Melton Wolves hopes of a first premiership in Gridiron Victoria division 2 competition were dashed by the Northern Raiders on Saturday.
In just their second season, the Wolves made it through to the division 2 grand final after finishing bottom last season.
Playing in front of their home crowd, the Wolves took confidence into the game having knocked off the Raiders the last time the two teams met.
In what turned out to be a low-scoring match, scores were locked at 0-0 at quarter-time.
The Raiders were the first team to hit the scoreboard and had a 7-0 lead at half-time.
The Wolves were desperate to score in the third quarter, but couldn’t find the openings they needed.
The Raiders increased the lead to 10-0 and held it to the end.
While the Wolves didn’t take out the grand final, they did secure some individual player and coaching honours.
Wolves quarterback Matthew Krul was named the division 2 most valuable player.
He was also named the offensive player of the year and named at quarterback in the team of the year. Krul juggles playing gridiron and football with Diggers Rest on weekends throughout most of the season.
Trevor Tutaka was named defensive tackle in the division 2 team of the year.
Wolves coach Tiff Lykee was named joint coach of the year, along with Monash Barbarians’ Daniel Sanderson.
Western Raiders claimed the division 1 title with a 30-9 win against Melbourne Uni Royals.
