GREENSBOROUGH came from behind in the final term to seal a memorable seven-point victory over West Preston-Lakeside at J.E. Moore Park.
The Boro were led by a magnificent display from ruckman Michael Hooper, who was dominant around the ground and proved to be an invaluable aerial threat in the forward line during the final term.
Prior to the bounce of the ball both teams formed a guard of honour for goal umpire Neville Coutts, who broke the record of most A-Grade games umpired in the league.
The game began in a rugged fashion with both teams working furiously to gain first touch of the ball.
The deadlock was broken by West Preston-Lakeside, when Jaylon Thorpe did well to create a contest against two Boro defenders and brought the ball to the ground, which was then seized by a running Andrew Dobby.
The Roosters lead would last less than a minute, with Luke Stanton marking on the goal line and converting for Greensborough.
Stanton’s major led to a flurry of goals for the Boro, with three goals being kicked before the Roosters could manage a reply through David Rodan. Rodan would then clinch a second to tie up the scores.
All up 10 goals were kicked in the opening quarter, with both sides sharing five apiece. But it would be the Roosters with the lead heading into the first break with a single point separating the two sides.
Where the opening quarter had been free flowing with the scoreboard ticking over, the second term was a much tighter affair. Both teams had plenty of possession in the midfield but failed to hit targets in the forward 50.
But in saying that, it would be Greensborough who would have been the happier side at half time, kicking three goals in the term, while the Roosters could only manage a sole major.
The Boro’s lead was contributed by goals from Matthew Fowler, Joshua Grubb and Rhys Boyden. Boyden would also be subject to the umpire handing out a yellow card later in the term.
As much as Boro coach Ben Turner would have been pleased with the second quarter, he would have been disappointed with the third, as his side squandered the lead and allowed West Preston-Lakeside to convert six goals.
The Roosters were electrifying in the third quarter, with their ability to play on at all cost causing havoc.
David Rodan was able to convert his third goal of the game, while teammates Glenn Robertson, Adam Valeri, Luke Lirosi and Carl Adams all added to the goal tally.
Aaron Willitts was the star of the quarter, marking everything that came his way and having an involvement in many of the Roosters vital passages of play.
The Roosters held a 20-point lead at the start of the final term and they would not need to wait long for the margin to increase after Steven Hiho kicked truly.
But just as it seemed the home side would run away with the win, Greensborough fought its way back into the contest. Goals through Lachlan McQuilken and Stanton reduced the margin, before Andrew Dobby kicked a settling goal for the Roosters.
Then Greensborough would change the course of the game by unhooking the shackles. Rhys Boyden kicked consecutive goals to reduce the margin to a single goal.
Then Hooper, a man who dominated all day in the ruck, went forward and kicked two goals to put Greensborough back into the lead, before Stanton converted another to increase the Boro’s lead to 12 points.
Robertson kicked an unbelievable goal from the boundary to reduce the margin to a single goal with a few minutes remaining, but in the end it would be a little too late for a Roosters fight back.
The siren sounded and the Boro claimed their eighth win for the year to move back into first place on the ladder. For West Preston-Lakeside, it was an improved effort on the previous week’s 82-point annihilation at Macleod, but it will still rue the chance to return to the top five.
Final score: West Preston-Lakeside 15.9 (99) def by Greensborough 16.10 (106)
