A six goal to three final quarter - with five of those goals kicked in the last five minutes - wasn’t enough to get Sandringham over the line as Coburg valiantly held on to win by five points in a thriller, giving the Zebras their first loss of the season.
Fine weather greeted all at Trevor Barker Oval, with Zebra fans hoping to make it three-in-a-row, while Tigers supports were hoping to make amends for last week’s 6-point loss at home to Casey Scorpions as Troy Hallam reports.
It was Beau Wilkes that got the Zebra fans cheering first, continuing his good form up forward by snapping truly in the opening minutes of the game. His effort was undone soon after by a sloppy kick-in by Jackson Ferguson, gifting Coburg an easy goal.
Zebra’s captain Beau Dowler had a tough time with his fellow backmen as Richmond-listed Jeromey Webberley consistently fed his forwards scoring opportunities that went unrewarded. Quarter-time scores had Coburg up by 2 points, but it could have been a lot more.
Tigers coach Adam Potter was happy with the link-and-run provided by his backmen, and the contested possessions around the ground, but wanted more centre breaks, considering Angus Graham looked to be winning the battle against Michael Sikora.
The Coburg backline held well in the second quarter, with Luke McGuane often playing the loose man in defence, filling the holes and forcing the Sandringham midfield to bomb it in long with no effect. Adam Cockie and Ahmed Saad played further up field for the Zebras, and were able to create scoring opportunities, but the margin was still four points at the main break.
The lead yo-yoed early in the third quarter with midfielders Damien Rayson and Webberley continuing to stamp their authority on the game. Arryn Siposs, who was also playing further u the ground, threw his body into contests with reckless abandonment, but it wasn’t enough to stem the tide of Coburg goals, and the Tigers went into the last quarter with an 18-point lead.
Sandringham coach, Simon McPhee was unhappy with the contested possession totals at three-quarter time, demanding players stick to the team’s structure.
Going into the final quarter Coburg quickly extended their lead to 24 points. Cockie managed to pull one back with a big bomb from outside 50, but ineffective kicking was hurting the Zebras. Coburg capitalised on them not being able to hit a target and extended their lead to 36 points with five minutes to play. Addam Maric was one of the best on ground for Coburg, with three goals to his name.
Finally it all clicked for Sandringham. Hamish Shepheard was winning the centre bounces, Wilkes kicked his fourth, Tom Curren broke free in the centre and launched one from 50. Siposs registered his first for the day, and then Wilkes kicked his fifth. When Dunnel marked and scored at the 30-minute mark, both Tigers and Zebra’s fans sat with baited breath.
But it wasn’t to be, as the siren rang out merely seconds after what would be, the final centre bounce for the day, with Coburg hanging on for a five point win.
Both teams this weekend will enjoy the bye, before returning in round five, when Sandringham hosts Williamstown, and Coburg travel to Frankston.
Last Modified on 11/04/2012 13:53