MEDIA RELEASE - GIPPSLAND POWER
By Bryan Mitchell
On first glance, Gippsland Power would appear to be unlucky to go down by 4 points against the Northern Knights at Morwell last Saturday. After all they had six more scoring shots and the Knights were incredibly accurate but the true scenario is that they were lucky to get that close. The Knights were playing for a place in the TAC Cup finals and were in excellent form and from the first bounce it was obvious that they were going to have "a red-hot go"
The Power were on the back foot all day as the Knights applied consistent and dogged pressure at every contest. Given this situation Paul Hudson would have been bitterly disappointed with the response from the Power. When the pressure was applied, the Power reverted to "dumb" and often selfish play and had minimal contributions from several key "name" players when it really mattered. This will be pounced upon by the other TAC Cup sides and the Power will now be targeted by sides like the Stingrays to see if the chinks in their armour are going to become gaping holes.
The ground was heavy in patches and this was going to test the mental and physical fitness of both sides coming off last weeks' bye. Northern struck first and this seemed to jolt the Power into gear and they replied with two goals from Ben Fraser. Instead of going on with it, they allowed the Knights to take the initiative after some very indecisive and complacent defence. By the first change the Power trailed by 6 points but were playing poorly and should have been further behind.
Once again it was the Knights who struck first and they kicked telling goals as a result of turnovers in attack that were clinically converted by the Knights. The normally rigid defence for the Power was in disarray and their decision making under pressure was poor. Despite this the Power lifted their work rate and began to attack with purpose and precision and by the long break they had a 2 point lead and importantly, the momentum going into the long break.
In the opening minutes of the third term the Power appeared to have lifted their intensity and it was the Knights who were on the back foot. Instead of capitalizing on this they began to falter under pressure again and the Knights kicked easy goals on the rebound after the Power turned the ball over with poor decision making. To their credit the Power rallied and began to score excellent goals as a result of applying their own pressure. A timely Knights major late in the term stopped the flow and the Power lead was 11 points with one quarter to go.
It was the Knights who seized the initiative at the start of the term and they had 2 quick goals due to some insipid defence and poor options by the Power. Despite storming home late the Power went down narrowly but will rue this loss as it has exposed their deficiencies so close to the TAC Cup finals series. They didn't deserve to win and now will face an equally determined Stingray side who will be hell-bent on taking top spot from the Power and the vital psychological edge with the finals series looming.
Final scores Northern Knights 15 goals 4 behinds 94 points defeated Gippsland Power 13 goals 12 behinds 90 points. Goal kickers, Ben Fraser 4, Brett Dore 3, Dale Thomas 2, Zac Vansittart, Ricky Delphine, Nathan Lieshout and Tommy Johnson 1. On a day when the Power had "more passengers than a Bourke street tram" Ricky Delphine played his heart out for the side. His 26 kicks, 11 handballs, 9 marks, and 8 tackles was a standout effort and it's a pity some of the others didn't apply the same determination to their performance. Others to do well were Dale Thomas, Steven O'Bryan, Ben Fraser, Tom Johnson and Jeff Ryan.
The coaching panel will need to work hard to get the boys back on track and be ready for the physical and mental challenges involved with the Dandenong game and the weeks to follow. It's not as if they haven't got the ability, they have shown throughout the year that they can dominate the competition, but at times their determination and application wavers and sides punish them for it. The post season action will require 100 % endeavour and the Power will need to dig deep to regain the right mind set and finish the season off with the reward that they are so capable of.
Last Modified on 26/05/2008 11:55