IT was not the lead-up to the play-offs Perth Blitz wanted with mixed results against Rockingham Vipers on Saturday.
In the penultimate round of the 2018-19 Gridiron West season, the women were victorious 20-14 while the juniors lost 28-20 and the seniors faltered 38-0 at James Miller Oval on Saturday.
The women fought a back-and-forth tussle right down to the wire with the Blitz running in three touchdowns and a two-point conversion.
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READ NOWBlitz overcame an 8-6 half time deficit with a late touchdown to receiver Chae Salbie, who totalled two touchdowns and 140 receiving yards, to take the lead late in the game.
The women will maintain top place in the standings with victory over the Vipers and cannot be displaced.
Earlier, the juniors kicked off the day with a spirited loss.
Blitz conjured three touchdowns and a two-point conversion, but a slight lapse in concentration across the board proved to be the decisive factor against the table-topping Vipers.
This game was the juniors’ final hit-out who now prepare for play-offs against either the Vipers or Claremont Jets in three weeks.
To finish the day, the Vipers’ senior side showed why they have won four consecutive championships, flexing their muscles to shut out the Blitz.
The Vipers piled on 30 unanswered points in the first half to effective end the game.
Injuries saw key players out of the fixture, but the Blitz should regain quarterback Andrew Perez and running back Andre Folkes next week.
The loss does not impact Blitz’s final placing with one game remaining.
Next week the women and seniors go head-to-head with Swan City Titans in the final game of the regular season before the play-offs.