Creswick 16.18 (114)
Dunnstown 7.5 (47)
CRESWICK was never going to let Dunnstown in on Saturday and put the blowtorch to the Towners.
The 67-point win made it three-in-a-row, a feat that had Wickers old-timers scratching their heads, unable to recall the last time this had happened.
Creswick coach Damien Lubeek believed the last time was in 1987 when the Wickers won the flag.
He heaped praise on his team’s performance: “The group has finally got some real belief in the way they play their footy. You know, we haven’t gone out and recruited superstars.
“We have believed in the kids we had and they now have belief in themselves. I am absolutely delighted,” Lubeek said.
The coach acknowledged that an early start to pre-season and intense strength training had started to bear fruit.
“We’re travelling well,” Lubeek admitted. “We’ve got a lot of depth.”
The Wickers sit eighth on the ladder with four wins and Lubeek was confident they will make the finals this year.
The response from Creswick players to the hard, physical challenges of Dunnstown was gritty and at times verging on brilliant.
Brad Lockyer up front with four goals and Michael Lockyer on the wing were mainsprings in the Creswick structures. For Michael it was his second best-on-ground in as many weeks.
The back six ticked over like well-oiled machines with special mention going to Steven Patterson rebounding from defence and also kicking a goal.
He was a busy playmaker all day with a fine ball sense and poise as well as great awareness of other teammates.
Co-captain Clinton Robinson was workmanlike, feeding the ball back into attack, and forwards Ryan Pompe and Tyler Booth, with three goals apiece, kept the heat turned up.
Dunnstown found the in-your-face tackling pressure of Creswick hard to counter.
But Matthew Pitt, Sam Roache and Matthew Turner weren’t going to lie down and were stumbling blocks to Wickers’ forward sorties.
David McBain added a bit of weight up forward for the Towners but all-in-all there was a failure to launch when it came to scoreboard pressure.
Dunnstown coach Paul Jennings summed up the day: “It was extremely disappointing. We played like a pack of individuals. It’s as simple as that.
“There was no team football whatsoever.”
Asked if the two-week break would help Dunnstown, Jennings said: “The break, I hope, will give us time to regroup and get out on the training track.
“Hopefully we will get some better players back and hopefully we will play some better football.”
