After a Bye in Round 1 we ventured to Old Essendon with confidence. In the first quarter with the wind we were off to a great start with our clearance work and pressure fantastic âÃÂà5 smothers in the forward half for the quarter was a sign we were switched on. Despite the early dominance we were unable to put the score on the board and Old Essendon did well to keep the ball in their forward half for the latter part of the quarter with extra numbers on the ball. Kicking into the wind in the 2nd quarter we played pretty well but our midfield probably didnâÃÂÃÂt push back quick enough leaving the defenders a tough task. The game opened up with both teams kicking 5 goals. While we had played the better footy we only lead by a point at half time courtesy of 3 Old Essendon goals off the ground in the goal square.
It is fair to say we got away with it in the 3rd quarter when Old Essendon took control in the midfield but sprayed them everywhere in their approach to goal. We trailed by 3 points at the break and faced a big task into the wind but had some confidence after kicking 5 in the 2nd quarter. We burst out to take the lead with the first goal. A quick reply and follow up goal from Old Essendon sapped our confidence and it was downhill from there. The most disappointing part of the day was the last 15 minutes when we gave them an easy path to score 6 more goals and stretch the margin out to 49 points âÃÂànot a true reflection of the comparative ability of the teams. It was great to see all of the new players to the team make a contribution along the way.
This week we have our first home game against an in-form Old Camberwell. We will be keen to bounce back and prove that we belong in the top half of this division. The game starts at 2.00pm at Whitefriars.
Scores:
MANNINGHAM SHARKS: 2.2 7.4 8.7 9.7-61
OLD ESSENDON: 1.6 6.9 7.16 15.20-110
Goals: D. Massarotti 2, T. Woodman 1, A. Akers 1, J. Urbano 1, D. Tibaldi 1, T. Feher 1, S. Hoskins 1, N. Di Pietrantonio 1.
Best: A. Messina, D. Massarotti, D. Tibaldi, T. Woodman, D. Di Bartolomeo, B. Jenkins
Click here for the MANNINGHAM SHARKS ladder
Last Modified on 18/05/2009 22:01