By Jonty Ralphsmith
Cranbourne suffered a gut-wrenching defeat at the hands of Cheltenham in the Southern Division 1 grand final on Saturday, surrendering a 17-point lead in the dying stages after leading comfortably all day.
While the pain will take a long time to dissipate, several players can well-and-truly hold their heads high after a brutal clash that came all the way down to the wire.
Star News reporter Jonty Ralphsmith runs his eye over Cranbourne’s best players at RSEA Park.
Brandon Osborne: Josh Fox took two early marks on him, but both were from distance and he wasn’t able to convert either. That provided the launchpad for him to fly, but, despite how dangerous he looked, Osborne wore him like a glove. As well as some key spoils, he also won a foot race running towards the teeth of goal, rushing a behind by courageously absorbing contact with the goal post.
Marc Holt: Sets such high standards, and will rue a couple of behinds he kicked, but the reality is Cranbourne’s lead would have been extinguished earlier if not for his game. Seized his moment in the first quarter, and finished with 2.2, three assists and was a marking menace. His well disguised kick to set up Jarryd Barker in the second quarter was a show of skill.
Ryan Jones: Looked to get the ball going forward all day, using his leg-speed on the outside, breaking lines and prioritising territory. Reads the game exceptionally well, which was on show. Took an intercept mark in the fourth quarter which started the chain that led to what looked to be the winning Jarryd Barker goal.
Dylan Cavalot: Had a few important moments in the midfield and thrived in the high pressure game. Played his role excellently, and clearly had the desperation of a player who missed out on having a premiership medallion dangling around his neck last year.
Jordan Bertrand: Had some important intercept possessions, reading the cues to come off his man and impact. Laid a big tackle in defensive 50 in the first quarter which set the scene for what was to come.
