Round 6: North Geelong (6) v Westgate (2)
North Geelong put in a team effort to come from behind to beat Westgate 6 – 2. Goals came from five different scorers in what surely goes down as one of the great matches at Elcho Park, not only because of the amount of goals but also for in the manner it what achieved.
The first 15 minutes were sluggish and Westgate looked more likely to score. Initial lead up play wasn’t working as it did the previous week and mistakes were creeping in. It was a mistake that led to the first goal, where Westgate pressured Saric and Arthey to turn the ball over in their own defensive third as they were pushing up the ground. Westgate pounced and sent a long pass into the box to which keeper Zilic would have normally met. The Westgate striker was on hand to head the ball towards Zilic and he didn’t hold on, as a result eh ball bobbled into the goal.
However to the Warriors credit they responded perfectly. Being a goal down sparked them into gear and it brought on wave after wave of attack. Soon after Saric dashing through the midfield connected passes with three different players to find the ball abck at his feet and slotted it past the keeper. The attack kept coming but the referee’s whistle brought an end to the half.
The second half saw the Warriors take off where they left off. The teamwork was a beautiful sight to see and the fans could see that the boys on the park were looking for more. They weren’t disappointed. A long ball clearance by Westgate, found Trupkovic and he headed down toward the running Zadworny, his link up with Demo found him in the box to inflict his own damage on the score board. The next 25 mins were a lesson in football for the Westgate team. Next on the scoresheet was Cervinski, who battled hard and contributed to many of the lead up pieces to get a reward of his own. He was on hand in the box to stab in a typical strikers goal pouncing on a loose ball.
So consistent was the Warriors lead up play that they had defenders join in the attack. Jonathan Davey surged forward to meet a cross in the 6 yard box and barrelled in a goal that will no doubt endear him to the North Geelong faithful for a long time to come. If that wasn’t enough the next goal was surely a pleasure to see. From the last line of defence to the goal, no Westgate player touched the ball. Saric found Trupkovic for a quick pass to each other and released D’Antino who weaved past the defence, his cut back pass into the 16 yard box was met perfectly by Cervinksi who slammed it into the top corner.
You could forgive the Warriors for letting back a bit as they were caught by a speculative cross which everyone except the referee thought was offside. None the less Westgate swooped onto it to slot in their second but, the Warriors weren’t done yet either. Palmieri did exactly what every coach wants from their subs and got involved and contributed. His goal and North’s 6th sealed a famous win.
A win which we dedicate to a club favourite, one of North Geelong Warriors founding members, Stipe Tabak who has been battling illness in recent time. Stipe was in attendance with his sons to watch the big occasion and after the final whistle, the players, coaches and board members went over to his direction to applaud a man who has proudly worked, toiled and supported our proud club.
See you next Saturday at Elcho Park for the big derby between North Geelong Warriors and Geelong Rangers.
