Sandringham overcame an 11-point three quarter time deficit to defeat Collingwood by 31-points at Trevor Barker Beach Oval on Sunday as Luke Mason reports.
The Zebras slammed on seven final quarter goals to seal the victory, kicking the last six goals of the match. It appeared destined to be an arm wrestle all afternoon, but the once the home side broke the deadlock midway through the last quarter, it became one way traffic as the Magpies limped to their eighth loss for the season.
As is often the case at Sandringham, the wind was a factor in dictating the flow of the match. Favouring the beach end of the ground, the breeze made goal kicking a tricky task for both sides, partially explaining Sandringham's scoreline of 15.23. Several other shots were sprayed out of bounds on the full in the last quarter at that end of the ground (to which the Zebras were kicking), making their comeback even more remarkable.
Underlining the importance of this mid-season fixture was the fact that both sides desperately needed to register victory in order to remain in the hunt for a place in the lower reaches of the top eight. A Collingwood win would have seen them level with Sandringham with four wins in the early stages of the second half of the season. The loss, though, sees them now a clear two games adrift of the pack, making their fixture with Box Hill this week (both sides with three wins from 10-starts) of vital importance as they play for the “Training for Life” Cup.
Both sides fielded a number of AFL-listed players who saw themselves start in VFL jumpers for differing reasons. Collingwood's premiership trio of Darren Jolly, Ben Johnson and Brent Macaffer returned and acquitted themselves well after lengthy spells on the sidelines. Jolly and Johnson, in particular, were outstanding in the first half. Jolly kicked the first goal of the match with his first kick - a free kick from inside the centre square - while Johnson drilled two trademark left-foot goals on the run from long range.
Sandringham's Jason Blake played his first match since May 28, but hobbled off late in the first quarter with what appeared to be an injured left leg. In his absence, Raph Clarke picked up the slack at half back and gave his side some real zest in the second half. He repelled several Collingwood forward entries, and was continually the extra man at the contest, allowing his Zebras teammates to spread hard on the rebound.
Also impressive was Andrew McQualter, who capped off a fine afternoon's work in the engine room with the sealing goal late in the piece, while St Kilda teammate Dean Polo was another four quarter performer. Saints fans will also be heartened by the work of youngsters Tom Ledger and Sam Crocker, who each had important possessions during the final stanza.
The match was notable for the return of Marcus Marigliani, who played his first match in a Sandringham jumper. The former Bomber kicked three goals, including two in the final quarter to help sink the Woods.
Collingwood looked sharp early on, and by the halfway mark of the second quarter had opened up a handy 21-point lead. Brett Eddy was enjoying another bright start, bagging three goals for the quarter before he wrenched his knee in a tackle and was carted off on a stretcher. With the injury to their most productive forward, the Pies lost their momentum, with the home side managing three late goals to end the first half 10-points to the good.
The momentum ebbed and flowed for the next 40-minutes of football, with both sides appearing set to take a firm hold on the match at different stages before Sandringham eventually sealed the deal with a series of spirit crushing goals in the middle stages of the last quarter.
Sandringham's victory means that the gap between the top eight and the rest of the pack has considerably widened over the weekend, as the Werribee Tigers have crept up to six wins, and the Zebras five, leaving the Hawks and the Magpies two games and considerable percentage out of the eight. With this in mind, this Saturday's match between the Hawks and the Pies at Box Hill City Oval looms as a cracker, with both side's finals hopes well and truly on the line when the ball is bounced at 1.10pm.
One of the toughest tasks in football awaits Sandringham, as they travel to Eureka Stadium to face off with North Ballarat with a six day break at 2pm.
Last Modified on 28/06/2011 18:18