By Marcus Uhe
A gutsy performance from Berwick saw it notch a second consecutive victory for the first time in 2023, coming from behind to defeat a wasteful Park Orchards side at Edwin Flack Reserve.
Trailing the Sharks at every break, the Wickers kicked the final six goals of a low-scoring contest to prevail 8.10 58 to 5.15 45.
Things started positively for the Wickers whose tenacity and pressure in the forward half manifested the first major of the game.
Lively forward Anthony Vella found himself in space in the forward 50 after a Tom Brennan smother at half-forward caught the Sharks’ defenders on their heels.
Charlie Muley converted a set shot as the two sides went goal-for-goal to open proceedings before the Sharks kicked four in a row, during a half-hour stretch that enveloped quarter time.
With both sides needing a victory to maintain faint hopes of qualifying for finals action, the nerves were evident, as players looked reluctant to take risks and committed sloppy mistakes under the weight of pressure.
Lachlan Vaughan spilling an uncontested mark at the top of the opposition goal square only for a Park Orchards forward to convert off the ground, a prime example.
Despite the visitors making the running on the scoreboard, much of the contest was played in Berwick’s half of the ground.
But a sea of numbers in its forward 50 made piercing gaps and hitting leading players extremely difficult, and on the counter attack, an open attacking area presented a greater number of chances for the Sharks.
A sublime finish from Harry Canning, from a kick with an approach that begun in the gutter infront of the netball courts, broke the Sharks’ dominance in the 20th minute of the quarter, and minutes later Harry Money was the beneficiary of a deliberate out of bounds call against a Sharks defender in the forward pocket, meaning the home side only trailed by six points at the long break.
It took 18 minutes for either side to find the major opening in the second half, as the ball bounced from arc to arc without consequence at either end.
The Berwick defenders had an answer for everything the Sharks threw at them, with some desperate defending deep in defence highlighting the stakes of the contest, but the same couldn’t be said for their teammates further afield.
It was Sam Hilton-Joyce who broke the deadlock in his first senior game this season, squeezing a dribbled kick from a contest along the ground and into an empty goalsquare, cutting the lead to one point.
Having kicked the last three of the game and holding the visitors goalless for the previous 45 minutes of play, Berwick entered the last quarter with momentum on its side.
Canning held his own in a marking contest at the top of the square and goaled to give Berwick the lead after five minutes, sparking an emotional celebration from the clever forward.
Brennan then received armchair service from a ruck contest from Charlie Muley to goal on the run and push the lead to 11 points, Berwick’s run now reaching five consecutive goals.
The Sharks peppered the goal face in the last quarter but missed a number of chances to claw their way back into the contest.
Set shots from minor angles were blown, kicks off the ground spun backwards as they neared the target, and pressure on kicks on the run saw attempts forced wide.
When Money kicked his second in the 23rd minute to put his side up by 14, collective hearts broke across the Sharks’ line-up, consigned to their 10th loss of the season.
Hilton-Joyce was among Berwick’s best, as was Brennan and Arthurson, while Deng Andrew and Jesse Parker all stood tall when required.
The win sees the Wickers jump South Croydon on the Eastern Football Netball League Premier Division table, moving from 10th to ninth.
