Report by Mitch Brown
The Dandenong Southern Stingrays have survived a last-gasp comeback from the Sandringham Dragons to hold onto an 8-point victory at Trevor Barker Oval on Saturday afternoon.
After leading all day and having the lion’s share of scoreboard opportunities, the Stingrays had a bit of a scare in the last term when the Dragons booted four unanswered goals to cut the Stingray lead to just two points.
But to their credit, Dandenong lifted their intensity around the ground, with Nathan Scagliarini managing to get some run through the middle and seal the victory with a terrific running goal, 7.14 (56) to 7.6 (48).
Both teams were keen to get physical early, with several spot-fires kicking off all around the ground. Small forward Sam Fowler and running utility Tommy Glen were both reported for allegedly striking their opponents, however coach Craig Black was quick to brush off any concerns.
“We’re trying to crack in and win the footy, and to me that’s acceptable. Both Sammy and Tommy have a lot of discipline, so it’s not really an issue.
“We knew that Sandy were going to challenge us, but luckily we did the work early on and we were good enough to hold on.”
Black had a lot of praise to dish out for his men – particularly noteworthy were defender Mason DeWit, collecting 22 disposals and five rebounds in his first game back from injury, and key defender Jordan Stewart, who stood tall in the face of an attacking Dragons forward line late in the match.
Through the middle, Max Kleverkamp gave one of his best performances, never relenting in his hard-bodied attack on the footy, and ball magnets Tommy Glen and Lachlan Gill-Renouf again shone.
In attack, Chad Harris continued his streak of great performances across half-forward, while Danny Allsop’s pressure in and around the contests was a highlight for many.
Allsop started well, kicking the first goal of the game to get the Rays off to a good start, which continued through the first quarter, with Dandenong simply overpowering a slow-starting Sandringham outfit.
The ever-present winds made it difficult to hit targets however, and a couple of chances in front of goal went begging. Nonetheless, the Stingrays motored to a comfortable 20-point lead at the first break, pleased with their efforts.
Never a team to lay down though, the Dragons took their game up a notch as the second term began, and suddenly it was the Stingrays on the back foot.
Sandringham slotted two majors in quick succession, gaining some momentum and really driving through the centre corridor, before Danny Allsop popped up again for a steadying Stingray goal before half-time to bring the lead back to 17 points.
The Dragons again burst out of the blocks at the beginning of the third quarter, but wayward kicking hindered their progress – and their opponents were not afraid to let them know about it, with a couple of minor confrontations erupting between disgruntled Dragons and Stingrays players.
To their credit, however, the Rays managed to rise above these petty feuds and apply more pressure on the Dragons, forcing them to kick backwards and retreat on several occasions.
Danny Allsop, Chad Harris and Tom DeKoning continued to look dangerous up forward, but again the swirling winds made their lives difficult, managing 2.4 in the third term to take a 25-point lead into the last break.
The Stingrays were warned at the huddle that the Dragons would come out firing with nothing to lose – a prediction that, unfortunately for the shell-shocked Rays, came true.
Sandringham were playing on at every opportunity, taking plenty of risks, and reaped the rewards, slamming on four goals to be within a kick of the Stingrays with a couple of minutes left, while Dandenong’s players seemed powerless to stop the onslaught.
But it was the willingness of the Stingray midfielders to take the game on with a bit of run that got them over the line in the end, with Nathan Scagliarini’s match-winning goal registered just seconds before the final siren to close out a tough win.
With another big scalp under their belt, the Stingrays now take 2nd spot on the TAC Cup ladder, leading into their clash with the Western Jets. The game will be hosted at Shepley Oval on Saturday from 11.30am.
And just a few weeks after handing the reigns over to assistant Nick Cox for the week, senior coach Craig Black will again step aside for assistant coach Nathan Harris to helm the Stingrays for the week.
“It’s all about furthering our development, not just the players, but the coaching staff as well,” Stingrays talent manager Mark Wheeler said.
“Craig gets the opportunity to watch the game and individual players a little more, plus support Nathan in his development...throughout the week Nathan takes over starting tomorrow but Craig will spend more one on one time with players and their vision
Last Modified on 25/07/2016 20:43