Gippsland Power Media Release
By Bryan Mitchell
Gippsland Powers' 2006 finals campaign came to an end at windswept Trevor Barker Oval last week when they were narrowly defeated by Oakleigh Chargers in an enthralling game of high quality football. The Power were gallant in defeat as they gave their all in an attempt to play in back-to back grand finals but were unable to match the Chargers poise and purpose when the game was up for grabs.
The game opened with the Power having the advantage of a strong wind and things looked good early when Lachlan Hansen goaled from outside the 50 metre arc but the Chargers capitalised on some nervous defence to reply immediately. The Power hit back with some excellent teamwork resulting in Brent Macaffer kicking his first but once again the Chargers replied far too easily and the Power were struggling to make effect use of the strong wind advantage.
They began to settle better and gradually minimised the number of decision making errors that were keeping the Chargers within reach. Some strong and heady play by Ben Hughes at a ball-up resulted in a Kane Martin goal and then Robert Eddy cleverly set up Macaffer for his second. The Power were in control when Ricky Delphine found Macaffer from a centre bounce and it looked likely that they were going to get out to a big lead. However, they began to become too predictable in their play and attacked the wrong side of the ground late in the term. Instead of having a lead that reflected their dominance of play they led by 21 points and the Chargers were still in the game.
The second term opened with the Chargers in full swing and the Power defence struggling to cope with the pressure. They were not manning up at stoppages and were being punished accordingly. Some forward pressure by Eddy and Macaffer gave Martin another timely goal and seemingly the Power were more settled. Some indecision and soft defence let the Chargers in again and the Power were looking shaky.
Some coolness and vision by Tristan Francis allowed Ben Hughes to score and then a brilliant team goal initiated by James Blaser and finished by Ben Ross had the Power back in charge. They had steadied in defence but were wasting scoring opportunities late and only led by 13 points at the long break.
The Chargers hit back hard at the start of the third term when they had two on the board against the breeze. Once again poor defensive options were hurting the Power and it took a Marc Truscio snap the stop the rot. A direct forward thrust allowed Macaffer to kick his fourth and the Power seemingly had steadied. Hansen took a "speckie" and goaled but the Chargers hit back late and kept themselves within reach. The Power were once again attacking to the wrong side of the ground and wasting the wind advantage. Instead of putting the issue beyond doubt, they allowed the Chargers to bottle things up and the lead was only 15 points at the last change.
The momentum swung the Chargers way with an early goal and the Power defence was under extreme pressure. To their credit they crafted reply by Rob Michaelides after some forward pressure but the Chargers kept coming and once again the defence was under the pump. The Power were making poor decisions under pressure and seemingly the Chargers had the game with their grasp.
An inspiring run by Hansen that resulted in a Hughes goal kept the Power in the game and then Jeff Ryan and Tom Johnson combined to give Hughes his second for the term and the Power were back in front. The pressure was intense as both sides tried to wrest control of the ball but a long bomb by the Chargers from inside the centre square restored their lead in the dying minutes.
Final scores Oakleigh Chargers 13 goals 22 behinds 100 points defeated Gippsland Power 14 goals 9 behinds 93 points. Goal kickers Brent Macaffer 4, Ben Hughes 3, Lachlan Hansen and Kane Martin 2, Rob Michaelides, Marc Truscio and Ben Ross 1. Tom Johnson once again was a shining beacon in defence for the side with his strong marking and attack on the ball. Lachlan Hansen also dominated in the air and filled a variety of roles that enabled him to have a big influence on the game. Defender Michael Todd was another who used his strength and disciplined play to full advantage while Ben Ross was at his scintillating best with his pace and skill in the midfield. Kane Martin made excellent use of limited opportunities up forward and was rarely beaten one out and Rob Eddy ran long and hard all over the ground to win the ball and set up attacking moves.
It would be easy to think that this was a disappointing loss by the boys and dismiss the effort that they put in during the game. Despite the frantic finish, the game was lost in the third term when the boys failed to capitalise on their good play and the Chargers were in with a chance in the last term. As had been the case all season the Power lacked the poise and purpose under extreme pressure and simply weren't able to make the right decision when it really mattered. They had given their all and although naturally disappointed, can be very proud of their achievements during the 2006 TAC Cup season.
The unique nature of this competition is evident in the aftermath of the game with the Power having boys move on after up to 5 years in the system. Each year is a new challenge with the core strength of the team leaving and the remaining boys needing to step into the natural void left by the loss of such quality players.
After a one day break the club will begin preparing for 2007 and beyond with an induction camp for the best 28 under 16 boys in the system. They will be based in Melbourne at the Essendon Football Club and will be exposed to all the elements of elite football in preparation for their entry into the under 18 system. At the end of that camp a smaller scale version will be held for the best under 15 boys on the Power books and this emphatically reinforces the key difference between the Power and all other football clubs.
At any one time the Power is in the middle of a four year development program with one eye on the team of the time and another squarely on the future. It takes vision and strength of purpose to successfully combine these elements and, under the astute leadership of Peter Francis, the Power has had unprecedented success over the past 8 years having played in 6 Preliminary finals in that time. In 2007 the Power will have at least 15 boys with considerable TAC Cup experience around which to build the new squad and Paul Hudson and Peter Francis and their support team can be well pleased with the quality and preparedness of the squad for 2007 and beyond.
Last Modified on 26/05/2008 12:28