The Cougars were dominant after half-time and booted 10 of the final 13 goals in the 13.13 (91) to 8.15 (63) result at Preston City Oval.
Returning trio Anthony Hogan, Bronik Davies and Paul Scanlon were all dominant during the afternoon, while Matthew Deledio, Doug Morris, Nick Carter and Joseph Woonton all provided large contributions.
Opportunistic forward Mitch Papas led the way in the attacking half and kicked four goals, while Koden Colman and Daniel Rajab were also lively and kicked two apiece. It was a memorable day for Rajab who also put in a nomination for mark of the year with a big leap on the half forward line in the first quarter.
West Preston-Lakeside had a handful of winners on the field with Jake Williams, Ali Fahour, Kris Bardon and Andrew Luzza all trying valiantly, but ultimately the job was left to too few.
Anthony Rocca kicked three goals in the second quarter as the Roosters kicked with a handy breeze to the city end of the ground. However, he was yellow-carded late in the third term and spent the all-important opening 10 minutes of the final quarter on the bench.
Rocca wasn’t the only significant player missing from the Roosters’ line-up early in the last stanza, with key utility Billy Morrison also receiving a yellow card late in the third quarter.
Without their two key talls the Roosters lacked a marking option during the early stages of the fourth quarter and never looked like hauling in the 12-point buffer Northcote Park took into the last term.
The game was effectively sealed by the time Rocca and Morrison returned to the field after Rajab and Colman booted the opening two goals of the final quarter to give their side a 24-point advantage.
Chas Bromley managed to peg one back for West Preston-Lakeside but it would be his side’s last goal of the day as Papas and Rajab sealed the victory with answering goals.
Northcote Park had looked in trouble at quarter-time after it failed to take full advantage of the wind in the opening quarter and took only a four-point buffer into the first change.
The Cougars managed just one goal for the term – courtesy of Colman – and were outplayed by a West Preston-Lakeside team who controlled the football and tempo of the match.
The Roosters then cleared their forward 50m for Rocca in the second term and the big forward delivered with three majors and several towering marks.
He kicked his first goal two minutes into the term from a clever snap and later responded quickly to a Mitch Papas soccered goal to keep the Roosters in front.
Papas booted a second for the quarter down the other end as the lead again switched hands, before three consecutive West Preston goals to Billy Micevski, Rocca and Jake Williams handed it a 14-point lead.
The quick goals were a direct result of the Roosters’ ability to win the ball cleanly from the stoppages. They kicked long to Rocca and anything he didn’t mark was crumbed by his smaller forwards.
A late goal to Doug Morris kept the Cougars within two goals at the main break, however Jason Heatley’s men again struggled to score with the breeze early in the third as West Preston peppered the goals down the other end but only managed three behinds.
Patrick Considine then ran off Rocca in a bold move and marked strongly to give his side a much-needed goal. It was quickly followed by a Scanlon set shot from outside the boundary which gave the Cougars a two-point advantage.
The lead would change four more times for the quarter but it was a Morrison blunder at the 20-minute mark of the term which proved decisive.
After being penalised for running the ball deliberately out of bounds, Morrison failed to deliver the ball correctly to Jake Mills and handed the Cougar a 50m penalty. Mills converted from point-blank range and his side never gave back the lead.
A follow-up goal to Papas gave the Cougars a double-digit lead and the three-quarter time margin could have been greater than 12 points but for two kickable misses from Patrick O’Connell and Davis.
Perhaps the play of the day happened in the dying stages of the third quarter, when a desperate Nick Carter ran 50m to lay a goal-saving tackle on Adrian Natoli as he ran into an open goal. It was a telling moment that typified Northcote Park’s determination all afternoon.
The Cougars now head into this Sunday’s clash against Bundoora full of confidence following wins in eight of their past nine matches. They hold a 2-0 record against the Bulls this season and will fancy their chances of progressing to the preliminary final, particularly after Bundoora’s poor showing against Heidelberg in the qualifying final.
Final score: Northcote Park 13.13 (91) def West Preston-Lakeside 8.15 (63)
