By LACHLAN MOORHEAD
ON THE hunt for redemption after last week’s disappointing loss, the Stingrays came out firing against the Eastern Ranges but were unable to sustain it, ultimately falling short by 10 points at Shepley Oval.
The first quarter saw the Stingrays kick three goals to the Ranges’ three behinds, which easily could have been more to Dandenong after they registered four behinds to go with it.
Coach Graeme Yeats challenged his players to start strongly and not be caught napping.
“Backing up from a disappointing week last week, we needed to start well,” Yeats said.
“We switched things, we changed the pre-game warm-up and we felt we would get a better result.”
It certainly seemed so after the first quarter but it’s hard to keep a good side down for long.
The Ranges capitalised on some costly Dandenong turnovers and managed to put significant pressure on the Stingrays’ backline in the second quarter.
Despite losing the momentum, Yeats was confident the Stingrays could match it with the Ranges in the second half.
“We just took stock of the situation,” he said.
“We reiterated how important it was to win the contested possession and defend well.”
With both sides lifting their defensive prowess and putting pressure on the ball-carrier, the second half became a fierce scrap befitting of two teams with a point to prove.
Stingrays captain Nathan Foote was fantastic across half-back while Jack Lonie displayed a ruthless attack on the ball, finishing with five tackles.
The Ranges kicked four majors to the Stingrays three in the second half but kept Dandenong in the game with wasteful goal-kicking.
When the war of attrition finally came to an end, the Ranges had managed enough to break the deadlock. Ranges’ forward Christian Petracca was explosive with four goals while James Belo and Daniel Mcstay were best on ground for the away side.
Despite recording their third loss in a row, Yeats felt there were signs of improvement in the Stingrays’ form and looked forward to their next challenge.
“We felt we were in the game right to the end,” he said.
“We just have to make sure we are setting really good standards every week.”
Dandenong currently sit fifth on the TAC Cup ladder and will hope to stop its slide against the Northern Knights on Saturday at Preston City Oval from 2 pm.
