In complete contrast to the events of the previous weekend, the Dandenong Southern Stingrays slow start in the TAC Cup grand final was to ultimately cost them the chance at premiership glory against the Calder Cannons at Etihad Stadium last Friday night.
The Stingrays made just the one change to last weekends team with Jake Batchelor replacing the injured Stingrays captain Tom Scully. The game started with 3 quick goals to the Cannons before the Stingrays could get themselves organized with all 3 goals as a result of poor structures in the Stingrays mid field and backline. A quick reshuffle saw the Stingrays start to match the Cannons through the mid field and got some ball into their forward line. The quarter time score of 3-4 to the Stingrays to a superbly accurate 7 straight to the Cannons had the Cannons 20 point in front. Inside 50’s, clearances and disposals were all close at the first change with Madison Andrews, Luke Parker and Dylan Roberton all finding plenty of the ball for the Stingrays.
The second term was a small win to the Stingrays as both teams ran hard and tried to catch the opposition out on the counter attack. Six goals each had the Stingrays narrow the gap marginally to 19 points but in a worrying sign, the Stingrays had 8 individual goal kickers to the Cannons 5 as their key forwards in Temel, Fewster, Carlisle and Thompson were all causing the Stingrays backline all sorts of head aches. Good supply from a very talented Cannons mid field and some poor starting positions and ineffective spoiling by the Stingrays backs allowed the Cannons shots at goal from very close in and their half time effort of 13 goals and only 2 behinds was excellent to watch.
The third term was an arm wrestle as both teams shored up their defence and forced the forwards to lead wide out. The Cannons outscored the Stingrays 2-5 to 1-4 and at the last change led by 26 points with the main difference between the two teams was conversion up forward. Ryan Bastinac was leading from the front and he was getting good support from bottom agers Mitch Hallahan and Mitch Gent and fellow mids Rohan Kerr and Will Petropolous. Half way through the term coach Graeme Yeats was forced to move the Stingrays most effective forward Corey Millard into the backline to stop the dominance of the Cannons key forwards.
The Stingrays needed a fast start in the last term to put some pressure on the tiring Cannons and they got their first goal within a minute. As was the case for most of the night, the Stingrays could not kick back to back goals as the Cannons quickly replied with one of their own. Goal for goal the teams went and the final margin of 14 points was as close as the Stingrays got. Yeats spoke at length to his charges after the game and it was a case of opportunity missed with many of the key Stingrays players going missing on the big stage. The difference between the very good, high intensity of last week to the fumbly, bumbling, low intensity efforts of some of the players was extremely disappointing. To get to the grand final for the third time in 5 years and to once again let the opportunity slip will stick in the neck of the Stingrays for a while to come. Graeme Yeats thanked all the staff and parents of the players for their continued unquestioned support and hard work and stressed that everyone must take a life lesson from the disappointment and make sure the next time an opportunity comes up like the one presented that it is not effort or application that is the undoing of what was on reflection a fine season of work.
Last Modified on 02/12/2009 19:51