In damp conditions, Loy Yang B Gippsland Power won a danger game against the Oakleigh Chargers to maintain a solid run towards the 2012 TAC Cup finals series. The Chargers were placed fourth on the league ladder but went into the game well below full strength due to the impact of school football on their ability to serve it up to a very potent Power team. Already without Kaine Allen and Tom Fusinato due to long-term injury, the Power lost Sale dynamo Will Hams due to injury before the game and this gave Jarryd Drew the chance to press for a spot in the side in the coming weeks.
It took a while for the Power to find an effective avenue to goal but some great vision and skill by Matt Northe set up Shannen Lange for the first Major. Northe did it again with more great ball use with Tom Muir on the receiving end this time. From the resulting centre bounce, Lange kicked long and direct and created a chance for Nick Graham who kicked truly. Against the run of play, the Chargers responded with a snap that reminded the Power of the intensity that was needed to keep their momentum going.
Mirboo North youngster Liam Nash was another to kick long into attack and Tim Membrey took full advantage of his opportunity. Membrey then became creative with some excellent ball use to allow Lange to kick his second for the quarter and send the Power to the first change four goals up. Nick Stevens had prepared the Power for a real challenge by the Chargers and emphasised the need to start positively as part of this.
However, the way in which the Power side shut down the Charger game plan based on restricting their ability break free and use running play was stunning. Their intensity in applying consistent one-on-one pressure meant that the Chargers had no free players to use to set up effective ball use. In stark contrast, the Power were brilliant in their effective ball use and had made their most effective start for a game in many weeks.
In the early part of the second term the Power were continuing to apply great pressure on the Chargers at every contest and Graham kicked his second goal as a result of such intensity. Ben Kearns joined the Power goal rush as a result of a free kick created by more forward pressure and then kicked another after Graham had sent the bal long and direct to set him up. The Power’s ability to be super competitive resulted in Graham kicking another team lifting goal and the Anthony Tipungwuti set up Simon Deery with his pace and long and accurate kicking skills.
Totally against the run of play, the Chargers went forward and snapped a freakish goal to reduce the Power lead to fifty one points going into the long break. To indicate the way in which the Power had dominated play and restricted the Chargers ability to get their game going, the Power had had seventeen forward fifty entries to the Chargers one to totally dominate the quarter.
As conditions deteriorated it was going to be hard for the Power to use the ball as effectively but they were well aware of the need to maintain their intensity to restrict the Chargers ability to set up their game plan. Oakleigh started the term well but couldn’t convert forward entries to goals and Josh Cashman broke the goal drought when he kicked truly to set up Muir for the opening goal of the quarter. A free kick allowed the Chargers to reply and for the next ten minutes neither side was able to score due to the pressure that they applied to each other.
The Chargers finally made an effective entry up forward late in the term before Membrey finally scored a Power goal to maintain a fifty one point lead with one quarter to go in the game. The rain was continuing to fall at the start of the term and Northe scored a goal from a free kick after the Power had applied some more intense forward pressure. The Chargers were struggling to get the ball going forward and there were contests all over the ground as they went short and wide in an attempt to find an effective avenue to attack. After a long break due to an injury, the Chargers scored a goal to finally break the Power’s stranglehold on their ability to find lose players.
By the final siren the margin in favour of the Power was still fifty one points and the Power had emerged from a real danger game with a morale boosting win. They had responded perfectly to Nick’s challenges to apply consistent pressure to restrict the Chargers effective ball use. They key elements of this were the fact that they had double Oakleigh’s forward fifty entries and had applied over one hundred tackles to maintain intense pressure on the Charges at every contest.
Final scores Loy Yang B Gippsland Power 13 goals 9 behinds 87 points defeated Oakleigh Chargers 5 goals 6 behinds 36 points.
Goal kickers, Nick Graham 3, Tim Membrey, Tom Muir, Shannen Lange and Ben Kearns 2, Matt Northe and Simon Deery 1.
On a day when pressure was the key to the Power’s game plan, defender Aaron Heppell set the tone with his ability to shut down opponents by palying disciplined and hard-nosed football. He accumulated plenty of possessions himself and was able to generate a lot of effective drive with creative ball use.
Not to be outdone, key defender Ryley Hall was totally effective in shutting down a dangerous opponent and made excellent decisions as part of that process. He too was able to be a creator of positive attacking play by using the ball efficiently by hand and foot. Nick Graham was a crucial leader for the Power in terms of their intensity in contests with his ten crunching tackles but also won thirty individual possessions himself. His ability to use the ball to benefit team mates and his three goals rounded off another great game by the hard working youngster.
Power captain Tim Membrey led the way with a typically strong game as a key forward. Not only did he provide an effective avenue to attack with his ability to mark in packs but set up others to kick goals with his ability to apply great pressure in contests in the forward line. Clever on baller Daniel Jackson is one of the fittest players in the TAC Cup and used his amazing running ability to get the ball moving forward from contests all over the ground. He linked up with team mates with good use of his hard-won possessions by hand and foot.
Anthony Tipungwuti illustrated the impact of some intense training in recent weeks with another great game where he used his ability to run with speed to break lines and kick the ball long and direct. His disciplined defence shut down opponents and allowed him to generate drive. Defender Josh Cashman was another who was able to keep his opponents out of the game as well as being the creator of many attacking thrusts with his willingness to run and kick long and direct into the forward line. Tom Muir provided the side with another effective tall forward option with his aerial skills and ability to apply pressure once the ball was at ground level. He illustrated his versatility when moved into defence and maintained his impact on setting up play.
After the game the Power players went to the clubs celebratory ball after 20 years in the TAC Cup. They enjoyed a unique opportunity to hear about the development of their club and to see some of the champions of AFL football who, like them, had played some important football with the Power. Sale youngster, Josh Cashman and his band the “Right Hand Men” illustrated his unique talents as a singer, songwriter and musician by providing the music for what was a fantastic celebration of the club’s history.
The Power now goes to their round 15 game against the Eastern Ranges at Box Hill next weekend. Nick will ensure that the boys focus on the danger that the Ranges side will present despite the relative ladder positions of both sides. On a positive note, he will be really pleased with the way in which the Power responded to his challenge to get a good start to their game and with their disciplined team play to stop the Chargers getting their game going for most of the match.
Last Modified on 15/03/2013 12:35