By JARROD POTTER
ELIMINATION final.
These are two words no side wants to hear as it starts its finals campaign but the Dandenong Stingrays have no other option this season, after falling from third all the way down to seventh in the run home of the TAC Cup.
The Stingrays face the Western Jets and the last two matches have panned out well for Dandenong – conceding a three-point and 17-point loss both at home.
Dandenong coach Craig Black said there were positive signs in the Stingrays’ pair of defeats but more needed to be done with effective possession to guide Dandenong to the second round of finals.
“I think from last time we beat them in clearances and inside 50s, so if we improve our ball use it will go a long way towards taking the win,” Black said. “Obviously we’ve got to get past this week first and see how we go from there.
“If we’re playing to their capabilities we can match it with everybody – we hope on the day we can play to our strengths and win the game of footy.”
Black has mixed up his line-up in the first listed team sheet for the final, sticking AIS-AFL/Vic Country representative Tom Lamb in a back pocket and defender Jacob Weitering onto a wing.
“That’s where they’ll start – Weitering played on the wing last time against them and did all right,” Black said. “We’ve got selection tonight (Thursday) – should give us a few ideas.”
There are only three injury concerns for the Stingrays heading into the must-win final, with Tommy Glen (finger), Elliot Hunt (hip) and Gach Nyuon (knee) the only significant injuries heading into the post-season.
The emergence of Pearcedale’s Harrison Prior as a late-season call-up has impressed Black and the coaching staff enough to grant him his second game and list him at full forward as a ruck-rotation.
“Introduced a new player, Harrison Prior – he moves well as a forward/ruck and we’ll ask him to play a role – but it’s pretty good to think his second game of TAC Cup footy is going to be in the final,” Black said.
He’s a Pearcedale kid that’s been attending Peninsula – played with the boys and watched him locally and with Brett Lovett at The Peninsula School and we saw a chance.
“He’s trained with us for a couple of weeks and we gave him an opportunity.
“He’s 18 so this is his last year, but you never know with the 19-year-olds – might come back and do a pre-season with us as a 19-year-old.”
The match will likely be won in the midfield as Dandenong hard-nuts Alex Harnett, Blake Mullane and Sam Geurts try to negate the run-and-carry of Billy Myers, Dillon Viojo and Liam Duggan.
Jayden Tomkins, Aaron Wilson and Prior will be the tall targets up forward for Dandenong with crumbers Jack Lonie, Lachlan Williams and state combine invitee Bailey Dale set to continue their strong seasons in the forward line.
Stopping the Jets’ ruck-combo Mark Orr and Braden Ferrari will be a challenge for Aaron Pawel and Prior, but the lads have toiled previously and should at least chop out and make a competition for the Western force.
The elimination final kicks off at 11.30am on Sunday at Carlton’s home-ground – VISY Park.
DANDENONG STINGRAYS
B Lamb Collins Moloney
HB Homfray Kempster M. White
C Capiron Mullane Weitering
HF Williams Tomkins Lonie
F Dale Prior A. Wilson
R Pawel Fischer Geurts
INTERCHANGE (FROM): Cox Joyce Lovett Kiely K. Gray Harnett Rice Downie
