The Dandenong Southern Stingrays TAC Cup round 11 game was played at Highgate Reserve, Craigeburn which was always going to be a test for the very undermanned Stingrays who suffered a 50 point defeat against arch rivals the Cannons.
The Stingrays were without numerous players due to the Vic Country, Injuries or unavailability, but it gave opportunities for others to press for permanent selection. Three players played their first game for the club and there were 7 other who had played less than 5 games. The Stingrays won the toss and kicked with the 5 goal breeze but it took nearly 7 minutes before they kicked truly through Jake Calvert, even though the ball was continually pumped inside 50. In the end it was their only goal for the quarter. The skill levels for both teams were below standard and the conditions would be challenging for the remainder of the day. The lack of height and experience in the midfield was evident as many opportunities were lost from unforced errors and poor decision making. The Cannons adapted to the conditions and used the ball better going forward by measuring kicks and hitting free targets, which resulted in 2 goals against the breeze- something the Stingrays couldn’t do all day. The score at the end of the first saw the Rays trailing the Cannons by 6 points.
The second saw the Cannons start slowly and similar to the first the attacking team were making unforced skill errors which allowed the Rays to rebound but they could penetrate past the wing and would only register 3 inside 50’s for the quarter and be kept scoreless whilst the Cannons kicked 4 goals 2 points from 15 inside 50’s. The margin at half time could have been far worse as numerous shots on goal from the Cannons failed to score. The wind had picked up and there was no clear winner from both sides in the first half, yet the scoreboard was favoring the Cannons dramatically. All of the Cannons scoring shots in the first half apart from 1 were from skill errors created by pressure from the Cannons. Stingrays Coach Graeme Yeats for two weeks in a row had to work his magic at half time to get a lift from the group, which they responded.
The third term was a better quarter for the Stingrays as the team used the ball better going forward, worked harder defensively through the middle and control Cannons for most of the quarter. The wind had picked up dramatically but a slip in concentration in a two minute period allowed the Cannons to score two valuable goals against the flow. Strong work across the half back line by Robert Hill, Corey Buchan, Ryan Morrison and Nathan Wright set up numerous counter attack scoring options for the Stingrays with the strong breeze, with Aaron Lees making the most of his opportunities and kicked 3 straight goals. The intensity had lifted and the Stingrays seemed to except the challenge set by Coach Graeme Yeats. At the end of the quarter the margin was 7 points in favour of the Cannons, but the Stingrays would be defending against the 6-7 goal breeze.
The final term was a chance for the Stingrays to finish off their hard work, but as what happened too many times this year they opposition dominated. The Cannons controlled the midfield and scored 6 goals 7 points and once again kept the Stingrays scoreless into the breeze. Coach Graeme Yeats said, “It was the second week in a row we played in very windy conditions, but the Cannons adapted earlier and were able to benefit from more efficient forward entries. We had another three 17 year olds who played their first game which is hard to settle the team, but we are a development program and winning and losing isn’t the major focus. The Cannons were good with their pressure and the intensity for our 17 year olds is something very new to most of them compared to local football. I was pleased with our third quarter effort but to be kept goalless for two quarters isn’t good.”
Next weekend the Stingrays play Murray Bushranges at Shepley Oval Dandenong for the TAC Cup round 12 on Saturday 9th July at 2.30pm. Entry is Free.
The Stingrays will also have 8 players to suit up for Vic Country who takes on Vic Metro on Wednesday 6th July at Etihad Stadium at 5.30pm, which are AFL AIS players Todd Elton, Matt Buntine and Lachie Whitfield and will be joined by Jason Pongracic, Jordan Kelly, Piva Wright, Nick Haynes and Brett O'Hanlon. The game will be televised live on Fox Sports and telecast on SEN1116.
Last Modified on 04/07/2011 13:10