By JARROD POTTER
FIGHTING back from their season-opening defeat to Gippsland, the Dandenong Stingrays made their intentions clear for this TAC Cup season with an emphatic 48-point win over the Eastern Ranges.
Dandenong and Eastern traded the lead rapidly in the first quarter – as goal after goal flew through the sticks.
The first quarter drew to a close with both sides level on five-goals-three, in an effort Stingrays’ coach Graeme Yeats described as “the best display of football at this level I have seen for a long time”.
The rubber-band stretched as Dandenong slammed on five-goals-to-two in the second term through strong-marking and the hard tackling efforts of the group. The standout Stingray was Cranbourne forward Nathan Gardiner, with a couple of double-tackle efforts and slotting a goal from a tight angle in the pavilion side pocket.
Once again feasting on the opposition immediately after half time, the Stingrays rendered all Eastern third term efforts moot – the visitors slamming on seven goals with midfielder/goal-sneak James Harmes launching two large goals through the uprights. Final rites were administered via Clay McCartney (four goals), the returned-forward Jack Soroczynski (three) and Blake Pearson (two).
Yeats was impressed with his charges ability to bounce back from a first-term deficit and fight through with nearly a dozen players actively impacting the final score line.
“We were challenged early and the character of the group united and we started taking control on the one on ones,” Yeats said.
“The other thing about today’s win is we had 11 goal kickers and didn’t rely on just our key forwards.
“We have a lot of improving to still do but today we bloodied another player (Rye’s Brady Egan) with his first game, and I think we have started to believe in ourselves a little more.”
Dandenong travels to Bendigo to face the Geelong Falcons at Queen Elizabeth Oval at 3pm.
TAC CUP SCOREBOARD
DANDENONG STINGRAYS 5.3 10.6 17.7 20.14 (134)
EASTERN RANGES 5.3 7.8 9.9 12.14 (86)
EASTERN RANGES
BEST: S. Gibson, A. Miles, M. Apeness, J. Walker, B. Cavarra, C. O’Sullivan. GOALS: M. Apeness 5, A. Roth 3, K. Staples 2, M. Burt, C. Petracca.
DANDENONG STINGRAYS
BEST: D. Gawley, C. McCartney, A. Scott, J. Bastinac, Z. Jones, B. Pearson. GOALS: C. McCartney 4, J. Soroczynski 3, B. Pearson 2, J. Pickess 2, N. Gardiner 2, J. Harmes 2, T. Tohiariki, T. Lamb, A. Scott, A. Harnett, R. Marks-Logan.
