By Jarrod Potter
TAC CUP – ROUND 17
WHAT should have been an impressive battle between two high-flying TAC Cup sides turned into yet another scoreline that should worry anyone that faces Dandenong.
Even with first choice names – father-son pair Bailey Rice and Jake Lovett – both testing their mettle in the VFL, the Stingrays’ line-up continued to grow stronger with the reintroduction of its schoolboys’ players.
Throwing in two All Australians down back and a 2016 AFL Academy candidate into the forward mix, the Stingrays found yet another gear in its pursuit of an inaugural TAC Cup premiership.
Putting to bed the hoodoo of goal kicking that plagued facets of its 2015 campaign, Dandenong put those errors to bed with an emphatic 15.6 (96) to 7.12 (54) goal kicking clinic.
It was not just one player to stand up and shine in the forward arc though as Josh Battle (three goals) combined with tall tandem Harry Prior and Travis Young (two goals apiece) as adeptly as the ground-running goal-sneaks Shannon Gladman and Zak Roscoe.
Dandenong had to work to shake off Oakleigh though, as the first term lay in the balance before a Stingrays’ barrage took hold.
Gladman split his best work between winning aerial and terrestrial contested possession as the margin started to balloon.
Dandenong’s chase-down tackling pressure had Oakleigh questioning every possession and the likes of Battle, Brandon White and Mitch Cox to sink the claws into anyone who tried to stroll past.
It led to a 49-point buffer by the end of the third term it was and threatened to completely show up Oakleigh and the finals double-chance it was working hard to maintain.The Chargers held court through the final term and put away some of the issues that cost them dearly through the first three stanzas, but the damage was already done.
A Battle free kick and ensuing 50-metre penalty allowed the Haileybury/Doveton prospect to slot the final goal and help the Rays push the winning streak out to five on the trot.
“Really happy with that – Oakleigh has been a really good footy team most years and seem to beat us,” Dandenong coach Craig Black said. “The first quarter was scrubby – both teams were putting on a lot of pressure – but we settled well in the second and third and our pressure allowed us to absorb theirs and resulted in us getting a bit cleaner footy.”
Black was impressed with the return from his returning forward Battle and thought across the board the forward group’s tenacity put the Stingrays at an amazing advantage.
“Josh kicked three goals, but as a coaching group we’re just as excited to see that chase-down tackle that allowed one of those goals and the forward pressure was just as good,” Black said.
Dandenong’s victory helps maintains its second place in the competition – still hunting down North Ballarat who has a one match break – but guarantees the Shepley Oval boys get the double chance.
“We think we’ve got a really strong list this year and because people are fighting for positions, everyone is hungry,” Black said. “Even if we’re up by two or three goals people are hungry for their spot – it’s not just about kicking goals, but playing their role and if they keep doing that it makes it tough for us at selection.”
The Rays head out to Burbank Oval on Sunday morning to face the Western Jets in its second last TAC Cup home and away clash of 2015.
The first quarter was marred by TAC Cup debutant Reece Piper being rushed to hospital with suspected back fractures, after he accidentally slammed head-first into the boundary-line fence.
TAC CUP SCOREBOARD
DANDENONG STINGRAYS 2.2 7.3 14.4 15.6 (96)
OAKLEIGH CHARGERS 1.2 2.5 5.9 7.12 (54)
DANDENONG STINGRAYS Goals: J. Battle 3, S. Gladman 3, Z. Roscoe 3, H. Prior 2, T. Young 2, L. Batten, K. Mutimer. Best: D. Capiron, B. White, M. Cox, L. Williams, G. Nyuon, H. Prior.OAKLEIGH CHARGERS Goals: D. Johnstone 2, D. Cuningham, K. Answerth, C. Lane, B. Crocker, P. Phillips. Best: M. Wenn, M. Jackson, D. Johnstone, K. Answerth, L. Walker, C. Lane.
