Loy Yang B Gippsland Power went into their seventh TAC Cup game prepared for a tough contest against a highly rated Geelong Falcons side. The Falcons have many fine players on their list and had dominated numbers in the Victorian Country state team, so, on paper they represented a genuine threat to the Power’s unbeaten 2012 season. On a positive front however, the Falcons hadn’t been able to translate their individual brilliance to an equally strong team performance and this gave the Power a vital edge going into this crucial test.
In the 2012 season the Power have justifiably established a reputation for outstanding team focus as part of their game plan and coach, Nick Stevens, was keen for the boys to continue this aspect of their game to counteract the individual strength of the Falcons squad. By the end of the match he was delighted with the way that his boys had responded to the challenge and used this focus to give the Falcons a lesson in disciplined team football.
Early in the first term it was obvious that the Falcons were ready to challenge the Power and both sides were struggling to score goals due to the pressure being applied. It took some magical ball use by Nate Paredes to set Josh Scott up to open the Power’s goal scoring and then long-term team mates Nick Graham and Tim Membrey combined to give the side another major. Some more good work in tight by Paredes and Shannen Lange saw Scott kick another and the Power appeared to be on a roll.
Instead of conceding the initiative, the Falcons put the Power defence under pressure and kicked the last goal of the term to go to the first break back in the match. The lead was fourteen points to the Power but should have been greater as they had been forward twice as many times as the Falcons but were struggling to convert these opportunities to goals. The weather was deteriorating and the challenges involved for both sides increased as they attempted to cope with the wet conditions.
An easy goal to the Falcons reminded the Power of the need to remain focussed and some good work by Graham and Matt Northe at ground level allowed Membrey to kick a crucial reply. A really soft free kick gave the Falcons the initiative and they then got another vital major on the rebound to get within on goal close to half time. Some more purposeful ball use allowed Northe to set up Scott for a Power reply and they went to the long break still ahead by fourteen points.
Nick was pleased with the Power’s intensity but they were still wasting their forward fifty entries in comparison to the Falcons. The game was still up for grabs and it was time for the Power to maintain their season long advantage in fitness and intensity and put the issue beyond reach of the Falcons. The conditions had deteriorated so it was up to the Power to up the ante and ensure that they kept scoreboard pressure on the Falcons as well as their obvious advantage in team orientation.
Early in the third term the Power showed that they were up to the need to maintain their intense one-on-one pressure on the Falcons and Simon Deery and Scott combined well to allow Lange to score the opening goal of the quarter. Some excellent defensive pressure by the Power and poor finishing by the Falcons saw them waste their chances to stay within reach at a crucial time in the game. In stark contrast, the Power were clinical in their ball use and great work by Will Hams and Graham resulted in an easy major to Jack Leslie.
After being involved in some of the build up to earlier goals Graham joined the throng himself after more excellent ball use by the Power. A clever intercept by Drew McGrath allowed him to find his Traralgon team mate Northe and by the last change the Power had extended their scoreboard advantage to thirty five points and made it a fairer representation to their on-field dominance.
It was now time for the Power to show why they have dominated the last term of all of their 2012 season games and use their superior fitness and excellent work ethic to finish the game off. In heavy rain the Falcons opened the scoring for the term to indicate that they were still in the game but excellent ball skills by Scott allowed Tom Muir to score a Power reply to the Falcons goal. Paredes again used a hard-won ball to give Muir another and the Power were dominating play with their willingness to apply enormous pressure all over the ground.
Josh Scott took a terrific contested mark and then kicked a fine goal from the fifty meter line to allow the Power to further dominate the match on the scoreboard. Good ball use by Northe set up Scott deep in a forward pocket and he kicked brilliantly to finish off some more great team work by his side. He wasn’t done though and he again goaled after excellent work by first gamer, Michael Kelly and Lange. By the final siren the margin was fifty nine points and was a more accurate reflection of the Power’s dominance of general play.
Nick told the boys that he felt that this was their best performance in a great season and was delighted with the evenness of the contributions of all the players in the team. Closer analysis of the win highlighted the strengths of the Power in most aspects of the game. The most obvious factor was the fact that the Power had been inside their forward fifty zone twice as often as the Falcons and this was a huge advantage in wet and slippery conditions.
Further analysis showed eighty plus tackles by the Power to continue a trend that has them dominating this key factor in games this season. But the true indication of the strength of their performance was their total dominance of the second half of the match where they kicked nine goals to the Falcon single major. The key to this control was the fact that they cleverly exploited their huge advantage in fitness levels and ability and willingness to work hard as a team to follow their game plan.
Final scores Loy Yang B Gippsland Power 14 goals 12 behinds 96 points defeated Geelong Falcons 4 goals 13 behinds 37 points. Goal kickers Josh Scott 6, Tom Muir and Tim Membrey 2, Matt Northe, Nick Graham, Shannen Lange and Jack Leslie 1. On a day when work ethic was a critical difference between the sides, backman Will Hams did it all in a fine performance. He soundly defeated a range of opponents with his disciplined defensive work but was crucial in initiating excellent attacking play with his ability to run and take on the opposition.
On a day when aerial skills were hard to exploit Josh Scott took it great heights as he finished of excellent team work with superb finishing. As he has done all season he also worked hard at ground level to help to set up others with fine ball skills and terrific hardness in the contested issues all over the forward line. Jack Johnstone again demonstrated his importance to the side with his miserly treatment of opponents and his willingness to use his pace and strength to win the ball and then run and use it to the team’s advantage. He leads by stellar example and plays very disciplined team football.
Ryley Hall is another backman who has set high standards all season and was again a crucial member of a tight and hard-working defensive unit. He again took on bigger opponents and played excellent defensive football to shut them out of the game as well as winning important possessions himself. Shannen Lange thrived in the tough conditions and was at the bottom of most of the packs all over the ground. He applied enormous pressure to opponents with ten crunching tackles as well as winning many possessions himself and then linking up with team mates to generate drive and effective team work.
Gritty on-baller Tom Fusinato was another who was ideally suited by the tough conditions and thrived in the hard ball and contested issues. He applied enormous pressure on opponents as well as using the ball well with long and penetrating kicking. Defender Josh Cashman was another to severely limit the influence of dangerous opponents with his disciplined play as well as the crucial ability to generate drive with his pace and skill. Midfielder Ben Kearns won many possessions but really excelled in the one-percenters with his tackling, smothering and application of pressure to shut down the Falcons ability to initiate effective team play.
The next Power challenge will see them matched against the Northern Knights at the Preston City oval. This is coach Nick Stevens’ original team and he is really keen for the boys to do well against a side that is being coached by former team mates. He is well aware of the danger of taking on the Knights without being focussed on team work and will ensure that they focus on this. Although they have struggled to win games this season, crucially they have been consistently competitive against good sides.
This match will see both teams go into the game without key players due to state duty and the preparation that Nick has done to prepare the Power for this situation will be well tested by the Knights who are renowned for their ability to exploit this scenario. Several Power youngsters have payed already this season to be ready for this opportunity and, although five key payers will be missing, the game plan will be maintained by the remaining boys as they strive to continue their excellent start to the season.
Last Modified on 03/09/2012 14:07