Dandenong midfielder Luke Parker shrugs a tackle during his side’s 68-point win over Calder on Saturday. 31239 Pictures: Luke PlummerBy Paul PickeringDANDENONG Stingrays coach Graeme Yeats wasn’t impressed by his side’s 68-point win over Calder on Saturday – and that’s why it was so impressive.
The Stingrays were below their best for much of the third-versus-fourth clash, but still managed to shake off an early challenge to outgun the Cannons in the second half.
Both sides were missing their representative and private school stars and the lack of polish was evident in a scrappy first quarter.
The Rays were lucky to lead by a goal after playing unaccountable footy in the opener and Yeats stormed onto the ground to vent his frustration at the break.
His midfield unit showed Calder ball-magnets Tom Lucin and Steve McCallum the respect they deserved in the second, but the undersized Dandenong defence had no answer for Cannons forward Serhat Temel.
The towering spearhead kicked three of his five goals in the second quarter to keep his team within 12 points at half-time.
The Cannons drew within a kick when Ahmed Mohamoud goaled shortly after resumption, but that was where the challenge ended.
The refocused Rays – led by in-form on-baller Luke Parker (four goals) – took control at the stoppages and ran the Cannons off their feet in the third term, providing quality service to tall forwards of Levi Casboult (three) and Andrew McInnes (two).
Jake Batchelor’s move to half-forward proved to be a masterstroke, with the lively utility collecting 22 touches and 11 marks in a welcome return to form.
The Stingrays kicked 13 goals to Calder’s four in a second-half avalanche that left Yeats puzzled by the turnaround.
“I thought our midfield was a bit off the pace in the first half,” he reflected.
“We were trying to play one-way footy and I think they probably beat us in the contested situations.”
Despite the underwhelming start, Yeats was pleased to see some of his inexperienced players lead the way after the long interval.
First-year revelation Matt Shaw was typically clean with his 20 possessions, while fellow rookies McInnes and Batchelor formed a damaging triumvirate with the dominant Casboult up forward.
Nathan Allen, Luke Sheppard and Jed Savage (three) – with three games experience between them – showed plenty of poise, while Parker, Will Petropoulos (three) and Madison Andrews were among the second-year stars to fire.
The result stamped Dandenong as a legitimate top-four contender, prompting Yeats to concede that he might have underrated his side’s prospects for the season.
“I thought we were a 9-9 or 10-8 team, but we’re a bit ahead of where we thought we’d be,” he said.
“We’ve had good impact from some of our bottom-agers and some of our top-agers have improved a little bit, so I reckon we’ll be thereabouts against any team.”
The Stingrays will enjoy a well-earned rest over the next fortnight, with a timely bye this weekend extending the mid-season break.
Meanwhile, Dandenong co-captains Tom Scully and Ryan Bastinac will go head-to-head as they represent Vic Metro and Vic Country in the first round of the National Under-18 Championships on Sunday.
Mitch Hallahan will also be in action for the Country boys in the much-anticipated clash at Skilled Stadium.
