Report by Mitch Brown
The Dandenong Southern Stingrays have suffered a serious setback to their quest for premiership glory in 2016, bombing out of their qualifying final against the Murray Bushrangers, 12.6 (78) to 15.14 (104).
The minor premiers drifted in and out of form all day, with flashes of pure brilliance offset by patches of low-intensity football.
In the end, it was that inconsistency that killed the Stingrays, with the Bushrangers able to sustain a higher workrate and run away with the 26-point win.
It was a particularly disappointing end result for the Stingrays, who have been widely touted as the team to beat this season, and now have to fight to keep their 2016 season alive next week.
Of the losing side, key forward Josh Battle was probably the biggest shining light, bagging six goals and sending out further proof of his draft credentials this year.
Myles Poholke was the standout midfielder, having significant impact throughout the middle, while Matthew LaFontaine was terrific across half-back. Also noteworthy were the efforts of underage midfielder Lachlan Young and ruckman Dylan Atkins.
Stingrays Coach Craig Black was understandably disappointed with the end result, but was still full of praise for his charges.
“It’s a pretty tough competition that we play in.
“We just dropped off in a few key areas, but when our tackling and our pressure and our ball movement was working well, we were able to score goals.”
Black was also unfazed by the possibility that his side may have let slip their 2016 premiership favouritism.
“There’s always got to be a loser, and unfortunately it was us today. I don’t think that anyone could discount the amount of work our boys have done this year.”
That work ethic was certainly on display in the first term, with the Stingrays blazing out of the blocks early. Dylan Atkins, Josh Battle and Nathan
Scagliarini all chipped in with majors as the Bushrangers struggled to keep up with the explosive Stingrays.
Murray could only manage a solitary behind for the quarter and went into the first break with their backs to the wall.
But as we so often see with good teams, the Bushrangers responded in emphatic fashion. After finally claiming their first goal of the day at the 10- minute mark of the second term, Murray went on a rampage, led by a stampeding midfield, adding five more goals to their tally by the end of the first half to take a 6-point lead into half-time.
After letting their opponents back into the contest in the second term, the young Rays were keen to regain their momentum in the third. The Stingray midfield, led by Myles Poholke, began attacking the contests with more gusto and creating more opportunities to score.
Up forward, Josh Battle slammed on three goals for the quarter, while Dandenong’s defensive tall timber (Oscar Clavarino, Jordan Stewart and Captain Luke Dalmau) really started to get the upper hand on their respective opponents.
With Dandenong holding a three-point lead at the last break, the game seemed poised for yet another nail-biting finish. Murray would come home with the aid of the breeze, but the Rays have been the best finishing team in the past 6 weeks.
However it wasn’t to be, as Murray found another gear and managed to get on top of the Stingrays again all around the ground. Momentary lapses through the midfield and down back really cost the Rays, who gave up their second 6-goal quarter of the game.
The result propels the Bushrangers straight into a preliminary final, where they will face the winner of the Rebels-v-Chargers clash.
For the Stingrays, the path isn’t quite as simple. They will next face the Sandringham Dragons in a do-or-die semi-final from IKON Park at 11.30am on Sunday September 11 – a game they must win if they want to keep their premiership hopes alive.
Last Modified on 06/09/2016 19:22