By Nick Creely
TAC Cup
Review- Round 1
A powerful first-quarter has seen the Dandenong Stingrays overcome a late Gippsland Power surge at Morwell Recreation Reserve on Saturday.
With both sides featuring a glittering of new and exciting young talent, it was the Stingrays that looked the goods early, spreading the Power with some impressive passages of play.
Last year’s minor-premiers were full of run early, showcasing some impressive skill along the wings.
It all came down to work-rate for both sides, with the Rays peppering the attacking-50 and utilising their abundance of tall forwards, and took a vital 17-point lead into quarter time.
And just when it looked like the Power were climbing back into the contest via some impressive goals by youngster Will Broadbent, the Rays flexed their muscle and eventually climbed out to a 33-point lead at the major break.
With temperatures soaring on a hot day in Gippsland, fatigue began to set in for both sides, with players cramping left right and centre, as the game became more of a battle of attrition.
The Power then worked their way back into the contest through a duo of goals from Will Stephenson, while the class of Sean Masterson began to shine through in defence with some strong intercept marks.
Heading into the last term, the Rays held a relatively safe 25-point lead, and just needed an early goal to seal the deal.
But if there was any sneaky hope of a shock win for the Power, it was quickly evaporated when young gun Dylan Morris kicked two impressive goals within five minutes of the last quarter to stretch the lead out to 38-points.
Taking their foot off the gas, the Power then kicked the last four goals of the contest to bring the margin back to 14-points with minutes to go, before the Rays iced the clock with some of their most experienced leaders.
There was plenty to like for the Rays, with Dylan Morris excellent in attack with four majors, Tom De Koning was a constant threat throughout, while their balanced midfield group took the honours and worked the Power over.
For the Power, Travis Bindley and Sean Masterson started their season off on the right foot with strong displays, while Will Stephenson and Irving Mosquito were constants threats in attack.
Stingrays coach Craig Black was thrilled with his side’s intent, particularly early, and said that it was important to start the game strongly in order to stay ahead of the contest.
“The way we approached the game was really good, our pressure and tackling was exceptional,” he said.
“You always want to start well and not chasing the opposition, so the major focus was starting well and we were lucky enough to do that and then hold on.”
Black said that it was obvious there was some usual rustiness from both sides, but anticipates they will be better for the run.
“I thought we were solid but gave up a few goals late which wasn’t ideal, just poor decisions but that’s something we can just work on,” he said.
“Our pressure around the ball was great, but if we can eliminate little mistakes like silly free-kicks we give ourselves a great chance to win every week.”
With the cobwebs blown out, the Stingrays head down to Simonds Stadium next week to tackle the Geelong Falcons, who are coming off a dominant 82-point win to Greater Western Victoria in Round 1, while the Power tackle Murray Bushrangers at Ikon Park.
GIPPSLAND POWER 1.4 3.6 6.8 10.8 (68)
DANDENONG STINGRAYS 4.3 8.9 10.9 12.12 (84)
GIPPSLAND POWER
GOALS: W. Stephenson, W. Broadbent, I. Mosquito 2, C. Henness, T. Hayes, J. Patterson, N. Hogan.
BEST: S. Masterson, T. Bindley, K. Reid, J. Hudson, K. Drew, C. Jiath.
DANDENONG STINGRAYS
GOALS: D. Morris 4, R. D’Arcy 3, T. De Koning 2, M. Riordan, A. Zijai, Z. Barrett.
BEST: D. Morris, O. Clavarino, T. De Koning, R. D’Arcy, L. Davies-Uniacke
