A CHRONIC shortage of marking talls and speedy smalls added to the
Tasmanian Devils' winter of discontent in Devonport yesterday.
The Carlton-aligned Northern Bullants cashed in on the Devils'
shortcomings.
After the Devils closed the gap to just three points in the opening
minute of the final quarter, the angry Ants surged to secure only their
second victory over the Tasmanians since 2001, winning 10.20 (80) to 9.9
(62).
The Bullant line-up boasted 17 professional athletes, and their AFL
preparation was on show. It was the main influence in tipping the balance in
favour of the red-topped "tourists".
After flirting with victory and ending with an 18-point loss - not
through lack of commitment - the Devils demonstrated their dislike of
Devonport's wide open spaces.
"We just don't have the personnel to play on bigger grounds," said
Devils coach Mathew Armstrong.
"On a ground like North Hobart we could have closed them down,
given them nowhere to move.
"But out here they hurt us with their foot speed, which is
something we just don't have much of.
"Our boys can run, but they just aren't quick enough."
No Tasmanian tall forward kicked a goal, and marks inside 50m were
few and far between.
The introduction of Daniel Archer to the forwardline made no impact
on the scoreboard, but the Clarence fullforward hit the packs like a freight
train.
"Archer gave us more leads from a key forward than we've had all
year," Armstrong said.
"He's going to be a good addition to the side, once he gets to know
the boys a bit better."
Armstrong suspects less demand for the northern squad members to
train with the main bunch in Hobart has contributed to the team's drop-off
this season.
After making the preliminary final in Melbourne last year, Tasmania
has a miserable 1-7 win-loss record in 2005.
"The two years we played in the finals, I forced them to come to
Hobart for training," Armstrong.
"This year I haven't because it is so hard for them to get away
from work at times, and I can't say `that's bad luck'.
"As the year goes on the northern boys then start to drop off a bit
because they haven't had the intense training week after week, day after
day."
Yesterday, the usual suspects gave the Devils the best service.
The packs were worked hard by Ken Hall, Ian Callinan and Matthew
Geappen, and Ben Atkin and Clinton Brown were solid links between the
backline and the forwardline.
A crowd of 2116 watched the match, which may not be enough for the
North-West Coast to retain a VFL match next season.
Next weekend the Devils face ladder leader Werribee at North Hobart.
By: JAMES BRESNEHAN
Final Scores
NORTHERN BULLANTS 1.5 3.10 6.16 10.20 (80)
TASMANIA 2.1 3.6 6.7 9.8 (62)
Goals: Nthn Bullants: Johnson 3 Longmuir 2 O'hAilpin 2 Young Fisher Chambers.
Tasmania: Lonergan 2 Geappen 2 Bester Savage Callinan Hall Beams.
Best: Nthn Bullants: Johnson Sporn Bowyer Chambers Deluca O'hAilpin.
Tasmania: Hall Callinan Brown Robinson Atkin Street.
Reports: Nil.
At Devonport.
Last Modified on 05/06/2005 09:58