DEER Park bounced back from a shock loss to Sunshine a week earlier with a 28-point win over Altona in Western Region Football League division 1 on Saturday.
The 45-point loss to Sunshine was the Lions’ worst defeat of the season in a performance described by coach Marc Bullen as “uncompetitive”.
But they turned it around against the Vikings, kicking four goals to none in the second half for a 12th win of the year 11.11 (77) to 7.7 (49).
PICTURE GALLERY: Deer Park v Altona Vikings
The first half was a tight affair, with both teams kicking accurately in the opening term. The Vikings led by seven points with five goals to four.
Again not much could separate the teams in the second term, with Deer Park edging ahead by two points at the main break.
But as the rain which set in during the second half made scoring much tougher, meaning the team that got the advantage wouldn’t need an avalanche of goals to hold on.
The Lions got two in the third term and then kicked 2.7 in the last to record an impressive victory.
It was easily Altona’s lowest score of the year and only the third time the Vikings, the competition’s second-heaviest scoring team behind Spotswood, have been kept to fewer than 100 points this season.
Lions skipper Chris Stewart kicked three in his first match since round 10 while Jackson Barling was Deer Park’s best for the second week running.
Bullen accredited the win simply to effort.
“We were super-disappointed with our effort last week, and that’s what it purely was down to, effort,” he said.
“I put the onus back on the playing group during the week and the effort on the track was first-class. The loss shocked us back into gear.”
Bullen said his side’s ball use was key to the victory, particularly after a tight first half.
“I was a bit worried early doors. Their run and spread was hurting us early,” he said. “But we really stuck to our guns. We obliterated them around the stoppages and murdered them through the middle.”
Deer Park will be strengthened by the return of Andrew Lovett and Heath Ayres in coming weeks.
In other matches, Albion celebrated its biggest win of the year, a 28.28 (196) to 6.7 (43) belting of North Footscray.
The Cats had 14 goalkickers and Kym Taylor was adjudged Albion’s best for the third week running.
St Albans suffered a 67-point loss at the hands of Spotswood, 19.16 (130) to 9.9. (63), while Sunshine joined Spotswood and Altona on 40 points with a 19.12 (126) to 11.5 (71) win over Port Colts.
