Sandringham put an end to the Northern Blues three game winning streak and in the process cemented a spot in the top four with a polished 40-point win in Round 12 of Peter Jackson VFL at Preston City Oval.
The final margin could well have been greater had it not been for the Zebra’s inaccuracy; however a five goal to one second term opened the game up, with the visitors eventually winning 13.24.102 to 9.8.62, as Shane Goss reports.
Nick O'Kearney set the tone early for the visitors with two first quarter goals, finishing with three and 27 disposals to be in his side's best. He was well supported by Cameron Shenton (three goals), Eli Templeton (37 disposals) and Brodie Murdoch (30, two goals) who were prolific through the middle for the winners.
Dillon Viojo-Rainbow kicked three third term goals for the Blues in a mini fight back and collected 23 possessions and along with Tom Wilson, 28 touches and defender Matthew Dick (33), were the best for the Blues, while Jack Silvagni was held to just the two goals with 11 disposals and 4 marks.
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Sandringham quickly asserted their authority on the match with their ball movement and pressure around the stoppages. They squandered chances on goal early however, heading to the first change just 10 points up.
Tom Simpkin and Nick Coughlan were doing well in defence for the Zebras while Lewis Pearce and Jason Holmes had the better of Cameron Wood and Matthew Korcheck in the ruck. The Zebras booted five goals in the first fifteen minutes of the second quarter to blow the margin out beyond six goals. The Blues however stemmed the flow towards the end of the half to trail by 36 points at half time.
Pearce didn't return for the Zebras in the second half, but that didn't affect their dominance out of the centre as they won the clearance count 42 to 26 for the match.
The Blues gave their fans something to cheer about in the third quarter with Dylan Buckley's (20 disposals) run and Nick Graham’s good work (21 touches) around the packs helping create chances up forward where Rainbow was able to capitalise. The Blues outscored Sandringham four goals to two for the term, cutting the margin to 29 points at the final change.
The sun slid behind the clouds for the last quarter and the temperature dropped as the heat went out of the game. Sandringham’s wayward day towards goal continued in the final term, with 10 scoring shots producing just two goals, but it was enough for a 40-point win.
The inside fifty count for the game 60 to 35 Sandringham's way showing their ability to make the most of the clearance work and rebounding out of defence. That's four-in-a-row now for Sandringham and they with aim for five on the trot as they host Frankston in Round 13, while the Blues are away to arch rival and in-form Collingwood.
Photo: Shane Goss (@licoricegallery)
Last Modified on 27/06/2016 16:15
