Last Friday night saw the Dingos take on the reigning Premiers, the Etobicoke Kangaroos in Round 7 OAFL action. The Dingos were coming off a big win against the Eagles in Round 6, while the Roos were rebounding from their first loss of the season. Both teams had several key players unavailable due to injury or prior commitments, and as a result the match was expected to be a close encounter.
For the second time in three weeks, the Dingos started the match poorly. The Roos dominated in the midfield and controlled the possession in the first quarter while the Dingos struggled to get their hands on the ball. The quarter ended with the Dingos in a big hole, trailing by 45 points.
At quarter time, Chris Buczkowski urged the red and black to be more defensively minded and put more pressure on the opposition when they had the ball. The Dingos obliged and came out much harder in the second quarter as ruckman Rick Strezovski began to take over in the middle and provide his midfielders with first use of the ball. The quarter ended with the Roos outscoring the Dingos 4-2, but the effort was much improved as the Dingos showed the Roos that they would not drop their heads despite trailing by 7 goals.
After half time the Dingos continued to work hard, as midfielders Craig Stewart, Justin Robertson, Stuart Wallis and Geoff Hansen pumped the ball long into the forward line where Paul Tinkler was marking strongly and converting every opportunity that he had. Bob Clarke and Chris Buczkowski both provided strong contests in the forward line giving the small forward opportunities to kick goals if the ball spilled to ground.
The fourth quarter saw the Dingos finish the game strongly as the midfield worked hard for every clearance. As has become a pattern this season, the Dingos rookie players all put in solid games. Kyle Morrison was again one of the Dingos best, using his pace and agility to cause headaches for the Etobicoke backline. Denis Cormier and Patrick Bossey were accountable in the backline and used their pace and effective disposal to help rebound the ball. Sacha Crooks competed hard around the ground applied strong pressure when he didn’t have the footy.
The final margin saw the Roos come out on top by 64 points, leaving the Dingos to once again lament not starting the game strongly. Strezovski and Tinkler were awarded dual Best on Ground for their strong performances for the red and black. The Dingos need to work hard over the next two weeks at training and ensure that they put in a four-quarter effort when they come up against the league leading Broadview Hawks in Round 8.
Match details can be found here. For Rob Colburn's photo album, head here.
Division 2:
Toronto Dingos: 6.3.39 def. Etobicoke Kangaroos: 4.4.28
The Dingos Division 2 team knocked off the Roos by 11 points to continue their strong play and move into a tie with the Roos for 2nd in the overall standings.Gary Conlon used the force to help him put in another strong performance in the midfield, while Glenn Thompson competed strongly in the middle. Stephen Gordon performed well around the ground and provided an option for his teammates when they were coming out of the back line. Sean Freedman fell victim to an errant elbow, however the worst part of the incident was the bandaging job he received, which left him looking like Hannibal Lecter.
The Dingos’ Division 1 and Division 2 teams will next be in action on July 7th when they take on the Broadview Hawks at Humber College South. The Women’s next game is on July 15th against the Central Blues.
Last Modified on 16/01/2013 15:23