Left frustrated: Strathmerton’s co-coach Tim Looby lays a tackle on Waaia’s Ky Johnston during the grand final defeat on Saturday.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Strathmerton co-coach Tim Looby was quick to sum up the feeling among his playing group following the heart-breaking Picola District Football League grand final loss to Waaia.
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The Bulldogs struggled to perform on the big stage and were left counting the cost of ball-use errors in the 6.7 (43) to 12.11 (83) defeat at Strathmerton.
It was Strathmerton’s equal-lowest total of the season — a performance that Looby said left his outfit disheartened.
Dish it off: Strathmerton's Josh Payne.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
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Juggling act: Strathmerton's Darcy Robinson tries to gather the ball while competing with Waaia's Ash Holland.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
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Tough loss: Strathmerton’s Brock Palmer paints a dejected figure while Waaia players celebrate the grand final win in the background.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
“Frustrated is the feeling now,” Looby said post-match in the rooms.
“We didn’t play well; full credit to Waaia, they didn’t allow us to play well. That snowballed into us making mistakes when we didn’t have pressure on us.
“I thought our pressure was good enough, but how we handled their pressure and their perceived pressure in the end ... you can’t kick the ball how we did today and expect to get good looks going forward.
“It’s a tough one at the moment, but that’s grand finals mate, we could play them again next week and we could get a totally different result.”
Looby quickly highlighted that himself and co-coach Tim Bramich were proud of the Bulldogs’ 2023 campaign.
“Just frustrated because we didn’t give ourselves the best opportunity,” the star forward said.
“We reflect on what a great year we’ve had, it’s not a failure of a year.
“We’ve come a long way this year from last year and we’ll be back again next year to give ourselves another opportunity.”
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