Pouring rain and ankle deep mud could not halt the Stingrays charge as a third-term shoot out proved the difference over the Murray Bushrangers last Saturday at Shepley Oval.
With the centre square resembling chocolate pudding, the best efforts of the centres was to get away from the quagmire fast. Elliot Hunt and Aaron Pawel thumped the ball from the ruck into the myriad of midfielders hands- led by Sam Geurts and Bailey Dale.
Intent was shown on the jumpers at the breaks as anyone truly fighting for the ball came off drenched and caked in mud.
Experience was low- due to Vic Country representatives Aaron Wilson, Tim Lamb, Gach Nyuon, Jack Lonie and Daniel Capiron- but Dandenong’s underage contingent stood up in the sorry conditions.
Showing some coaching cunning Stingrays coach Craig Black switched perennial all defender Kyle Gray forward and repeat rewards early as Gray drilled two goals in the first term.
With the key defenders Daylan Kempster, Jacob Weitering, Kieran Collins and hard nuts Jake Wilson and Dan Moloney holding down the fort, Murray struggled to pierce the zone only mustering three goals to the main break.
After the half-time break Dandenong cherished a little wind and the skies clearing up to slam on 5 goals, seven behinds. Dale was phenomenal in hue third term clunking marks, scrounging ground balls and kicking two majors in a quick passage that netted four Stingrays goals in minutes.
Some redemption from the visitors was found with the wind in the final term, but it was all to no avail as Dandenong captured a 20-point win off the Bushrangers.
Black said bouncing back onto the winners' list was important but thought there remains further improvement to unearth in the group's goal kicking.
"After dropping two games it's been rare in the last five or six years to lose three in a row....it was really important to get back onto the winners list," black said.
"The way we started and competed for the first three-quarters and first ten minutes in the last was really good. It was a great third quarter but I don't think we got the reward for the effort as we missed too many goals, but to win the clearances around the centre bounce in those conditions, we had a lot of inside 50s which was promising."
Blake Mullane's return to the side after spending the past two weeks playing for the Frankston Dolphins was praised by Black, with the midfielder slotting in for the injured hard nut Alex Harnett (broken hand) as well as Mitch White positive return mad Dan Moloney efforts throughout the defensive end.
Dandenong sits above the fold in the TAC Cup ladder in fourth place with a clash this weekend at Shepley Oval against wooden spoon contenders the Bendigo Pioneers , Saturday at 1.00pm.
Last Modified on 08/07/2014 16:47