The Toronto Dingos made their first appearance at Colonel Samuel Smith Park for the 2018 season last Friday night. Toronto turned on a beautiful evening for footy, with the Dingos coming up against a tough Etobicoke Roos side with a few wins already under their belt. This match was again designated as the annual Ken Gray Memorial Cup in recognition and memory of the late Ken Gray who was a big support of both the Roos and AFL Ontario. The Dingos were again honored to participate in this great tradition.
The Dingos had opened their account for the year a week earlier with a win over the Hamilton Wildcats and were looking to carry some momentum into the game against the Roos, but struggled from the opening ball-up. The Roos quickly went up 4-4-28 to 1-2-8 in the first quarter, though the Dingos drew some hope from the fact that they had tidied things up towards the end of the quarter. Rob McNaughton as always provided a strong target up front throughout this one, but despite the excellent conditions the Dingos struggled to get clean footy up the ground against an experienced Roos squad. With many new faces still learning the game this is sure to improve as the season wears on.
Things looked much better for the Dingos in the second quarter, adding 3-0 to the Roos 2-5. At half time the Roos led 6-9-45 to 4-2-26 with the Dingos ruing their poor start and the Roos no doubt feeling similarly about some missed scoring shots. The agents of change for the Dingos were the usual suspects Patrick Bossey, Dan Gunn and Michael Ladd who were hard at it all day creating opportunities for their teammates.
Encouraging for the Dingos was that goals came from a variety of sources including French rookie Gauthier Oudar and recently returned Denis Cormier playing his first game in the red and black for the season. Coach and on and off again ruckman for the day Mike Karas chimed in with one of his own as well.
Coming out of half time the Dingos fancied that they had a game on their hands here after the better performance in the second quarter and the injection of late arrival Tim Indian into the backline. The Roos were able to respond though adding 4-4 to the Dingos 1-2 pushing the lead out to 10-13-73 to 5-4-34 at the end of the third. As evidenced by the rapidly advancing behind count the Dingos backs did well to challenge and alter plenty of shots on goal, but getting the ball back out and up the field continued to prove a challenge and will no doubt be an area of focus looking forward.
When all was said and done Roos ultimately took the Ken Gray Memorial Cup 16-16-112 to 5-6-36 leaving the Dingos with plenty to work on moving forward to their next hit out against the High Park Demons on Saturday, June 23rd. Dingos Best On Ground was awarded to Michael Ladd for his tireless efforts in the middle throughout the game.
BEST: R. McNaughton, P. Bossey, D. Gunn, T. Indian, M. Ladd
GOALS: R. McNaughton, M. Ladd, M. Karas, G. Oudar, D. Cormier
Proudly Sponsored by:
The Office Pub
http://www.theofficepub.ca/
Our downtown sponsor since the 2015 season, The Office Pub - located in downtown Toronto at 117 John Street - has 3 patios, full food/drink menu with a great atmosphere to watch sport, partake in some karaoke or take the better half for a glass of wine.
The Office Pub is the home for the Red & Black for post-match celebrations every Saturday night during the season, as well as special events including the Australia Day Party and the Dingos' legendary Grand Final Party.
Scallywags
http://www.scallywags.net/
Scallywags are the Dingos' midtown pub and post training refreshment specialists as well as your destination for the BEST international sports coverage, fantastic selection of beers and delicious food served all day and night. Scallywags are also home to Midtown's fabulous, Year-Round Patio which has been recently expanded for your enjoyment.
The Dingos' will be at Scallywags Thursday evenings after training and to catch special events including the games of the Toronto Wolfpack who also call Scallywags their midtown home.
Downunder Travel
http://www.downunder-travel.com/
A proud supporter of the Toronto Dingos since 2008, the fine folks at Downunder Travel specialize in travel arrangements to Australia, New Zealand, South Pacific, Asia, and Africa.
If you are travelling to any of these locations, please contact the helpful staff at Downunder Travel for the best price around. Just mention you're from the Dingos!
Last Modified on 21/06/2018 22:18