Top eight sides Bendigo Gold and Sandringham Zebras go head to head in round 17 Peter Jackson VFL action, with both teams keen to lock in a finals position.
Bendigo enter the match with a superior position on the ladder (5th), however Sandringham (7th) have history on their side with a one sided tally in their favour in their head to head match ups. In the 24 matches these clubs have competed against one another, the Zebras have been victorious in 20.
Bendigo Gold approach Round 17 having just had their six game winning streak ended by an inform Casey Scorpions. The Gold looked as though they had a win in the bag at three quarter time when leading by five goals. However, Casey utilised the wind advantage and their greater fitness base to run away with a surprising 3 point win.
Bendigo Coach Hayden Skipworth responded to his playing group with a positive message.
“I said it was a good learning tool for the next time when we are in that position. I also mentioned not to get to down on themselves because over the last seven weeks we have been playing some good football. Winning six and only just losing to the top team by three points is a great effort.”
Bendigo could not compete with the height of Casey’s line up which was only amplified by the loss of key players Gumbleton, Bellchambers, Dell’Olio and Baguley who were elevated to the AFL.
Regardless of last week’s result, Skipworth will maintain his strategy and put an emphasis on being consistent.
“We will be focusing on getting off to a good start and playing our game plan for four quarters of football,” Skipworth said.
Sandringham advance into Round 17 after a 30 point loss to the North Ballarat Roosters. Development Coach Brendan Allen was able to draw some assessments from the match.
“We had controlled the game for most of the second quarter but missed some goals late. North Ballarat managed to score late in the second and I believe took some momentum into half time. We couldn't get our hands on the football in the third and to North Ballarat’s credit they took every opportunity and played us out of the game.”
Travel back ten rounds and you would encounter a one sided battle between Bendigo and Sandringham which resulted in a 38 point win to the Zebras.
“We played well in Round 7, but it seems like a lifetime ago especially coming off the month of football we've just had. Bendigo has been in excellent form, only being just overrun by top side Casey last round. A lot has changed since last time we both met, so we've had a look at recent matches and they're a very good hard running side and have been in great form, so Round 7 doesn't have much bearing on this game. We need to travel up to Bendigo with a renewed purpose and intent.”
Sandringham believes they are most likely to find success when focusing on the fundamentals.
“After the last month of footy we need to keep things simple and go back to basics. It's becoming a cliché in football these days but it is so important to get first hands on the footy and you simply do this by winning contested ball.”
The Zebras approach an interesting crossroads in their season. After Round 17 the Club will encounter a bye and then two games against bottom three sides. This could provide a great opportunity to increase training levels and their fitness base leading into the finals. However, coaching staff have chosen to concentrate on securing a top eight position before tackling further hurdles.
“The comp is that even at the moment that every game is vital so we won't be looking at increasing loads at this stage as we want to give ourselves every opportunity to try and gain the best possible ladder position come seasons end,” Allen said.
Last Modified on 20/07/2012 09:49