Sandringham’s first half of the season has been a seesawing affair, accumulating five wins from 13 rounds of football. They have shown promising signs throughout the year by pushing top-end teams, however have also fallen short in numerous games that were very winnable. The Zebras are in prime position to reach the finals for the first time since 2007, and will be looking to solidify consistency and strong performances to ensure their spot in the eight.
James Hunter-Smith reviews their season so far.
Where they stand-
After 13 rounds, Sandringham has broken even by registering five wins and five losses. They find themselves two games clear in eighth place on the Peter Jackson VFL ladder, only one win behind Werribee and Casey, highlighting their realistic chance of playing finals football. Four of their five wins have been against teams lower than them on the ladder with the exception of Werribee, an issue that senior coach Brett Lovett is keen to address.
“I think we’ve got the group here…we just haven’t been able to step up when the opportunities [have] arisen,” Lovett said, following his side’s round 11 loss to Bendigo.
“Until we can actually win these games against sides that are above us on the ladder, everyone’s going to be doubting us.”
Key players-
Sandringham has been hit with injuries this season, missing key players for large chunks of the year including captain David Gallagher and star recruit Marcus Marigliani. Their round 13 return was superb, and will certainly help the Zebras move forward in their run home.
James Magner has been a clear standout this season, providing plenty of drive through the middle of the ground and is a physical, gritty ball magnet. He has been named in the bests eight times already this year, and has stepped up his game in the absence of other integral midfielders.
Tom Lynch, the number 13 overall pick in the 2008 draft, has also been outstanding for Sandringham down back, despite initially being drafted as a forward. He, alongside Raphael Clarke have been essential in causing major headaches for opposition forwards and in rebounding strongly out of half back.
Michael Lourey has also been a strong presence up forward, booting 24 goals so far for the season and has been his side’s go-to man when they enter the attacking fifty.
From the coach-
Senior coach Brett Lovett admitted his side has been inconsistent this season, and needs to be able to beat stronger teams to press forward going into the final stretch.
“We’ve been a bit up and down,” he said.
“We’ve beaten sides below us on the ladder, we’ve just got to turn it around and try and beat sides above us.
“The next two weeks will be a bit more of a test for us.”
Lovett said while he would like to reach the finals, his team must make some major improvements for it to be worthwhile.
“We want to play finals,” he said.
“But if we can’t beat teams above us on the way to getting there, then it might not be worth the effort.”
When asked if he was enjoying his first season at Sandringham, Lovett laughed and joked that winning made it a lot easier.
“I am now that we’ve won,” he said.
“After halfway through the last quarter [of the Collingwood game] it was testing again…nah, I enjoy it a lot.”
The run home-
The Zebras are faced with a huge challenge in the upcoming month as they take on five top-eight teams in a row. Their next four rounds see clashes against North Ballarat (away), Northern Bullants (home), a bye and finally Port Melbourne (away), three games that will be a true test of character for Sandringham.
While they were able to push Port Melbourne back in round three, they will need an even greater effort in round 17 if they are to come away victorious given the confidence and strength of the undefeated Borough outfit.
Sandringham finishes the season with winnable games against Werribee, Casey, Box Hill, Collingwood and Geelong. It will be essential they win most of these if they are to play football beyond round 22 this season.
Last Modified on 01/07/2011 12:43