By JARROD POTTER
HOPE is a hard feeling to maintain when staring down defeat.
Dandenong had its season on the line approaching the last term in its preliminary-final clash against Calder Cannons.
The Stingrays had given up an early lead in both the first and third quarter to watch the Cannons push it out to 15 points at the final break.
“If we can just execute and make better decisions we’re going to hurt them a bit more,” Dandenong coach Graeme Yeats said to the group at the huddle.
“We don’t worry about the scoreboard… what we worry about is winning enough of the ball to put enough pressure back on them… that’s our focus.”
Holding the side together was the run off half-back from Billy Hartung, the streaming work in the centre of Zak Jones and the unshakeable resolve of key defender Jake Wilson.
Dandenong did what no one thought possible – manufacture a turnaround, a come-from-behind victory.
The fourth quarter will go down in Stingrays’ lore as everything clicked into gear at the crucial juncture of the season.
Two goals in the first two minutes brought the margin back to three points as Dandenong won the first four centre clearances to shock the Cannons.
Dandenong’s legs started running all over Calder – a benefit of their week off – with Jones hitting up another crucial midfield winner James Harmes to lock onto Brady Egan for goal number three. Dandenong seized the lead with most of the quarter remaining.
Brushing aside a head-knock earlier in the match that had him helped from the ground, crumbing forward/winger Jack Lonie tore the game apart from then on.
Lonie set up the next one through gut running – taking the ball off Jones in the middle, hitting up Clay McCartney on a lead before a dummy shot on goal from McCartney went down Lonie’s throat to drill the fourth.
Lonie set up another in the term – finding Brady Egan on a pinpoint pass – before fittingly kicking the last, roosting a 50-metre cannon that barely went over the Calder defenders to take the 16.12 (108) to 14.12 (90) victory.
Hartung and Jones showed why they’re All Australian representatives – dominating the contests and setting up the majority of the Stingrays’ forward momentum – while Gawley, James Hammond and Matt Rennie battled manfully against the Cannons’ trio of 200cm ruck options.
Yeats held course for the final term – and knew the week off would help the Stingrays’ run over the top.
“We knew we just had to keep working hard, didn’t really change a lot other than some positional areas that we thought we needed to work on,” Yeats said.
“The issue they played last week and we had the week off contributed in some way, our preparation was really good, so we knew we’d have the legs at the end and I think that shone out.
“They tired a little bit and we continued to run reasonably hard and at the end of the day you have to run for 100 minutes and that’s what we talked about all week.”
Yeats praised Lonie, Hartung and Jones for their renewed efforts and encouraged his charges to maintain that work rate ahead of this week’s TAC Cup grand final against Eastern Ranges, which defeated the Geelong Falcons by 37 points.
“We’ve been there before, we just have to keep working hard,” Yeats said.
“It will be a tough challenge and we need to make sure we’re up and about and training sharp.
“Train really well and we’ve improved in a lot of areas and that’s why we are where we are.”
The TAC Cup grand final is at Etihad Stadium on Sunday from 10.30am.
TAC CUP SCOREBOARD
DANDENONG STINGRAYS 4.3 5.5 9.6 16.12 (108)
CALDER CANNONS 4.3 7.6 11.9 14.12 (96)
Dandenong Stingrays’ Goals: B. Egan 3, B. Mullane 3, J. Lonie 3, M. Rennie 2, J. Pickess, C. McCartney, A. Scott, D. Gawley, T. Lamb. Best: Z. Jones, J. Lonie, W. Hartung, J. Bastinac, D. Capiron, N. Foote.
Calder Cannons’ Goals: J. Cooke 3, J. Cauchi 3, R. O’Brien 2, J. Foster, J. Clothier, P. Ahern, T. Davies, A. Prestia, A. Christensen. Best: J. Owen, V. Carboni, J. Clothier, M. Kovacevic, P. Ahern, M. Merlo.
