Dandenong big man Jarrad Boumann tries desperately to gather the football as Oakleigh’s Andrew Hogan chases hard. By Glen Atwell
THE Dandenong Stingrays have been stung again, losing to reigning premier the Oakleigh Chargers by 52 points at Shepley Oval on Sunday.
Round two of the TAC Cup season provided Dandenong with the perfect chance to bounce back after an opening round thrashing at the hands of the Northern Knights, but coach Graeme Yeats was left scratching his head after another lacklustre performance.
Dandenong was towelled up through the midfield, simply unable to stop the ball-winning prowess of the Chargers’ Andy Otten (24 possessions) and Pat McCarthy (23 possessions).
The shining light for the Stingrays was the inspiring hard work of Luke Potts, who amassed 29 touches and booted two goals.
Dandenong forward Jarrod Grant proved a valuable attacking target and kicked five goals.
But the game belonged to Oakleigh.
The Chargers outscored the Stingrays eight goals to two in the first quarter, and five goals to one in the second term.
The half-time deficit was a whopping 68 points.
Dandenong lacked confidence, but Yeats was more concerned with the obvious lack of spirit, desire and determination.
His half-time address was one the players won’t forget in a hurry, with names named and desire questioned.
“We need men to stand up and be counted. We can’t allow ourselves to be embarrassed by our efforts and we need players who will play for the team and not for themselves,” he said.
The spray provided some temporary gusto as Dandenong, led by Marc Westcott in the ruck, kicked nine goals in the third quarter to narrow the gap to 15 points.
But that would be as close as Dandenong got, with the Chargers dousing the comeback flames with two late goals.
The winless Dandenong slipped to 10th on the TAC Cup ladder.
The Stingrays have conceded 334 points – the most in the league – in just two games of football.
This Sunday Dandenong travels to Trevor Barker Oval to clash with the Sandringham Dragons, who have won one game from their two outings.
