Gippsland Power Media Release
By Bryan Mitchell
In ideal football conditions Gippsland Power took on the Eastern Ragnes at Morwell and made an emphatic statement that they were going to be a significant player in the 2006 TAC Cup finals series. They went into the game with arguably a close to full strength side and produced an excellent four-quarter effort that resulted in a 113 point winning margin.
Power were on the ball early and some excellent forward pressure saw Ricky Delphine set Tyson Goldsack up for the first of the game. Beau Vernon combined with good mate Brent Macaffer for another before Eastern served notice that they were in the match with a rebound goal. Things came to a standstill for a while before some crumbing by Ben Ross set up Macaffer and then more pressure allowed him to kick his third of the term. They were being very persistent and Tristran Francis was the next to join the goal charge after some strength by Delphine and Kane Martin. Eastern scored late in the term but the Power lead was 22 points and could have been better if they had been a little more accurate.
From the opening bounce Ross and Rob Eddy created an inspiring goal and this was repeated almost immediately when Rob Michaelides chipped in with his first. Goldsack then became the "go-to" man and the Power were looking set to blow the game wide open. Their new-found accuracy deserted them for a while before ruckman Brent Connelly decided that it was the big blokes turn to dazzle and he was involved twice with a chain of handballs that resulted in a stunning major after some amazing poise and agility on his behalf. Eastern regained some composure to score their first before Michaelides and then Ross kicked classy goals to extend the margin to almost 60 points. After a period of stagnant play Tom Johnson marked and scored a rare goal and the Power lead was 65b points and the game was effectively over as a contest.
At the long break, Paul implored the boys to maintain their focus and concentrate on the process as they needed a strong 4-quarter effort with the finals looming. Almost on cue, Eastern upped their work rate to reinforce Paul's call to stay focused and had two on the board before the Power got their game going. As if inspired the Power rallied and Goldsack was on the end of some unselfish play by Delphine and Ben Hughes before Connelly finished off some more great team work. Goldsack was next to benefit form the vision and skill of others and it looked as if the Power were ready to dominate play for the rest of the term. Eastern responded with purpose and aggression and kicked the last two of the term to remind the Power that nothing but their full concentration was required. The lead was still 63 points but the Power had been inside 50 22 time for three goals and this clearly wasn't good enough.
The last term was going to be a good test of the Power resolve as the coaches used the interchange bench to rest some and bring others into the game. From the opening bounce they took their game up a couple of notches and Lachlan Hansen had two on the board within the twinkling of an eye. James Blaser chimed in to finish off some heady play by Vernon and the Power were on a charge. After some uninspiring play, they lifted again Delphine set up Francis before Hughes did the same for Martin. Some more precise disposal by Vernon allowed Hughes to kick one himself and then Blaser kicked his second after a sublime handball by Eddy. Francis came from nowhere to take a great grab and then goal for the Power's eighth major of the term.
Not only had they gone on a goal scoring rampage, they ha\d also been miserly in defence and had used the ball with precision and purpose. The final margin was 113 points but what was more important was the way in which they did it. Final scores, Gippsland Power 24 goals 19 behinds 163 points defeated Eastern Ranges 7 goals 8 behinds 50 points.
Goal kickers Tyson Goldsack 5, Tritran Francis, Brent Macaffer and Rob Michaelides 3, James Blaser and Lachlan Hansen 2, Brent Connelly, Rob Eddy, Ben Hughes, Tom Johnson, Kane Martin and Ben Ross 1 each.
Paul had a lot to be positive about this week but the fact that 12 players kicked goals would have been particularly pleasing.
On a day when the team played so well as a unit, several players made highly significant contributions. Ricky Delphine was in the thick of the action for the four quarters and won and used his many possessions with great skill and vision. Tyson Goldsack's performance showcased his obvious aerial abilities but also saw him be very dangerous at ground level as he won plenty of hard balls. Tom Johnson continued his stellar season in defence and was never beaten in a one-on-one contest. He created run for the side with his unerring reading of the play. Young ruckman Brent Connelly continued to show the improved skill and confidence that have been obvious in recent weeks and was in the play for much of the game.
Ben Hughes has been the Power's lynch pin all season and once again dominated in the hardest position on the ground. He took 10 strong marks had over 20 possessions but also did a power of work in the packs. Ashley Payne was another youngster who created running play for the team as well as nullifying his opponents with telling effect. Ben Ross again showed the pace and amazing ability to create space that make him almost impossible to stop once he sets hi\s mind to it. Winger James Blaser was another to use his quickness and strength effectively and he too is becoming in integral cog in the Power mid-field. Probably the most pleasing performance of the day was that of Beau Vernon who showed what the Power have missed for much of the season. His ability to win the hard ball and then use it with superb vision and skill was in full evidence and he made a crucial difference to the team performance.
The Power play their last game of the season against Oakleigh Chargers at home next Saturday. Paul will be keen to keep the boys in their current positive frame of mind and will be working with them to iron out some of the minor kinks that were evident in their play last week. He has gradually developed their game plan to suit their skills and is justifiably pleased with the way in which they have come together in recent games. What's particularly pleasing is the way in which the youngsters have developed and have become increasingly important cogs in the Power machine. The Chargers will severely test this resolve and it should be a great lead in to the finals series.
Last Modified on 26/05/2008 12:20