Gippsland Power - Media Release
By Bryan Mitchell
Gippsland Power went into their match against Oakleigh Chargers last week with a huge question mark hanging over their heads. After playing consistently high quality football for the first 14 weeks of the season they had suffered two defeats in a row and were suddenly looking very ordinary. It wasn't just the fact that they had lost these games against good opposition but more that they had played terribly and had seemingly forgotten how use the ball with purpose and cohesion.
The Power had a boost with the return of James Blaser, Will Kelly and Shane McIntosh and should have been better prepared to play more accountable football. On paper the game against the Oakleigh Chargers was a good opportunity to get back on track as the Chargers had had an indifferent season. However they had a more competitive squad for this game and were keen to end their season on a high.
It didn't take long for the doubts on the Power's form to be raised again as they began by attacking the dead pocket in windy conditions at Casey Fields. As they had in previous weeks, they made bad decision after bad decision and were then punished with ruthless efficiency as the Chargers exploited the inevitable turnovers due to skill and option errors. It took until late n the term for Brendon Rathnow to cleverly set up James Blaser for the Power' s only goal of the term but the Chargers replied in red time and but for inaccuracy would have had a much bigger lead than the 24 points at the end of the term.
The Power were playing dumb football and once again wasted their inside 50 opportunities. They had the wind advantage in the second term and some disciplined work from James Bristow allowed Dan McKenna in for the first of the term. Although the Charger4s were kept goalless for the term, they were being given easy possessions due to some unaccountable football by the Power when the obligatory turnovers occurred. The Power were once again going to the wrong side of the ground and making the job far too for the Chargers defenders. A free kick enabled Blaser to kick his second but it was a struggle for the Power and they were lucky to be only 10 points down at the long break.
The Pressure was on the Power to hold the Chargers as they kicked with the wind in this term. The Chargers were attack quickly and had easy goals on the board as the Power struggled to be competitive. Some clever ruckwork by Bristow gave Will Kelly a critical goal for the Power against the wind. Instead of building on this they gave up the initiative with some ill-disciplined and lazy football. Too often they turned the ball over and then applied minimal pressure as the Chargers rebounded the ball. Some clever hand ball allowed Haelen Kay in for another but the Chargers hit back had in red time and punished the Power for some insipid efforts again. The margin was 39 points at the last change but the Power weren't playing the sort of football that would enable them to come back no matter how strong the wind was.
It didn't take long for the pattern of the term to be established. The Power were defending well but again attacked the wrong side of the ground and effectively gave up any chance they had of restoring respectability to the score line. A good snap by Bristow made up for an earlier inglorious miss but fittingly the Chargers replied immediately and the game petered out to its inevitable end.
Final scores Oakleigh Chargers 12 goals 15 behinds 87 points defeated Gippsland Power 6 goals 14 behinds 50 points. Goal kickers, James Blaser 2, Dan McKenna, Haelen Kay, James Bristow and Will Kelly 1. The players had decided that Jackson Hall would be the captain for the rest of the season and he justified that decision with another strong display of disciplined, team-oriented football. He was inspiration with his attack on the ball but received far too little back-up. Andrew Oldmeadow was one who tried to follow his leader with his courage and strength. He consistently put his body on the line for the team. Rob Michaelides once again showcased his silky skill, especially under pressure and provided a lot of drive off the half back line. Young defender Darren White put in a typically dogged and hard-hitting performance under extreme pressure and he too was pivotal in setting up attacking moves.
On-baller Michael Stockdale was set a big task in the game and met his obligations manfully. He applied enormous pressure on his opponents as well as winning his share of possessions. James Bristow has been solid in 2007 after a knee injury but showed the sort of form that made him an exciting prospect 18 months ago. Diminutive midfielder Jaryd Blair was at his courageous best in the thick of the action and thrived on applying pressure to the biggest of opponents. Dan McKenna took many strong marks and worked hard to use the ball to his team's advantage in defence and attack.
The Power now need to forget this game and focus on the rest of the season. They can't ignore the skill and decision making errors that have made them so disappointing recently but need to focus on the match against the Bendigo Pioneers at Golden Square next week. They had been so good for the majority of the season but need to get back to the levels of commitment and discipline that typified their form for most of the season. They are seemingly playing panic, reactive football rather than a cohesive and purposeful game and will need to refocus their mind-set if they are to be competitive in the finals series.
Last Modified on 26/05/2008 14:46