No Rhys Tippett for Weston due to a hamstring injury would have given the travelling side a boost, as Tippett has scored five goals from five starts so far this season.
In saying that, Valentine had David Hodgson and Will Pryce was starting on the bench, so maybe it evened itself out in that regard.
It was an even first half which saw Bears front man Jason Cowburn come off injured which further depleted their attack.
It was Robbie Turnbull though who put the Bears ahead after 26 minutes which could have been a double had it not have been for Phoenix keeper Chris Bowling's point blank save minutes earlier.
Jason Donnelly and Clayton Poole were being supplied well by Shane Paul and Daniel Ciarrocchi who seemed to be making an ownership in the centre of midfield.
Although the first half was even, Valentine Phoenix seemed to lack the punch they required up front, or to be more exact someone in behind the front men to ‘slow it up' a bit.
The man for the job was no doubt going to be Hodgson, who I think unsettled the reliable Luke Walker for Weston as Hodgo loves nothing better than to come back into the middle and rain on a holding midfielder's parade.
The match turned more to the away side in the second half not only from the replacement just talked about but also from a flat second half from Weston. In a game where a loss would make things real hard even factoring in the expanded season, they didn't seem to take it to Valentine.
A Matt Pratt equaliser ten minutes into the second period wasn't even enough to snap the Bears into gear. It was a well worked goal and seemed to lift his team, as it did the opposite for the black and whites.
Matt Swan was causing havoc down the left and on more than one occasion exposed Weston in that area. Some excellent one touch passing was seeing this happen, more often than not through Paul.
Hodgson scored what in the end was the winner for Phoenix from a Chris Gazzard corner. Nobody seemed to be tracking the number ten as he pounced.
The match was made even harder for Weston as Michael Holt was sent off for dissent.
It was an issue which Bears coach Michael Boogaard was still fuming about after the game as he was comparing it with another incident earlier in the match.
A fair point if the other was for dissent also but when it's over something different it's like apples to oranges. The send off, as cruel as it was, wasn't the reason the Bears lost. A poor second half performance was the biggest contributor.
So before a picture of myself gets published in a seedy bar arm in arm with claw (The Bears mascot) in the next home program, let me just say this. There is no reason as to why the Bears shouldn't be a force this season.
Man for man its practically the same side which were a breath away from making the Grand Final last year.
The game on Saturday night was there to be won. The problem for Weston is Valentine Phoenix took it by the scuff of its neck and won it, and not them.
Just a thought .... Matt Pratt was pushing forward on the right while Matt Swan was doing the same on the left in the second half. It's a trait which I feel needs to be explored even more often in coming weeks, especially as they have Magic next, and with the prospect of the reigning premiers being without Scott Pettit out wide and leaving room for overlapping, it could be the chink in the Magic armour. Anyway we will talk more about this in next weeks preview.
In saying that, Valentine had David Hodgson and Will Pryce was starting on the bench, so maybe it evened itself out in that regard.
It was an even first half which saw Bears front man Jason Cowburn come off injured which further depleted their attack.
It was Robbie Turnbull though who put the Bears ahead after 26 minutes which could have been a double had it not have been for Phoenix keeper Chris Bowling's point blank save minutes earlier.
Jason Donnelly and Clayton Poole were being supplied well by Shane Paul and Daniel Ciarrocchi who seemed to be making an ownership in the centre of midfield.
Although the first half was even, Valentine Phoenix seemed to lack the punch they required up front, or to be more exact someone in behind the front men to ‘slow it up' a bit.
The man for the job was no doubt going to be Hodgson, who I think unsettled the reliable Luke Walker for Weston as Hodgo loves nothing better than to come back into the middle and rain on a holding midfielder's parade.
The match turned more to the away side in the second half not only from the replacement just talked about but also from a flat second half from Weston. In a game where a loss would make things real hard even factoring in the expanded season, they didn't seem to take it to Valentine.
A Matt Pratt equaliser ten minutes into the second period wasn't even enough to snap the Bears into gear. It was a well worked goal and seemed to lift his team, as it did the opposite for the black and whites.
Matt Swan was causing havoc down the left and on more than one occasion exposed Weston in that area. Some excellent one touch passing was seeing this happen, more often than not through Paul.
Hodgson scored what in the end was the winner for Phoenix from a Chris Gazzard corner. Nobody seemed to be tracking the number ten as he pounced.
The match was made even harder for Weston as Michael Holt was sent off for dissent.
It was an issue which Bears coach Michael Boogaard was still fuming about after the game as he was comparing it with another incident earlier in the match.
A fair point if the other was for dissent also but when it's over something different it's like apples to oranges. The send off, as cruel as it was, wasn't the reason the Bears lost. A poor second half performance was the biggest contributor.
So before a picture of myself gets published in a seedy bar arm in arm with claw (The Bears mascot) in the next home program, let me just say this. There is no reason as to why the Bears shouldn't be a force this season.
Man for man its practically the same side which were a breath away from making the Grand Final last year.
The game on Saturday night was there to be won. The problem for Weston is Valentine Phoenix took it by the scuff of its neck and won it, and not them.
Just a thought .... Matt Pratt was pushing forward on the right while Matt Swan was doing the same on the left in the second half. It's a trait which I feel needs to be explored even more often in coming weeks, especially as they have Magic next, and with the prospect of the reigning premiers being without Scott Pettit out wide and leaving room for overlapping, it could be the chink in the Magic armour. Anyway we will talk more about this in next weeks preview.
