Gippsland Power - Media Release
By Bryan Mitchell
Gippsland Power once again used their "second home" to telling advantage when they soundly defeated the Western Jets at Morwell East to finalise their 2005 TAC Cup regular season commitments. Once again they received fantastic cooperation form the Morwell East club and, with the ground in superb condition, the boys were able to use the game to tune up for the September action.
Power went into the match with arguably their best 22 players with Robert Eddy making his long awaited return. Paul Hudson was keen for the boys to play four solid quarters in preparation for the finals and also wanted Rob Eddy and Xavier Ellis to have significant ground time to "reacclimatize" to TAC Cup conditions after a season of APS football.
In the first term it was a scramble early until the Power broke the game open with some excellent team work. Jay Neagle was providing a focal point in attack this gave the boys the confidence to be direct with their forward thrusts. They were applying relentless pressure all over the ground and then using the ball with purpose and precision. By the first change their lead was 37 points and it was looking ominous for the Jets.
The Power were a little too elaborate early in the second term and were punished by the dogged Jets. Despite having the majority of the play in the term, the Power didn't convert this on the scoreboard and were having to work harder for their goals. The Jets kept the pressure on and by the long break the lead was 62 points.
In the third term, the Jets were able to capitalize on some Power turnovers and it seemed as if the Power had run out of steam. Paul was moving his players around to maximise their game time and Tyson Goldsack suddenly found himself as the "go to man' in attack. He didn't let the side down and added some of his "special play" to the forward mix. Not to be outdone, the Jets persisted and began to score goals as a result of their pressure and then willingness to run the ball. In a real shootout where 17 goals were scored the Power extended the lead to 95 points but certainly didn't have it all their own way.
Throughout the last term Paul used the interchange bench astutely and was able to rest key players as well as giving every one a chance to be in the action. Sometimes this impacted on the te4ams momentum, but, the boys persisted and overcame a sluggish start to the term. Once again they used the ball with purpose and by the final siren the margin was 109 points.
Final scores, Gippsland Power 29 goals 15 behinds 189 points defeated the Western Jets 12 goals 8 behinds 80 points. Goal kickers Jay Neagle 7, Ben Ross 6, Tyson Goldsack 4, Dale Thomas 3, Chris Dunne 2, Ricky Delphine, Ben Fraser, Lachlan Hansen, Steve O'Bryan, Zac Vansittart, Beau Vernon and Trent West 1 each.
In another pleasing team performance Ben Ross led the way with the perfect "small forward" game with some exhilarating play. He not only kicked 6 goals but set up others as well. Steve O'Bryan was his busy best while Lachlan Hansen and Jay Neagle took 21 marks between them. Trent West dominated the rucking contests and the aerial duels around the ground while Tyson Goldsacks' contribution added some real spark to the team structure. Giving these boys excellent support were Scott Pendlebury, Craig Flint, Dale Thomas and Tommy Dowd.
The boys now begin their preparation for the business end of the season with the knowledge that they have set the benchmark for the TAC Cup so far in 2005. Every other side in the final series will now scrutinise their every move and will work very hard to nullify the Powers' strengths. The pleasing thing for Paul and his coaching panel is that the team hasn't relied on key players all season and he has several potential match-winners who could make crucial contribution over the next four weeks. This evenness has been critical this season and the boys must now reapply themselves for this stage of the season. It appears likely that the Powers' next opponents will be the Calder Cannons who have hit form in recent weeks and will be very keen to build on their incredible record over the past 4 seasons.
It really is an exciting prospect for the boys as they attempt to put the "icing on the cake" of what has been a brilliant season so far. It is an enormous physical and mental challenge that they face but from what they have shown throughout the season they are more than capable of being in the thick of the action over the next four weeks.
Last Modified on 26/05/2008 11:59