A STRING of wasted opportunities has hurt the Central Highlands Football League, according to coach Clive Raak.
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Raak, in his first year in the job, was a disappointed man after his side fell to a four-point defeat against Geelong and District in Saturday’s showdown.
The result was the Central Highlands’ first defeat since reigniting the senior interleague concept in 2012.
“It is really disappointing because we didn’t take our chances when we should have,” Raak said.
“That’s a big thing. We made a couple of mistakes that resulted in free goals in that third quarter as well.
“But that’s footy. We just didn’t take our chances and we didn’t win the game. 12.18 was probably a reflection of how bad we were in front of goals.”
12.18 was probably a reflection of how bad we were in front of goals.
- CHFL coach Clive Raak
Raak paid credit to the Geelong and District side, which he said was “down and out” before finding a way to get back into the game.
“They (Geelong and District) played like we did in the first half after half time,” Raak said.
“The bloke who had the footy got tackled straight away and got put under immense pressure. They made us make a lot of mistakes.”
Raak said the send-off of defender Segifili Asa Leausa had a big impact on the match and believed the opposition utilised its extra player well during a 15-minute period across the third and fourth terms.
“They ended up throwing another bloke behind the ball and they just used him as another midfielder,” he said.
“It just helped them set up all the time. It was just that little link-up they always had.”
Raak believed there was a couple of “questionable” decisions in the game, including the free kick that was paid to GDFL forward Jason Tom, who kicked the winning goal just seconds before the final siren.
For Geelong and District coach Adam Skrobalak, the victory was one he planned long and hard to achieve.
The St Kilda ruck coach took charge of the GDFL interleague program this year and put his charges through six training sessions before the weekend’s match.
Skrobalak said the league used its resources well and planned for the game by having photos sent through of the Bungaree ground and information provided on opposition players.
“I guess at the end of the day, you pinch a win like that and you think: were we lucky? Well, if you put the work in, you’re not lucky,” he said.
Skrobalak said his side struggled to get its game going at times.
“When we did, we scored. And when we didn’t, we turned it over,” he said.
“They’re (Central Highlands) probably saying the same thing. They missed shots at goal, but we missed field kicks. And we think a lot of their scoring came from our turnovers. But when we got that right, I thought our ball movement was quite impressive at times.”
The GDFL has climbed to 22nd in the AFL Victoria Community Championship rankings, with the Central Highlands now 25th.