VFL Records season review on the Zebras.
Today we look back at Sandringham's season in 2011.
2011 Position: 10th / 2010 Position: 9th
2011 Record: 6-12 / 2010 Record: 7-11
Highest Score: Rd 9, 24.11.155 v Werribee Tigers
Lowest Score: Rd 15 2.7.19 v Northern Bullants
Goalkickers: Lourey (36), Johnson (26), Heyne (14), Gamble (14), Walsh (13)
What happened: Sandringham’s season pretty much mirrored that of 2010. It started promisingly under new coach Brett Lovett with three wins in the first four games, but then the Zebras became trapped in seemingly an unstoppable downward spiral. After an inspirational second half come back to win against Werribee in round 9, Sandringham sat seventh, just percentage points from fourth. The Zebras would win just two of its next 11 games, both against Collingwood. During that trough, Sandringham found itself on the receiving end of three games where the margin was 10-points or less and two of those games were in the last three rounds. Sandringham coughed up a 37-point lead at three-quarter time to lose to Geelong by four points. It was an agonising end to the season. The Zebras inability to kick consistently big scores is reflected in the fact that during a horrid second half of the season they had seven games where they kicked no more than 10 goals. Certainly, lengthy injuries to key players David Gallagher, Marcus Marigliani and Brett Dore did not help the cause.
Star performers: While he may sneak under most radars, James Magner is a quality footballer who again underscored his ability with a consistently good season. St Kilda’s three Toms – Lynch, Simpkin and Walsh – all played well as did Andrew McQualter and Gallagher certainly showed he’s a player that that can continue playing next season.
What’s needed: Admittedly, injuries to key players didn’t help, but Sandringham needs to shore up its VFL ranks. Captain David Gallagher remains one of the club’s best players and he’s on the losing side of 30. The Zebras success during its halcyon days in the mid 2000s was its strong VFL core. It doesn’t happen overnight, but Sandringham certainly needs to inject some experience into its ranks.
Last Modified on 06/09/2011 16:19