Airport West have soared back into the top flight after defeating West Coburg by 32 points at Windy Hill in the Rookie Me Division One Grand Final.
The boys from the Nest in the West secured their promotion into Strathmore Community Bank Premier Division with an impressive 12.13.85-6.17.53 win in front of a raucous crowd at the spiritual home of EDFL football.
Dale May’s men were impressive all day and gallant in defeat, sticking within 21 points of the minor premiers at half time, and 22 points at the final change.
Their downfall however would be that of inaccuracy, which would inevitably cost them on the scoreboard. The Burgers went into halftime with a score of 2.9.21 from eleven scoring shots, with set shot accuracy being the biggest worry.
Their normally accurate forwards weren’t able to capitalise in the contest. Lynden Dunn finished with one goal and four behinds, and Daniel Archer and Perry Patrikios ended the game with two behinds each.
Alternatively for Airport West, they couldn’t get enough of the set plays up forward in the first half. Ned Gentile ran riot in the forward 50 for the Eagles and would finish the contest with three goals, whilst co-captain Jesse McVeigh got the ball rolling with the first goal of the game.
Just as they had done all year, Trent Roger’s side prided themselves on unpredictability up forward, and in this contest it was no different. The Eagles included eight different goal kickers on the scoreboard compared to the Burgers’ four, sharing the ball around as it entered their attacking 50.
Brendan Godden impressed in the second half for Airport West, adding another two goals of his own, and was followed by Muhammad Saad, Joel Brown, Tyson Young, Anthony Aloi, Luca Muratore and Luke Sultana who added singles.
The ever reliable defenders of the Eagles were also dominant around the contests, with Clayton Rogers, Ronald Hackney, Lachie Di Sebastiano and Daniel Sinnott all solid in the back half.
Jesse Martini was especially impressive up forward for West Coburg, and led the Burgers with three goals. Daniel Johncock, Lynden Dunn and Andrew Careri would join him with singles on the scoresheet.
Defensively, Liam Bowkett was easily best-on-ground for the boys from the Shoretress, as he took intercept mark after intercept mark in the back half. He would also make his way forward and attempt some shots on goal, but was unsuccessful.
Reuben William though claimed the David McWilliam medal for best on ground after an extremely dominant outing, which saw him control most of the first quarter around the contests. After that, his solid contributions around the ground made him a worthy recipient of the medal.
It capped off a brilliant afternoon for the Airport West Footy Club, who also saw their Reserves victorious against West Coburg by 20 points.
The Burgers absolutely lost no admirers, and can take pride in knowing that all three sides (Under 18.5s, Reserves and Seniors) made it to the big dance all on the same day.
