Gippsland Power - Media Release
By Bryan Mitchell
Gippsland Power took on their arch enemies of recent times, the Dandenong Stingrays, and again had to dig deep to overcome their persistent opponents. Regardless of respective ladder positions, the Stingrays seem to relish playing the Power and find something extra when faced with this challenge. Once again in last weeks game, they ignored the fact that the Power were on top of the TAC Cup ladder and they were near the bottom and worked hard to ensure that the Gippsland boys had to fight hard for their narrow victory.
The Power went into the game buoyed by the return of their six state representatives but, based on previous year's experiences this isn't always the bonus that it initially appears. Despite seemingly having had plenty of time to recover from the Nationals, the players often find it hard to re-adjust to the TAC Cup and play below their best. Against the Stingrays such a scenario was going to be a problem as they could be relied upon to exploit any deficiencies in the Power's levels of intensity.
It didn't take long for the Power to realise that they had several of their returning stars not quite on song and the Stingrays had three goals on the board before they looked like scoring. The Power were moving the ball brilliantly out of defence and through the midfield but then were appallingly slack in their use of the ball up forward. The automatic turnovers were ruthlessly converted to goals by the Stingrays and it looked as if the boys were a little shell-shocked.
It took a free kick to Dan McKenna to get the Power back into the game and this seemed to inspire Rob Michaelides who set up his mate Brent Connelly for another. The Stingrays reminded the Power that they were in for a tough game when they scored a soft goal from a ball up and the Power boys were struggling to finish off their work in the forward 50. Some vision and speed from Jaryd Blair gave Sam Kater a timely goal but the Stingrays regained the initiative when they scored on the rebound to go to the first break 14 points up.
Things looked worse for the Power at the start of the second term when the Stingrays applied pressure and goaled quickly but a dodgy free gave Sam Kater his second to restore the status quo form quarter time. Some excellent pressure football from Andrew Oldmeadow and Connelly allowed Blair to goal and the Power had the momentum in their favour for the first time in the game. They were still using the ball inefficiently up forward and yet another turnover allowed the Stingrays to reply to the challenge that the Power were mounting.
The ball was swinging up and down the ground with great speed and Michaelides goaled from a free. Instead of going on with it, the Power allowed the Stingrays to score again and it took some clever work in close by James Blaser to set up Chris Endres for an important goal just before half time. The Stingrays lead was just 7 points but the Power were still wasting a lot of good work with poor skills and decision making when going into attack.
Early in the third term the Power looked as if they were about to take the game by the throat as Blaser and Haelen Kay combined and then a dashing run by Endres allowed Nick Heyne to mark and goal. The Power had the lead for the first time but another poor decision allowed the Stingrays to score and regain the lead. Some more aerial highlights from Heyne gave the Power the lead back and then some improved forward pressure by Endres gave McKenna his second. The Stingrays were stung into action by the Power goal rush and stemmed the flow before some slack manning up at a stoppage allowed them to go the last change two points down and right back in the game.
Most of the returning state players were still struggling to get their game going and needed to lift if the Power was going to finally shake off the persistent Stingrays. Some individual brilliance by Heyne seemed to shake them out of their lethargy and he then created another for Connelly with some more forward pressure. In what looked like a training drill without the witches hats, Darren Granger, Will Kelly and Connelly combined from the resultant centre bounce to extend the lead nearly four goals.
As if on cue the Stingrays hit back after some insipid defence and it took a freak snap form the pocket by Luke Webber to restore a healthy margin for the Power. The Stingrays were far from done with and had two goals in a row to put themselves right back in the game. A clever crumbing goal off the pack Endres gave the Power breathing space but yet again the Stingrays bounced back with two more goals as a result of a lack of accountability by the Power. The margin was less than a goal in the dying minutes but Tom Crosby and Endres creatively crafted the sealer from a stoppage.
When they were needed most the state players lifted to play their part in a narrow but character building win for their side. The final margin was just 11 points but the way in which the boys responded to the consistent challenges thrown at them by the Stingrays was what gave Adrian Hickmott and his assistant coaches the most pleasure at the end of what was a tough day at the office.
Final scores Gippsland Power 17 goals 13 behinds 115 points defeated Dandenong Stingrays 15 goals 14 points 104 points. Goal kickers Nick Heyne, Chris Endres and Brent Connelly 3, Dan McKenna and Sam Kater 2, Haelen Kay, Jaryd Blair, Rob Michaelides and Luke Webber 1. When most of his state team mates struggled to get into the game Jackson Hall stood head and shoulders above every one else in a superb four quarter effort that saw him combine dogged defence and creative running to win over 30 possessions and take 14 marks. Haelen Kay was slower to get going than "Jacko" but when he did his class shone through. His athleticism and precise ball skills enabled him to set up many positive passages of play. Brent Connelly did well in the rucking contests but was also active around the ground with his aerial skills as well as kicking timely goals when "resting" up forward. When the defence was inevitably under the pump on the rebound it was manfully led by Shane McIntosh. He used his strength and marking skills to telling effect to turn defence into attack throughout the game.
Nick Heyne was another to start slowly but when the chips were down he responded in outstanding fashion. His marking skills and ability to apply pressure on defenders meant that he was vital member of the Power forward line. Dean Woodhead was another key defender to keep his cool under extreme pressure. The youngster showed great composure to win contests and then use the ball effectively to set up rebound opportunities for the side. On-baller Jaryd Blair put in yet another solid performance with his ability to get in and under the packs as well as using his many hard-won possessions with poise and precision. Winger Will Kelly was another who played well for four quarters and provided a constant and effective avenue into attack as well as keeping his opponents under pressure all day.
Although Adrian was justifiably proud of the boy's endeavour and ability to keep responding to the Stingrays pressure, there was a lot for him to work with in terms of fine tuning their game. The 2007 Power side has always been viewed as a "work in progress" but no-one underestimates the enormous potential that is represented in this group. His job for the next 5 rounds is to continue to fine-tune their performances to eliminate the lapses in concentration and harness their obvious talents. If they ever put it together for four quarters they have the ability to be at the pinnacle of the TAC Cup clubs in 2007 but so far they have merely teased their supporters with some flashes of their brilliance.
His next challenge is to prepare them for a clash with the North Ballarat Rebels at Casey Fields. The Rebels, like the Stingrays, will severely test any slackness in application and competitiveness by the Power and will be the perfect opponents for the boys to have as they attempt to realise their potential and be in the thick of the action at the end of the season. As the top side on the TAC Cup ladder they will be scrutinised more than any one else and can ill-afford to be off their game in any way. They will be under the pump for the rest of the season and will need to continue to work even harder to eliminate some of their costly turnovers if they are to stay ahead of the pack for the rest of the 20
Last Modified on 26/05/2008 14:16