Justin Koschitzke kicked the sealer to help Sandringham overcome a brave Frankston by 19 points at the Frankston Oval on Sunday, as Sam Landy reports.
Both teams contended with strong winds to enjoy patches of ascendency in what was a tough, hard-hitting contest. Frankston led for much of the first half, however the young Dolphins were ultimately overwhelmed by an experienced Zebras side in the second half.
AFL listed player Andrew McQualter starred for Sandringham with 33 touches, 5 tackles and a goal. He was well supported by St Kilda rookie Robert Eddy, who racked up 26 possessions. James Magner and Tom Lynch were also among the Zebras’ best, both notching up figures the high twenties, and Johnson replicated his impressive efforts from last week’s 3-point win against Coburg, slotting four goals.
Koschitzke was influential in his return to senior football after being sidelined with an ankle injury. He collected 18 possessions, affected 22 hitouts and kicked two goals, including the sealer which put Sandringham up by 11 points with five minutes to play. However, the ruckman looked shaky in front of goal, also conceding four behinds, and struggled at times against Frankston’s ruckman Russell Gabriel, who impressively racked up 31 hitouts. Sandringham coach Brett Lovett complimentary of the St Kilda big man, expressing his delight that Koschitzke was able to “play the game right out.”
“He was a key player towards the end,” Lovett said after the game. “His physical condition is obviously quite good. It was his first game for six or seven weeks, so I thought he competed really well.”
Shane Hockey and Chris Doria were brave for Frankston, racking up 31 possessions apiece. Doria notably stepped up in the second half when the Dolphins started to feel Sandringham’s pressure. Luke Potts was hard at the ball, amassing eight tackles, while Clinton Proctor was strong up forward, contributing with three goals.
The first quarter set the tone for the rest of the match, with both sides approaching the contest aggressively and crowding the ball. This caused frequent stoppages and preventing fluid ball movement from either team. The Dolphins drew first blood at the 13 minute mark of the term, much to the delight of a boisterous Frankston cheer squad, when a Sandringham error gave Proctor his first goal. The Zebras quickly hit back with a beautiful goal from Nick Heyne. The teams exchanged goals after this until Koschitzke broke the trend, strongly marking and converting from 25 metres out on a sharp angle. However, Frankston’s dominance of play was rewarded with two late goals, one from an impressive kick on the run from Potts, giving the Dolphins a 4-point quarter time lead.
Frankston maintained this lead in the second term when goals were few and far between. Sandringham struggled to contend with increasing winds which had begun to blow across the ground, favouring neither end. Brett Dore missed two early shots at goal, both of which faded left with the breeze. Dolphin Proctor’s third goal, which swung beautifully with the wind, provided the first of the quarter at the 10 minute mark. A spectacular pack mark from Daniel Archer was a highlight for Sandringham in a quarter which was again stop-start due to ball-crowding from both teams.
The game opened up in the third term with Frankston players heeding coach Simon Goosey’s advice to “spread out”. As a result the lead changed an astounding five times, leaving Sandringham with an 11-point advantage at three-quarter time. The tight contest caused tempers to flair, both times resulting in Frankston free kicks.
The Zebras came out firing in the final quarter, racing to a 25-point lead after a superb 60-metre goal from Archer. The match appeared to be over until a resilient Frankston clawed their way back to be within five points at the 25 minute mark of the term. The Dolphin’s comeback was crushed when Koschitzke booted the sealer with five minutes left. The ruckman had two further shots of goal in this period, but failed to convert either. Regardless, the Zebras held on to win 12.15.87 to the Dolphins 10.8.68.
Lovett was happy with the result, stating in his post match address that you “can’t ask for much more” than to be two-zip at the start of the season. However, he acknowledged that his team had a lot to work on after playing out consecutive close matches.
“We probably could have used the ball a bit better to not put ourselves in this situation,” he said. “Not taking anything away from Frankston, because I thought they fought pretty hard all day. But we could have used the ball better, particularly in the first half. That would have opened the game up a bit”
Final score:
Frankston Dolphins: 10.8.68
Sandringham Zebras: 12.15.87
Best:
Frankston: R. Gabriel, C. Doria, S. Hockey, C. Proctor, L. Potts, B. Crowe, W. Miller
Sandringham: A. McQualter, J. Magner, W. Johnson, R. Eddy, T. Lynch, J. Koschitzke.
Goals:
Frankston: C. Proctor 3, K. Haretuku , L. Potts , N. Boland , L. Clark , S. Hockey , B. Crowe, G. Marusic
Sandringham: W. Johnson 4, J. Koschitzke 2, A. McQualter , D. Archer , M. Lourey , B. Dore , N. Heyne , C. Irving
Last Modified on 12/04/2011 18:31