Joyce hot as Demons strike

Dandy Demons coach Steve Kent is hoping Saturday’s win over local rival Sandown will provide the platform for a push towards finals footy. 18251

By Paul Pickering
A COLOSSAL performance from Darin ‘Big Show’ Joyce spurred the Dandy Demons to a 10-goal win over local rival Sandown at Edinburgh Reserve on Saturday.
The clash for the Khe Sanh Cup in the Southern Football League’s Division Three was all but over at half-time, with Joyce bagging six goals to set up a commanding 56-point lead.
The towering spearhead was unstoppable in the first half, and, somewhat ironically, it took a positional move from Demons coach Steve Kent to stop him after the break.
With Dandy ruckman Kyle Snyman suffering an ankle injury in the second quarter, Kent was left with no option but to shift Joyce into the middle.
“He would’ve kicked 15 if I didn’t have to put him into the ruck,” Kent declared post-match.
“He’s a big target, he’s pretty mobile for his size and nobody can match up on him.”
Instead, the former Springvale Districts big man was forced to settle for seven majors, equalling his tally from the previous week’s loss to Skye.
Joyce was the beneficiary of Dandy’s midfield dominance in the first half, and he combined with the likes of Vaughan Geddes, Ben O’Donnell and Preoshun Poonaswamy to maintain that ascendancy after the break.
The rapid improvement shown by Poonaswamy – who began the season in the reserves – was among the most promising signs for the Demons.
Meanwhile, the Cobras, who are still finding their feet after an off-season of upheaval, battled admirably in the second half and finished with seven goals in the last term.
Caleb Love was their best, booting three goals and winning plenty of footy further up the ground, while Paul Wright (three goals), Ferhat Yaman and Hieu Trinh were among those who led the second-half resurgence.
Kent, whose Demons claimed just their second win for the season, is hoping the performance will provide the impetus for a mid-season form spike.
“Our aim now is to try to be competitive,” he said.
“I think if we play like we did for three quarters on Saturday, and three quarters against Skye, we’ll shock a few sides.”
Elsewhere, the Doveton Eagles blew a four-goal half-time lead against second-placed South Yarra to go down by 44 points.
With Ricky Ramsdale (six goals) and Cameron Van-nes (four goals) looking potent up forward and Travis Graeske and Brett Hidgcock finding the ball through the middle, the Eagles looked every bit a winner in the first half.
It was unsustainable, though, as South Yarra booted 12 goals to Doveton’s two after the main break.
In Divison One, Springvale Districts was jumped by reigning premier St Kilda City and never recovered.
The Demons, coming off two straight wins, faced a six-goal deficit at the first break and went on to lose by 126 points.
Among the few winners for Springvale Districts were former skipper Jason Hall and ex-Keysborough player John McMurray.
Meanwhile, in Division Two, Lyndale is still winless after an 85-point thumping at Black Rock, while Dingley’s unbeaten season continued with a 48-point victory over Caulfield.