Whittlesea knew Thomastown would come out firing after two successive losses, but the Eagles still couldn’t stop the early onslaught in Northern Football League division 2 on Saturday.
The decisive first quarter saw the Bears lead by three goals even though the Eagles were kicking with a four-goal wind.
And it proved to be the difference, as the Bears went on to win 11.16 (82) – 9.19 (73).
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Eagles coach Brad Dean said the Bears began the way he would have liked his side to start.
“We knew they’d be ready [to bounce back], especially with second spot on the ladder on the line,” he said.
“We kicked with a four-goal breeze in the first quarter and found ourselves down by three goals.
“Thomastown were hard at the footy; they attacked the ball and ran hard. It set up the victory for them.”
Dean said he was happy with how his team responded after the first quarter, but they couldn’t pin back the lead against a good side.
“We worked hard to get back into the contest, but we were chasing their tail,” he said.
“In the last five minutes they put pressure and numbers behind the ball and we couldn’t get the goal needed to have a chance of winning.
“We had nine behinds in the last quarter and at least four or five were rushed.”
The loss is the Eagles fourth for the year – all have been by 15 points or fewer. There has also been one draw.
“There’s not a lot between the top five and if you are a little bit out you’ll get beaten,” Dean said.
“We’re around the mark and we’re probably where we should be [in fourth spot]. We’ve lost to Thomastown [who is second] twice and Hurstbridge [who is top] once.
“Whoever finds themselves in finals will give themselves a chance of winning it.”
Lalor remains in third position after victory against Diamond Creek.
In division 1, Bundoora kept its finals hopes alive with a win over North Heidelberg.
The Bulls are sixth, just percentage behind fifth-placed Eltham.
