Media Release
By Bryan Mitchell
Gippsland Power were football "gypsies" last week for their clash against the Bendigo Pioneers as once again the Morwell oval was unfit for football. The Morwell East football club came to the Power's rescue and offered their excellent facilities and assistance in the time of need. President Bill Gill and his club couldn't have been more helpful and Peter Francis and the Power were very appreciative of this support.
The game opened with the Power keen to redress the poor performance form the previous week and early signs were good. However after the first goal the game reverted to a dour battle with the Power unable to shake the Pioneers off. They didn't help them selves by not being direct with their forward thrusts and it took them until the 29 minute mark to kick their second for the game. By the end of the term the Power led by 12 points but were not playing like a team at the top of the TAC Cup ladder.
Things were a lot better in the second quarter after a somewhat slow start. The Power began to be more purposeful when going into attack and gradually they began to craft team goals more reminiscent of their better form during the season. They were applying their customary pressure and made the Pioneers turn the ball over. Dale Thomas was like a "human highlight reel" with some spectacular play and by the long break the lead was 56 points.
Just when the Power were thinking that they were back on track, the Pioneers rallies to score goals early in the third term and suddenly the lethargy from the previous game was in evidence. Instead of letting the momentum slip the Power steadied and then began to reassert their dominance all over the field. They were squandering "sitters" but were simply too strong for the gallant Pioneers and stretched the lead out to 74 points by the last change.
The last term saw both sides struggling to finish their work effectively but the Power simply had too many guns for the Pioneers and began to set up some exciting team goals. They were running the ball into attack and really had the Pioneers struggling to keep up with them as the ball "flew" all over the ground with some skill and vision. The Pioneers scored a couple of goals due to their unwillingness to give up despite the pressure that they were under.
Final scores Gippsland Power 21 goals 22 behinds 148 points defeated Bendigo Pioneers 6 goals 3 behinds 39 points. Goal kickers Ben Fraser and Dale Thomas 4, Ben Ross 3, Ricky Delphine 2, Jay Neagle, Brett Dore, Lachlan Hansen, Tom Johnson, Spencer Noonan, Scott Pendlebury, Jeff Ryan and Jaymie Youle. In a much better team performance the more prominent contributors were Dale Thomas, Ben Ross, Trent West, Craig Flint, Jeff Ryan, Brett Dore, Ricky Delphine, Ben Fraser and Scott Pendlebury.
Paul Hudson would have been much happier with the boys endeavour after the disappointment of the previous week but there was still plenty of room for improvement. They were often too indirect and overused the ball but when they did get it right they scored some excellent goals. Despite kicking 21 for the day they "slaughtered" at least 6 absolute sitters and they can't afford to be this wasteful against the top echelons of the TAC Cup.
This will be tested next week when the Power travel to Box Hill to take on the Eastern Ranges who are also at the very top of the competition in 2005. on their best form from recent weeks the Power should be more than competitive against the Ranges but if they shown any signs of complacency or overconfidence, they will be punished handsomely. This game will be followed by the last bye in the TAC Cup and Paul will be keen to have the boys go into the last part of the season on a high and ready to create some havoc in the September action...
Last Modified on 26/05/2008 11:54