Comets win but fall from finals

By Gavin Staindl
THE Casey Comets players were flat and despondent as they trudged off the Darebin International Sports Complex pitch after a resilient 2-0 win over Diamond Valley.
The Comets needed to beat Diamond Valley by six or more goals to qualify for the Division Two finals and after going 2-0 up in the opening half an hour the chase was on.
But an average second half left the players with a bitter taste in their mouths despite convincingly beating the second best team in the league.
The 22-round season came down to the final game to decide who was to fight out for promotion in Division One and it comes as no consolation to the coaches and players that it was only an eight-goal difference that separated the two teams.
“It is only human to look back over results and go ‘what if’,” Casey coach Doug Chisholm said.
“You look back at the 3-0 loss to Morwell or some home games that didn’t go your way and you think even if we could have pegged back one or two goals,” Chisholm said.
But Chisholm was more focussed on talking about the season as a whole.
“It has been a tremendous season for the club.
“It is disappointing to miss finals but on the whole it has been a great season,” Chisholm said.
Berwick City has bid farewell to Division Two but it has left a parting statement that suggests its stay in Division Three won’t be long.
After beating second placed Diamond Valley 3-1 last week, Berwick went back-to-back on the weekend by beating Frankston Pines 3-0 at Monterey Reserve.
Two weeks ago Berwick had won only the one game for the season, but the two convincing wins on the back of stirring performances by Berwick’s younger members has the club excited about a successful season in Division Three.
Doveton will be promoted from Division One, regardless of next week’s match against Monbulk that determines who finishes atop the ladder.
Doveton was downed 3-2 to Sandringham at R.J. Sillitoe Reserve on Saturday but an Old Scotch loss last week means that the Doves will be promoted.
In Provisional Two Berwick Kings and Endeavour United both had 3-1 victories to finish the year.
Endeavour United took care of Riversdale at Betula Park to finish in eighth position while Berwick Kings finished in ninth after their surprise win against league-leaders Lyndale at Reema Reserve.