Westmeadows’ finals exit perfectly summed up the sort of year the Tigers have experienced.
Playing in Essendon District Football League division 1 finals for a third straight year, the Tigers again found their season over in the opening weekend after losing to Oak Park in their semi-final at Windy Hill.
While only 14 points separated the sides at half-time, the Kangaroos had looked the better side with Dean Clare, Blair Cronin and Ryan Harris some of the standouts.
The second half turned out to be the worst of the Tigers’ year – three goals for the half were never going to be enough. The Kangaroos went on to win 23.16 (154)-9.9 (63).
Tigers’ coach Dave Connell said the extent of the loss was a bitter pill to swallow.
“When you get beaten like that, it’s pretty disappointing,” he said. “We actually didn’t think we were playing good footy and the scoreboard probably flattered us a bit [in the first half].
“The second half is the worst two quarters for the year. Disappointingly, we waited until this time to produce it.”
Connell said that in the pre-season, the Tigers viewed winning a final as the minimum expectation.
But he said the circumstances surrounding the year, especially injuries, had taken their toll.
“We’ve gone from round six or seven and playing just 25 players to, by round 16, having played 40 players,” he said. “It caught up with us in the end.
“It wasn’t all injuries – we made some hard calls on some players three or four weeks ago, which was probably to the detriment of the team, but as a footy club it’s always been a long-term view.”
Connell said that despite the disappointment, the Tigers would still take positives out of the year.
“It’s good to play finals three years in a row, but we need to get it right next year and go a step further,” he said.
“Three kids have played every game and a 16-year-old has played the last five games.
“The experience for those guys will be invaluable and will make a better side next year once we get a few more guys back in.
“We’ve come a long way, but the foundations have been laid.”
It wasn’t all disappointment for the Tigers, with their reserves side going straight through to the grand final by beating Craigieburn in their semi-final. The under-18 side lost its elimination final to Craigieburn.
