Report by Mitch Brown
The Dandenong Southern Stingrays have battled fierce winds and a spirited Sandringham Dragons outfit to claim victory by 19 points on Sunday afternoon at Frankston Park.
Although contending with the sea breeze would prove troublesome for both teams all day, the Stingrays’brand of tough, quick footy prevailed and sent another warning that they truly are a team to be reckoned with this season. Second place is now all but a certainty, with considerable talent still waiting to return.
While not as rain-soaked as last week’s match against the Knights, the high chill factor of the swirling winds affected the players from the start, with disposal efficiency and fumbling high. Shannon Gladman struck almost immediately, however, claiming two quick goals to get his team off to the right start.
The pressure around the ball from both teams continued to create turnovers and careless disposal, however the Stingrays were definitely the beneficiaries early, as Shannon Gladman snared a third with a terrific bending set shot against the wind from deep in the forward pocket.
The Dragons definitely had their chances - Dandenong’s efficiency was no way near its usually high standards - but they were unable to push the ball into their forward 50 enough, as the wind was benefitting their opponents in the first term.
At the other end, Jake DiPasquale claimed the Rays’fourth goal, and when Jake Lovett unloaded a bomb from outside 50 to stretch the Dandenong lead, the quarter began to look more and more like a whitewash on the scoreboard.
The scores were only half the story however, with Dandenong allowing the Dragons two shots at goal after the 20 minute mark of the quarter - a big no for coach Craig Black - and finally converted one, to bring the Stingray lead back to 23 at the first break.
Mitch Cox came out and extended the lead to 29 after the first goal of the second term, however the Dandenong fans were cautious about getting too excited, as the persistent sea winds were now blowing against the Rays - it was the Dragons’chance to claw back.
It was a chance that Sandringham took with both hands, piling on three fairly straightforward goals and putting the pressure right back on the Stingrays to respond, holding just a 9 point lead at the main change.
With the wind back in their favour, Jack Holden and Lachlan Williams ensured a better start to the third term, each booting a goal to jumpstart their team.
The Dragons, however, were not to be outdone, and responded with a goal of their own. With the breeze to be theirs in the last quarter, all that the Dragons needed was to be in touch at three quarter time and they would’ve fancied themselves the victory.
Shannon Gladman and Jake Lovett had other ideas, though. Gladman kicked his fourth goal, while Lovett converted two in as many minutes, making the lead 38 points at three quarter time, and perhaps too far gone for the Dragons.
The last quarter saw a very scrappy start, with not much scoring at all. The Dragons were unwilling to give in, and continued fighting with heart throughout the entire quarter. They kicked two goals in quick succession and seemed to retain a winning belief, but to their credit, the Stingray defence stood up and managed to circumvent many more Sandringham opportunities, led by rebound specialist Bailey Rice and tough vice-captain Lachlan Batten.
Dandenong didn’t manage to trouble the scorers at all for the whole last quarter, with their efforts focused mainly on defending and keeping the Dragons at bay, but managed to run out the game 19-point victors.
Coach Craig Black admitted that he was a bit disappointed in his team’s first half, but was pleased with the way that they responded.
“To Sandringham’s credit, they put a lot of pressure on us early, and we were a bit fumbly with the ball, but in the second half we were able to turn it around, which was good to see.”
The Stingrays will now enjoy the TAC Cup general bye before doing battle with the fourth-placed Oakleigh Chargers in two weeks’time.
“That’ll be a tough game. Oakleigh are a great team. We’ll get our private schoolers (key defenders Jacob Weitering and Kieran Collins) back, but we might lose a couple to VFL.
“But at the end of the day, we’re really confident in our team - we have 25 or 30 blokes who can come in and play a really great role, and that’s what’s important.”
Last Modified on 13/08/2015 19:32