The Dandenong Southern Stingrays took on 7th placed Murray Bushrangers last Sunday at Norm Minns Oval, Wangaratta in the Round 16 TAC Cup contest and was left to travel the 3 hour trek home with a disappointing 14 point loss. They are now left with a must needed win this week against Geelong Falcons to finish top 4 in the final round of the TAC Cup.
Kicking with a slight wind in a perfect day, the Bushrangers quickly scored the first goal of the game off a Stingrays turnover. Billy Hartung kicked the first of his 3 goals for the day after clean work through from a rebound 50. Murray had most of the play for the next 5-6 minutes but couldn’t do too much damage on the scoreboard only adding one goal before Nick Newman goaled after crumbing off the pack 30 out. The next few minutes saw wide and shallow entries inside 50 which finally allowed Murray to rebound, switch play and kick a goal. It was followed by two more Murray goals in a two minutes session and the day was looking bleak for the Stingrays. As the siren sounded Murray held an 18 point lead and a fuming Stingrays coach Graeme Yeats delivered an honest assessment to the players.
The second term was a great contest with both sides upping the ante and closing the game down. Murray once again had the first opportunity to score but the ball drifted across the goal and allowed the Stingrays to transition the ball inside 50 and Jason Pongracic kicked a much needed goal. Billy Hartung added the next with a nice running goal and the margin was cut to a kick. Another turnover gave Murray a shot on goal to extend their lead. The next 5 minutes the ball was locked inside Murrays 50 but they only peppered the scoring with wide shots or a point, which was a major let off for the Stingrays. Lachie Whitfield added a little grunt around the midfield and showed his class by foot hitting Nick Newman on the lead who converted with a major. Murray hit back after another poor entry inside 50 by the Stingrays. From the bounce Murray moved forward again but some nice work from Ryan Marks Logan and the assisted run from Robert Hill and Nathan Wright allowed Nick Newman to kick his second for the quarter. As the siren sounded the Stingrays closed the gap to 9 points by winning the quarter on the scoreboard, but were far from producing their best football which had been on display in the past few weeks. At the break Yeats and his team readjusted the team and emphatically asked the mids for cleaner and more direct use from the Ruck dominance Lewis Pierce and Mitch Wallace were giving them and for the backs to give more of a contest at the 1 on 1’s.
The third term was a nil all draw with both sides only adding two goals a piece. If Murray had of converted their chances the Stingrays could have been 5 goals down instead of 11 points at the end of the third. It took the Stingrays up until the 20 minute mark to kick their first goal (Pongracic) and their last right on the siren (Whitfield). The Stingrays coaching staff went in with plenty of confidence as the siren sounded thinking they had the fitter team with many Murray players cramping and feeling the effects of the harder ground. A happier Stingrays coach Graeme Yeats spoke to the boys about the need to finish the day off and control their own destiny as the club moved towards the last game of the season. He spoke about controlling the ball when attacking and not to bomb away as Murray had dropped a player in the hole. He also spoke of the need to take the game on more and to stop overusing the ball and deliver to advantage for the leading forwards.
The last quarter the Stingrays threw everything at it with some very big hits as both sides lifted their run and carry peppering Inside 50’s at either end. The Stingrays had the first few scoring shots but misses from set shots would hurt them when the siren sounded. Ryan Morrison kicked a goal after receiving a free 30 metres out and the game was within a straight kick with plenty of time of the scoreboard. Then it went goal for goal as Murray kicked away but Hartung kicked his third a minute later on the run near the boundary. The Stingrays then had their chances with two wayward shots and a pure dominance of play to keep the ball inside the Stingrays 50. Murray finally was able to run the ball out and a fumble in the backline allowed an easy conversion and much needed win for Murray to keep their top 4 chances alive.
The stingrays had plenty of players down on the day, but the strength of Murray across the ground, with their work rate in the midfield was the difference of the two teams.
Stingrays Coach Graeme Yeats was positive after the win, praising the effort of the team after clawing their way back into the game. He went on to say “I thought each time we challenged Murray it looked like we might have got on a roll and kicked a couple, but we were beaten by a very good team who had the ability to react and make us work harder. I am disappointed yet proud of the group today. It’s a big drive up here and we played slightly below the standard needed to win. No one gave up which was a pleasing sign.
This weekend is the last round for the TAC Cup with the Dandenong Stingrays facing Geelong Falcons at Highgate Recreation Reserve, Craigeburn on Saturday 26th August at 1.45pm.Entry is free.
Geelong has won their last 7 games and is hoping for another scalp before the final start. The Stingrays are fighting with 5 teams in Oakleigh, Sandringham, Calder and Murray for a top four spot. Oakleigh play Sandringham, Murray play Eastern and Calder play Jets, so the game is a must win game for the Stingrays this week to keep their destiny in their own hands or it becomes a knock out game in the first week of finals.
Last Modified on 21/08/2012 18:12