Report by Mitch Brown
The Dandenong Southern Stingrays have suffered a hiccup in their 2016 premiership plans, going down to the Calder Cannons by 59 points on Saturday afternoon, 8.11 (59) to 18.10 (118).
The Stingrays never really recovered from a disastrous first quarter, while the Cannons continued to exhibit the red-hot form that has firmed them in as a smokey for the 2016 TAC Cup.
Calder were dominant all around the ground, maintaining clean possession and efficient defence all day, while Dandenong were made to look second-rate.
For the Stingrays, Danny Allsop was the only dangerous target up forward, ending the day with four goals, while the rest of the Dandenong attack were well-held by a towering Calder backline.
After a solid debut last week, second-gamer Lachlan Young continued to impress with his hard-nosed attack on the footy, while Bailey Morrish commandeered the half-back line with class, ending the day with 9 rebound-50s and 6 marks.
Nathan Scagliarini’s astonishing 2016 form simply continued, with the electrifying ball magnet picking up another 25 disposals and 11 tackles.
But the bad news just kept on coming for the Stingrays all day, with the story of Aiden Bonar getting another heart-breaking chapter. After struggling for most of 2015 against a persistent knee problem, the tall defender’s first match of 2016 was cut short with another knee injury, and ended the game on crutches.
Full-back Ryan Gains also missed large chunks of the game due to a concussion, leaving the Stingrays’ rooms after the game a sombre affair.
It was a particularly disheartening loss for Nick Cox, a senior assistant coach, who stepped into the role of head coach for the week.
“Today, [Calder] used the ball really well, and were making really good decisions, and then our blokes were under a lot of pressure because of that.
“They were the better team, easily. We just didn’t kick the ball well, we didn’t make good decisions. It’s really disappointing to see.”
Despite the sub-par performance, Cox remains optimistic that his squad can bounce back.
“We might get a few back next week, but we expect that when we put a team out there, they can compete at the top level, and that’s what we should see.”
The Stingrays were never truly in the contest right from the get-go, with the Cannons slamming the first three goals on in quick succession, leaving the Stingrays immediately on the back foot.
Calder’s immense height was also a problem for the Stingrays, whose rebounding attempts were frequently halted by contested marking around the ground. This would be a recurring theme all day, with the Cannons ending the day with a whopping 107 marks – 43 more than the Stingrays.
Kyle Beveridge did manage to stem the flow with a goal of his own, but afterward the quarter continued on much as it had previously, with Calder holding onto the footy much better, resulting in another three goals before quarter time came, with the Stingrays trailing by 31 points.
Dandenong’s workrate lifted in the second, but there was no escaping the fact that Calder had brought their A-game to Shepley Oval, as the Stingrays were unable to chain their disposals together before being intercepted by the Cannons.
The Rays’ midfield gave their all, with Dylan Atkins’ ruckwork and Nathan Scagliarini’s relentless pressure highlights, but the Cannons were simply too good, and went into the main break the beneficiaries of a 32 point lead.
Dandenong desperately needed a man to step up and show the rest of the team how to compete, and it seemed as though Danny Allsop would be that man, chaining together two clever snaps to cut the lead to just four goals.
But in typical Calder fashion, they had an answer for everything and soon bolted back to a 39 point lead at the last change, with the Stingrays left scratching their heads, struggling to slow down the steamrolling Cannons.
The last term gave the same story as the previous three – there was gallant effort from some of Dandenong’s players, but in the end it just wasn’t enough to topple a close-to-full-strength Calder side.
A six-goal final quarter from the Cannons was the final nail in the Dandenong coffin, who slumped to their lowest score of the year.
But with several key players due to return putting pressure on the playing 22, it should be a great test of the Stingrays’ mettle to see if they can bounce back next week against the Eastern Ranges.
That round 12 clash, to be played at Box Hill City Oval, kicks off at 11am.
Last Modified on 20/07/2016 12:00