.
“To knock a team out of the finals was a fantastic finish to the season.”
It has been a dismal season for St Albans, but for 120 minutes its worries faded away.
The Saints began with intent, holding an eight-point lead at quarter-time, but Altona was able to edge its nose in front by half-time.
A five-goal-to-two third term, probably the Saints’ best quarter for the year considering the quality of their opponents, was the launching pad for the upset of the season.
Altona finished the game strongly, having 11 shots on goal in the fourth for a paltry 3.8, but the Saints held on to record a memorable win.
“We put a plan in place and it was one of those games when it came off to a tee,” Carelli said. “We wanted to play hard, contested footy … we thought that was the key to beating Altona.”
Damon Kliman was at the forefront for
St Albans. He worked tirelessly on the wing and forward to claim best-on-ground honours.
“He was huge today,” Carelli said. “He’s only slight, but he runs as fast as the wind.”
If there was a player Altona could have picked to remove from the St Albans line-up, it would have been Mitch Gaunt. The key defender was immense for the Saints, both with his intercept marking and pack spoils.
“He probably saved the game for us today,” Carelli said. “He would’ve taken about four marks on the goalline and spoiled about four as well.”
Anthony Piva was superb defensively in the one-on-one contests, while Dion Hill had a number of score involvements.
But it took all 22 St Albans players to help their side bounce back from a loss to wooden spooner Wyndhamvale.
Meanwhile, Sunshine Kangaroos will take plenty of confidence into the finals after upsetting minor premier Deer Park by 52 points at Kinder Smith Reserve.
Lachie Langwell kicked three goals in a best-afield performance for the Kangaroos, who secured third place and a finals double.
Albion made a fast start to lead Werribee Districts by 33 points at half-time, but went on to lose by 19 points at Soldiers Reserve.
Caroline Springs finished its promotion season second-last after a 67-point loss to premiership contender Spotswood at Town Centre Oval.
In division 2, Albanvale produced an upset 17-point win over Manor Lakes to reach the finals.
In division 3, North Sunshine could not have asked for a better finish to the season, rolling flag favourite Parkside by 26 points at Dempster Park.
Sunshine Heights will go into the finals with a pep in its step after edging Wyndham Suns by 10 points.
