SPOTSWOOD'S winning run is over in the Western Region Football League's division 1 competition.
The 2007 and '08 premier is licking its wounds after being out-gunned by a fired-up Albion in the match of the day at Parsons Reserve on Saturday.
Badly missing injured full forward Luke Molan (hamstring) and ruckman Lachlan McGhie (knee), Spotty simply couldn't buy a goal in the second half, going down by 28 points in a hard-fought game. They led by two points at half-time, but could manage just 1.9 to 6.9 for the rest of the game.
Club president Chris Murphy was full of praise for the committed Cats.
"Albion has always been a difficult team to beat at home. That's not just for us, it's for all clubs. They play their home ground extremely well," he said.
Spotswood's best players were Daniel Mangan, Ryan Noye, Brad Waldron, Ben Kelly, Michael Knight and Jason Hucker.
Hucker kicked three goals.
Not surprisingly, Albion is the talk of the competition as it takes aim at grabbing the ultimate glory for the first time since the glory days of back-to-back flags in 1985 and '86 under captain-coach Shane Keogh.
Led by first year playing-coach Paul Harrison, the Cats are a genuine premiership contender.
Matthew Davis, John Haldane, Troy Kelm, Andrew Knezevic, Aaron Tymms and Travis Micklethwait led the way against the Woodsmen.
On a day where goals were hard to kick, Daniel Bonnici, Blake Richards and Shaydon Bloomfield slotted two apiece.
Mercurial forward Jason Butina missed with illness. Harrison will be thrilled with the determination of his players. They were desperate to bounce back from a miserable display against Sunshine in the previous round.
In-form forward David McGregor kicked five goals as Port Melbourne Colts beat St Albans by 24 points at Kings Park Reserve. Best players were McGregor, Brad Julier, Danny Jacobs, Lewis Pitchford, Stacy Massis and Torren Bonnett.
Altona continue to impress under first-year coach Anthony Eames. The Vikings beat West Footscray by 50 points at Shorten Reserve. Best players were Dean Pace, Maddison Hardiman, Sam, Irwin-Hill, Brett Miller, Ashley Woodhead and Ziad Kadour. Scott Bell, Irwin-Hill and Salesi Uhi kicked three goals apiece.
The highlight for the Roosters was the brilliant performance of full forward Lucas McGhie, who booted nine goals.
Top-three contender Sunshine beat Sunshine Heights by 27 points in an entertaining game at Ainsworth Reserve.
Morgan King kicked four goals for the Kangaroos and Robbie Greto five for the Dragons.
Glenorden called off its game against Hoppers Crossing at Heatherdale Oval in the wake of the tragic death of under-18 player Andrew Gilmore on Friday.
WRFL media manager Kevin Hiller said: "Out of respect for the young man and his family the club chose not to play." The Warriors are expected to be awarded the four premiership points as well as the highest percentage from the round.
In second division, Parkside made it seven wins in a row after brushing aside Albanvale by 67 points at the Merv Hughes Oval.
Ladders after round 7:
Division 1: Spotswood (24 points), Port Melbourne Colts (24), Albion (20), Sunshine (20), Hoppers Crossing (16), Altona (16), St Albans (8), Glenorden (4), Sunshine Heights (4), West Footscray (4).
Division 2: Parkside (28), North Footscray (24), Albanvale (20), Deer Park (20), Laverton Magpies (16), Yarraville-Seddon (12), Braybrook (12), Coburg Districts (4), Wyndhamvale (4), North Sunshine (0).
This Saturday's games:
Division 1: Port Melbourne Colts v Albion, Sunshine v West Footscray, Spotswood v St Albans, Altona v Glenorden, Hoppers Crossing v Sunshine Heights.
Division 2: Albanvale v North Sunshine, Coburg Districts v Braybrook, North Footscray v Parkside, Yarraville-Seddon v Wyndhamvale Falcons, Laverton Pies v Deer Park.
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