Match result: Werribee 20.15.135 defeated Northern blues 3.15.33
Venue: Avalon Airport Oval
Conditions: Fresh conditions, no wind; perfect for footy
In action:
Sam Wright (27 disposals, 10 marks)
Kieran Harper (19 disposals, 7 clearances, 6 inside 50’s)
Mason Wood (17 disposals, 10 marks, 4 goals)
Tim McGenniss (22 disposals, 6 tackles, 7 inside 50’s)
Kayne Turner (9 disposals, 1 goal)
Scott McMahon (14 disposals, 6 marks)
Taylor Hine (18 disposals)
Daniel Currie (9 disposals, 36 hit-outs)
NMFC.com.au’s best: Wood, McGenniss, Wright
What the coach said:
“Our blokes were terrific for the full two hours.
“We knew Carlton had a few injuries so the Northern Blues would be a bit depleted.
“We never had the expectation (of a 102-point win) at all. We knew that they would still be hard to beat.
“In a lot of one sided games you see a team kick five goals late in the game, but we didn’t allow that; they didn’t kick a goal in the last quarter, so the attitude of our blokes was terrific.” – Werribee coach John Lamont
Key match-ups:
1. McGenniss v Nick Graham
“Graham is a really good standard player at VFL level, but Timmy just demolished him keeping him to 8 possessions while getting plenty of it himself.
“It was a fantastic job. He just completely smothered him and ran off him.
“His concentration, his determination and his fitness levels allow him to do that.” – Development Manager Gavin Brown
2. Currie v Cameron Wood
“It was a quiet night for Crush. It was probably not a great night for talls, but some of his follow-up work in the second half was much better.
Story of the game:
With three wins from three games, the Blues could have considered themselves favourites going in, and after booting the first would have had even more confidence.
It didn’t pan out that way; Werribee dominated thereafter with the next 9 goals to finish the first half.
The party continued after the main break with a further 11 goals to 3 to give the Tigers their second win of the year in style.
“We just completely smothered them. Our defensive setup behind the ball just didn’t allow them to go forward with any consistency.
“They (the Blues) still had a lot good players even though a lot of them went up to seniors.
“Our pressure and our work-rate were two things that really stood out just to completely blanket them.” – Gavin Brown
Points of interest:
1. Kieran Harper has had a tough start to the year, but his form on Saturday night suggested he may be some way to getting back to his best.
The North young gun had 15 first half disposals and finished with 2 goals in a much improved performance.
Brown: “His work-rate was ten-fold this week. He used one of his great attributes which was his speed and changed gears really well and got involved. It was a big difference.
“He played in the middle which was a bit of a change for him, because he’s been playing down forward in the last couple of weeks.
“He was terrific. He got a fair bit of the footy, tackled really well and spread really hard. Some of his clearance work was really, really good.”
Lamont: “It was his best game for the year so far. He got himself involved and kicked the first goal of the game so that was terrific.”
2. Should Brad Scott be looking for some extra firepower in attack, Mason Wood could be the man to answer the call.
The 2012 draftee was the dominant forward on the ground with four goals.
“He played a really solid game for four quarters. He got on the end of some really nice balls.
“His crumbing was really good and he kicked one snap goal in particular that was really impressive.
“The good thing about him is he took marks inside forward 50 which is really pleasing in his development.” – Gavin Brown
3. North’s depth was on show in the defensive half, with seasoned AFL campaigners Sam Wright and Scott McMahon holding sway.
Having missed last week’s match as an AFL emergency, Wright had a point to prove to keep his name in the minds of selectors.
“He was very solid down back. He had plenty of the footy," Brown said.
“His leadership was fantastic. It was a really solid performance. He’s building. He’s getting better and better."
McMahon was also impressive, but may find it tough to break back given the strong form of the Kangaroos’ back six on Friday night and the return of Scott Thompson from suspension.
“He was excellent. He showed great leadership; he really just set the whole defence up all night, a little bit like Wrighty.
“His voice is really noticeable, he points, he sets up everyone up with his leadership and experience.”
Also in defence, Taylor Hine was singled out for praise by Lamont with 'huge improvement' on the week previous.
Most likely call-ups: Sam Wright, Scott McMahon
Next week: Casey Scorpions – Casey Fields, May 4 at 2pm
