WEST PRESTON-LAKESIDE bounced back from two disappointing home losses with a hard-fought win over Macleod at a wet and muddy De Winton Park in Round 14.
The Roosters had control for most of the match and deserved the victory, holding off a late Macleod surge in the final term to pull off the 14.17 (101) to 13.15 (93) result.
The win sees the Roosters move back into third place on the Division 1 table and helped atone for two poor losses in successive rounds to Northcote Park and Whittlesea by convincing margins.
Macleod did have its chances however, but blew any chance of a win in the final term by kicking 1.9 from four more scoring shots than its opponent. The Roos finished full of running but their ability to put it on the scoreboard cost them dearly.
It was a very entertaining first term, with both sides going goal for goal for the majority of the quarter. They both went three for three before the Roosters were able to pull clear with goals to Adam Valeri and Oliver Dufficy.
But the Roos hit back late in the term through Jack Langford, who took a great mark coming back with the flight of the ball and slotted the set shot with under a minute remaining. This reduced the margin to six points at the first break.
As the rain started to come down in the second term, the Roos clicked into gear, booting the first goal through Sean Driscoll to get within a point. But the Roosters again had a quick reply, with Peter Shepherd booting two in a row to push the margin back out to 13 points.
Brett Wilding (six goals) was able to peg back the deficit for Macleod, single-handedly getting them back within a point with two of his own in quick fashion.
But that was the last Roos goals for the opening half, with the Roosters dominating the remainder of the second term to boot three unanswered goals and go into the second half with a very handy 20-point buffer.
Macleod needed answers after the main break but it didn’t start the way it would have liked, blowing two chances before conceding as Trent Long kicked a great running goal to extend West Preston-Lakeside’s margin to 26 points.
This goal however sparked the Roos revival, with Wilding booting two of the next four Macleod goals to get the home side back within three points with five minutes remaining in the third quarter.
But similar to the second term, the Roosters ran the quarter out the better, outscoring their host two goals to one for the rest of the term to take a 12-point lead into the final term.
Macleod started the final term in the best possible fashion, with Langford booting a goal from out of a congested pack to move his side within six points and get the Macleod faithful on their feet.
But as the lights came on, so did the inaccurate kicking at goal from both sides.
Macleod kicking seven behinds and the Roosters’ four before the next goal, which came courtesy of West Preston-Lakeside’s Adam Valeri. It was a miraculous effort, with the ball twice bouncing over and around opponents before it went through the big sticks.
Macleod then missed another two late opportunities to close within a kick, with the Roosters able to close the game out to win by eight points.
The Roosters best were Billy Micevski with five goals, Valeri and Aaron Davey – who has quickly found his feet in the competition. The Roos best in a tough loss were Wilding with six goals, Langford and Sean Driscoll.
Final score: Macleod 13.15 (93) def by West Preston-Lakeside 14.17 (101)
