The Northern Knights have got themselves back into winning touch with a 129 point rout of Northern Territory. The Northern Territory are scheduled to play four games in the TAC Cup season, however the points and percentage earned by the Knights count towards the season tally.
From the very beginning the Knights dominated the contest with nine scoring shots before the Northern Territory could get on the board. Michael Still, Dean Smith-Whiting and Michael Dufficy kicked two goals each in the first term, which saw the Knights jump out to a 52 point lead.
The intensity continued in the second quarter. Northern Territory did manage their first goal of the game early in the term, however the Knights replied with six in a row to take an 84 point lead into half time. The Knights on ball brigade were thriving with Kane Lambert, Anton Woods, Tindarra Hood and Hamish Paynter dominating at ground level.
With such a commanding lead at half time Knights coach Paul Satterley used the second half to experiment with the flexibility of some of his players.
“Our first half allowed us to try players in different positions. Some boys got an opportunity in the midfield that they haven’t had before. Michael Still competed well at full forward and then moved to centre half back in the third. I was pleased with how Matthew Quinton responded to the challenge of being moved to centre half forward.” Satterley said.
The Knights certainly weren’t about to rest in the third term. Once again they piled on six goals, except this time they held Northern Territory goalless. This stretched the margin past 100 points for the first time in the day as Smith-Whiting added two more goals to take his tally to five.
The final quarter was the closest of the day, but in an effort that pleased Satterley the Knights didn’t take the foot off the pedal, ensuring they played all four quarters at the same high level. Still moved back into the forward line to finish the day with five goals, while ruckman Ben Power had one of his most dominant games with great tap work, while chiming in with three goals of his own.
Satterley was more than pleased with his teams effort. “We wanted to create a lot of run all day and we definitely achieved that with a season high 126 handball receives. We also wanted to impose ourselves physically early. We felt we could get a bit of a head start and set the tone early if we did that and our boys came out and attacked the contest hard.
“It’s been a tough month for our team, coming very close on a few occasions, so it was a test of character. We needed to make a statement and we did that. A four quarter performance is something we hadn’t had yet, so that aspect was very pleasing.
“Our little mosquito fleet of Lambert, Hood, Woods and Paynter were all outstanding. They are the cream of our engine room and we rely on them to get front and centre to every contest, which they did today.
“Power kicked three goals and took a few contested marks, which is great to see from the big guy. Plus there’s the continual development of some boys, such as Jack Simcoe who was only playing his third game today, but I felt showed a lot."
The Knights will enjoy next weekend off due to a general bye in the TAC Cup for the U/18 National Championships. Up to three Knights could be in action for Vic Metro with David Zaharakis, Michael Hurley and Luke Stanton all currently in the Vic Metro squad as well. Vic Metro take on Tasmania on Monday June 9 at Bellerive Oval.
Northern Knights 23.20.158 def. Northern Territory
3.11.29
Goals: Still 5, Smith-Whiting 5, Power 3, Lambert 2, Dufficy 2, Ricco, Fallon, Hurley, Hobbs, Kelly, Drapac
Best: Lambert, Hood, Woods, Smith-Whiting, Still, Power
Last Modified on 13/11/2008 09:32