By Marcus Uhe
A shock two-point loss to Mt Evelyn at home is being hailed as a growth opportunity for Wandin coach Nick Adam.
The Bulldogs appeared at the peak of their powers heading into Saturday’s clash with the long-time local rival, fresh off a 163-point win and facing a side that had lost its previous three.
While not able to break free from the Rovers’ reach at any stage, Wandin kicked three goals clear early in the last term before the unthinkable happened, as the eight-game unbeaten run was dramatically snapped, 7.14 56 to 8.10 58.
Adam said his side will establish what they can learn from the result.
“There’s the potential that we’ll be put in a similar situation later in the year and we need to be better,” he said.
“We want to identify and address the way we adapted and handled ourselves over the course of the day, but it needs to be more than just talking about it; we need to actually get growth out of our playing group, so that when we’re in that situation again, they’re better.”
Clint Johnson was held goalless for the first time in a Wandin jumper by Ashley Gibbons as the inaccurate Bulldogs tallied their lowest team score for 2023.
Winter rain has taken a toll on Wandin North Recreation Reserve, particularly in the areas closest to goal, adding a layer of difficulty to the contest with players finding difficulty in holding their feet.
Frustrations were then ill-directed towards the umpires, with a number of players becoming distracted by decisions made by the officials.
Concerning for Wandin, who had its way with the competition for the first half of the season winning by an average of 68 points, is that this was the first occasion since a crushing preliminary final loss last year that it had been seriously challenged in the fourth quarter, and came up short.
“We’ve failed, and we need to improve,” Adam said.
“We were really mindful of the fact that we haven’t been in that situation this year, and how we were going to react when put in that situation?
“How we adapt, and how quickly we adapt to what the game has given us or what the day has given us, needs to improve quickly.
“I talked a lot about controlling the controllable over the course of the day, but I don’t think we did that well.
“They handled the occasion better than what we did, would be how I described it.”
The path to redemption begins on Saturday with a mouth-watering clash against Narre Warren.
“We need to get back to business of playing the footy that we want to and we’re proud of.
“Finals are earned and grand finals are earned and we need to earn that over the course of the next three months. We’re confident in what we are, but the weekend proved that we’re not invincible and we never were.”
At Upwey Tecoma, 10 goals to star forward Daniel Waters pushed the Tigers to a much needed 19-point win over Olinda Ferny Creek, breaking a four game losing streak.
11 goals to five over the middle two quarters of football allowed the Tigers to separate from their visiting opponents after Olinda Ferny Creek held a two-point advantage at quarter time.
Sam Wicks and the midfield brigade received excellent service from Liam Beacom in the ruck for the Tigers to provide Waters with the football and assist with his haul.
At the other end of the ground, Matt Scharenberg kicked four for the visitors and Mathieu Rosier three.
Fellow Tigers Woori Yallock recovered from a slow first half to storm home over Monbulk.
Trailing by nine points at the long break, last year’s runner-up kicked nine goals in the second half of the contest to the Hawks’ four to finish 23-points ahead.
Koby Busoli kicked three in a captain’s game from in the middle of the ground to lead the way for the Tigers, now sitting a game clear of Upwey Tecoma, Pakenham and Gembrook Cockatoo, in third position.
With just one game separating Upwey Tecoma in fourth on the table and Monbulk in eighth, the second half of the season is set to be enthralling.
