A damaging second half from Werribee has seen them fight off a competitive Frankston side in an entertaining clash on Saturday afternoon at Avalon Airport Oval.
With the reigning premiers holding a slim four-point advantage at the main break, an 11-goal-to-six second half saw them overrun the Dolphins to record the 19.15 (129) to 14.6 (90) result.
While it was a spirited performance from the visitors, it was the home side’s midfield, led by Dom Brew, that got the job done, winning the clearances 58-32 and the disposal count 370-263.
Werribee opened the contest with two consecutive majors, before some clever work inside 50 from Tarkyn O’Leary to tap it over an oncoming defender allowed him to run into an open goal to get Frankston on the board.
A Tom Murphy snap was cancelled out by a pair of Werribee goals, while Tomo Owens converted from the set shot after winning himself a free kick inside 50. The home side would go on to put two more majors on the board late in the term to hold an 18-point lead at the first break.
Blake O’Leary set up Harrison Coe for the first of the second term, as Tarkyn O’Leary slammed through his second of the day from close range to bring the margin back to seven points.
Werribee would hit back to extend their lead before the milestone man, Trent Mynott, sent one home from distance in his 100th VFL game. A second for Murphy followed, who put through a checkside on the run to bring the Dolphins back within a kick.
A great transition move, orchestrated by the aforementioned duo, ended in a Matt Johnson goal to put Frankston in front for the first time in the contest.
Werribee would regain the lead late in the quarter, as they entered the main break holding a four-point lead.
The home side would make life difficult for the Dolphins in the third quarter, piling on four consecutive goals as they began to control proceedings. A late goal from Coe, after a strong mark inside 50, stopped Werribee’s run of goals to bring the margin back to 24 points at the final break.
An early goal in the fourth quarter for the reigning premiers pushed the margin out to five goals. A Corey Ellison goal and Mynott’s second of the game gave Frankston some life as the margin was cut back to three goals.
Werribee would respond, before Seb Quirk put through a snap from distance to again give the Dolphins a slim chance of a comeback.
However, asecond for Johnson was sandwiched between five goals for the home side, as the margin continued to extend. A late consolation goal from Blake O’Leary saw the final margin sitting at 39 points.
In his milestone game, Trent Mynott was one of Frankston’s best on the day, doing a bit of everything to finish with two goals, 16 disposals, 10 tackles and five clearances. As was Darby Hipwell, who finished with 28 disposals (11 contested), eight inside 50s and four score involvements.
Tom Murphy (two goals, 15 disposals, seven tackles, five clearances) put in a solid performance, as did Seb Quirk (one goal, 20 disposals, six clearances). On his return to the side, Will Hamill (28 disposals, six intercept possessions) was lively.
Angus Grant (25 hit outs, 10 disposals, seven tackles) battled hard in the ruck, while Blake O’Leary (one goal, 18 disposals, eight intercept possessions) was a strong performer.
Jackson Kornberg’s side will quickly turn their attention to Saturday night, as they look to bounce back against Coburg at Kinetic Stadium (7:35 PM AEST).
WERRIBEE 6.2 8.8 12.12 19.15 (129)
FRANKSTON 3.2 8.4 9.6 14.6 (90)
GOALS
T. O’Leary 2, Mynott 2, Murphy 2, Johnson 2, Coe 2, Quirk, Owens, B. O’Leary, Ellison
BEST
Hipwell, Mynott, Murphy, Hamill
