Dingley’s Clinton Brookes flies for a mark during the Dingoes 30-point win over Springvale Districts on Saturday.
By Paul Pickering
DINGLEY’S rabid Dingo pack has inflicted the first wound upon Springvale Districts in the Southern Football League Division Two season.
In the hostile territory of Dingley’s Souter Oval, the previously unbeaten Demons went down by 30 points to surrender a vital psychological edge over their only legitimate premiership challenger.
For the Dingoes, the wire-to-wire victory exorcised the team’s demons of a costly second-half fade-out against Springvale Districts in round eight.
Having tasted defeat for the first time in 2007, Demons coach Stephen Hughes was quick to dismiss suggestions that it was a necessary loss.
“We go out there to win every contest, every quarter and every game,” Hughes said.
“This was a big stage – a big opportunity – and unfortunately we failed.”
The divisional heavyweights traded blows for much of the first half before a five-minute window of madness descended upon the Demons.
Two 50-metre penalties cost the Demons consecutive goals, including a momentum-building major on the siren from Brett Gniel that sent the Dingoes into a frenzy at the main break.
The momentary lapse in discipline allowed Dingley to extend the lead to 28 points – a deficit that Springvale Districts could not erode in the second half.
While Hughes was still ruing the undisciplined acts on Monday, he said the offending parties had apologised to their team-mates immediately after the match.
“They know that they now owe their mates and they have to repay them,” Hughes said.
In stark contrast to his counterpart, Dingley playing-coach Adam Quinn – who booted seven goals for the afternoon – was delighted with the attitude of his charges.
“We just had eyes only for footy all day and never gave up,” he said.
Dingley’s desperation was epitomised by a single act in the final quarter, when Springvale District’s Lloyd Wells cruised inside the forward 50m – lining up a goal that would have reduced the deficit to nine points – only to be run down by a lunging Paddy Edwards.
The inspiring piece of play effectively halted the Demons’ final charge.
While Dingley’s usual suspects Tony Lavars, Clinton Brookes and Steve DeBolfo again shone, it was the defensive efforts of Darren Andrews and Josh Williams that caught the coach’s eye.
The latter made Demons spearhead Mark Williams work all day for his four goals, while Andrews was supreme both in the air and on the deck.
Similarly, it was Springvale District’s lock-down specialists that received Hughes’ post-match praise, notably Steven Young for nullifying the influence of Dingo ball-magnet Gniel and Glenn Kemp for his job of restricting a rampant Brookes in the second half.
While Hughes was rightly disappointed with his team’s patchy performance, he had no qualms about hailing the day a victory for the league.
He said that the carnival atmosphere created by bands, ice cream stalls, barbecues and a local radio broadcast was something rarely seen in the SFL.
“The atmosphere was terrific, there’s no doubt about that,” he said.
“It was more like a circus than a football game.”
With Springvale Districts and Dingley locked in for the top two spots, this Saturday’s matches – against Hampton and Caulfield respectively – will provide the last chances from fringe-dwelling Demons and Dingoes to pencil their names into finals squads.
Lyndale v Kangaroos
AFTER leading by four points at half-time, Lyndale surrendered to the Moorabbin Kangaroos after the main break to record an eight-goal home defeat on Saturday.
While the Pumas provided some early resistance, Matthew Caples’ men had no answers for Kangaroo spearhead Tarek Moughanie.
Moughanie slotted through 11 goals for the afternoon – one more than the Pumas could manage collectively.
In a lacklustre team performance, Anthony Grace had his best game of the season for Lyndale, while Christian Egan, Tristan Caples and Ryan Johns could all hold their heads high.
After an underwhelming 2007 campaign, the Pumas – who are likely to finish in eighth spot – will be seeking a consolation victory at Ashwood this Saturday.
