Metro West has shrugged off its underdog tag to claim its fifth Bowls Victoria state region title in eight years.
A feared side in years past, the west’s best were unfamiliar outsiders for this edition, but they were more than happy to play the role of giant-killers at the Corowa showdown.
“It was pretty satisfying because we didn’t go in as favourites as we had in other years,” captain Snowy Barker
said.
Metro West was filled with players from only three clubs in the 19-club region.
Nine of the 12 players came out of metro premier club Altona.
Two came from Barker’s home club Werribee and one from Deer Park.
The concentration of players from only three clubs made it a seamless transition from club to representative level.
“There wasn’t that much needed to motivate them,” Barker said.
“We got together as a group on the Friday night and had a barbecue.
“I just spoke to them about having that commitment the whole weekend.”
The finals were tight and tense.
Metro West shocked Sandbelt 46-44 in the semis to book a grand final date with Murray Mallee, the side that knocked them out at the semi-final stage last summer.
In the final, Metro West got up 47-43, but only after surviving a late scare.
“The final got pretty close,” Barker said. “It was definitely down to the wire.”
Meanwhile, Werribee had a narrow 79-77 road win over Richmond Union in an all-top-four division 1 blockbuster.
The Bees leapfrogged Union into third spot.
