by Stephanie Kirkman
The week off freshened up the boys coming into today's match, with an overall pleasing performance, Ranges coach, Shane Watson said after defeating the Tassie Mariners by 26 points last weekend.
The Ranges fiery start saw the Mariners struggle to keep up with fast game play, leaving Tassie with a 42-point deficit at the end of the first term.
But it was too early in the game to declare victory for the boys from the East.
Despite winning all four quarters by a six goal average, the Ranges momentum slipped away after the main break.
Tassie gave the Ranges a run for their money after half time - converting most inside 50s onto the scoreboard in a highly-contested second half.
"I could see that they were getting a bit tired at three-quarter time, so rather than using too much of the footy through the middle, I told them to kick long and direct, using the smaller guys through the front and centre," Watson said.
The Mariners had several opportunities to score throughout the match, but failed to follow through; kicking 18 points compared with the Ranges eight points at the end of the final term.
After the match, Watson said that decision making and concentration were the two main factors that needed improvement for next week.
"A lot of the guys still haven't played a lot of footy, so there's still room for improvement. They worked hard earlier in the match, but as they got tired they didn't make great decisions later in the game."
"We've played on four big grounds in a row now, but next week we play Dandenong on a smaller ground, so that might help us endurance-wise," he said.
Ranges sharp shooter, Ayden Kennedy was best on ground today, slotting through four goals for the day.
Jayden Cass had a commendable performance, racking up 20 possessions for the Ranges, while team mate David Mirra continued his consistent form from last week, with 27 possessions.
The win sees the Ranges sitting in third place on the TAC ladder - with the Falcons stealing second place, after an 82-point thrashing against Sandringham.
Next week (round 6), the Ranges are up against the Dandenong Stingrays, on Saturday 10th May at 1:00pm, Shepley Oval, Dandenong.
Final Scores:
16.8-104
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Eastern Ranges
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2:00 PM Sat 2/May Box Hill City Oval (Map)
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def.
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10.18-78
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Tassie Mariners
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Goal Kickers: A. Kennedy 4, S. Pasmans 2, D. Mirra 2, J. Cass 2, L. McDonald, R. Minahan, D. Fent, A. Johns, J. Dyson, J. Van Gulik
Best Players: A. Kennedy, J. Cass, J. Kinder, D. Fent, R. Wilson, D. Mirra
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Last Modified on 12/05/2009 20:39