Trevor Barker Beach Oval will present Sandringham and Geelong with an ideal battleground this Sunday when the two teams go head to head in the Peter Jackson VFL. The top four teams will be aiming to continue their improved seasons, a far cry from their performances last year which saw neither team reach the finals.
Sandringham currently sit in third place on the ladder after five wins and two losses. This is a considerable change from 2011 when the team sat half way down the ladder. New Coach Simon McPhee walked into the role without any preconceptions.
“I didn’t have many expectations of the team leading into this season. I think that they are tracking ok, but have a lot of improvement left in them due to a bit of inconsistency.”
McPhee will not take credit for the team’s success, instead transferring the praise to the growth within the group.
“Sandringham and St Kilda have a great alignment which creates a real ease about the place. Everyone involved gets along really well and this has produced a young and united system.”
Although the Zebra’s sit one rung above the Cats, McPhee will not underestimate the challenge that awaits them.
“I have watched footage of Geelong and they seem to be a very well balanced team. They are quick across the ground and possess a very strong forward line. I think we will need a collective team effort to get across the line and we will require more consistency out of our young players,” McPhee said.
Geelong enters their clash with Sandringham after a scheduled bye in Round 8. Captain Troy Selwood feels that it was a well needed break for the Club.
“After a solid 6 week block of games to start our season, the weekend allowed our players two and a half days off their normal training and playing routine.
“Many of our interstate listed players flew home to spend the few days with their families. They have all returned back into the club looking extremely fresh and recharged to attack this weekend.
“Many of our VFL listed players took the opportunity to head back to the Geelong Football League and play with their local clubs. Whilst the VFL listed players who have played most of the games this year also took a weekend off footy.”
Like Sandringham, Geelong has experienced an extreme turnaround in their on-field performances this season. Looking back at Round 9 in 2011, the Cats were holding up the rest of the ladder, in final place and without a win to their name. 2012 paints a very different picture, with Geelong just slipping into the top four.
As Captain, Selwood is very pleased with the Club’s team spirit as well as the accountability each player has taken onboard.
“Our VFL program’s overall mission is to develop playing performance and game education in a successful environment. The first few months of the season has been extremely positive as we feel that every player that runs out for the Bendigo Bank Cats is taking a real ownership of the team and what we want to achieve. We expect this to continue as the season goes on, and this will result in a number of players being rewarded with AFL playing opportunities.”
Round 7 saw the Cats experience a disappointing 46 point loss to the Casey Scorpions at home. Selwood expects a significant lift in teamwork by the whole group on Sunday.
“The entire playing group were very poor in our last match against Casey. Many of us went away from playing the roles we were asked to do and allowed Casey to play the game on their terms. So I would be expecting the entire team to have a bit of fire in the belly in regards to team care and playing the Geelong way,” Selwood said.
With the two teams sitting at third and fourth, Sunday’s game presents the ideal opportunity for one side to take a further step up the ladder.
Last Modified on 18/05/2012 16:58