A disappointing fourth quarter has seen the Northern Blues defeated by the Werribee Tigers by 63 points at Avalon Airport Oval.

It was an even contest on the scoreboard for most of the day, before the Tigers burst away to win 25. 15. (165) to 15. 12. (102).

Werribee looked the better team in the first quarter, quickly getting out to a three-goal lead after Kristian Jaksch kicked the first of the day.

Both teams were getting the ball inside 50, but Northern allowed the Tigers to rebound from defence far too easily and that led to their first few scoring chains.

Werribee had almost double the amount of handball receives for the quarter and used it to cut the Blues up through the middle of the ground.

It allowed the Tigers’ forwards to get clean use coming inside 50, and while the Blues did well to stay within touch of Werribee, it set the tone for what was to come.

Northern restricted the Tigers’ overlap running in the second quarter and its extra pressure on the ball led to a more congested game.

It was a seesawing quarter with both sides exchanging goals, as Werribee’s final goal for the half gave it a 20-point lead before the Blues were able to bring it back to a nine-point deficit.

Northern came out firing in the third term, kicking the first goal and dominating possession but missing some big opportunities to hit the front at a vital stage.

It led to Werribee kicking the next four, breaking out to a four-goal lead before late goals to Hisham Kerbatieh and Clem Smith brought the margin back to 17 points at three-quarter time.

Things didn’t go the Blues’ way, with Werribee finally reflecting their dominance on the game via the scoreboard as they piled on 11 goals to three in the last quarter.

Majak Daw, Sam Durdin and Ben McKay did the damage for Werribee, combining for 10 goals as the focal points up forward while the Blues were no match for the Tigers’ run.

Kerbatieh was one of few shining lights for the Blues, kicking five goals and amassing 22 possessions while Tom Wilson led the way with 28 disposals.

Speaking after his 100th VFL game, Cameron Wood lamented the team’s inability to match Werribee’s intensity and effort over four quarters.

 “We had a promising first half, we weren’t playing great footy but we were still in the contest,” Wood said.

“Even at three-quarter time we were three goals down, so for it to blow out and to lose by 11 goals was really disappointing.

“We went away from structures, we let them get a run on and our pressure certainly dropped – if you’re off your game by even five percent it’ll really hurt you.”

The Blues will need to bounce back against Richmond at Ikon Park next Saturday from 2pm.

WERRIBEE TIGERS     6.3       10.9     14.13   25. 15. (165)
NORTHERN BLUES     4.4       9.6       12.8     15. 12. (102)

GOALS
Northern Blues: Kerbatieh 5, Jaksch 2, Smith 2, Lamb, Wilson, Tutt, Whiley, Totevski, Wood