By JARROD POTTER
TAC CUP – ROUND 3
BLUDGEONING Bendigo has become a Dandenong speciality in recent years and Saturday proved no different as the hosts sent their country brethren packing in a 61-point lashing.
A nine-goal opening term effectively shut the door on Bendigo early, but the visitors didn’t plod about without reason after quarter time though.
Bendigo was well served by forward Jordan Rosengren (two goals) – who marked spectacularly across the afternoon, especially in slippery conditions – but by and large the Bendigo effort could be summed up simply – too few, not often enough.
On the Stingrays side of the ledger, a disappointing second term left the side desperate to bounce back and set the stage for its third win of the campaign.
Bendigo charged back to life before half time, slashing the margin to 24 at the main break as Dandenong’s efforts dried up.
But business as usual resumed after the half though as the Stingrays emerged from their shell once more.
A brilliant piece of link-up footy from Aaron Darling and hard-running defender Jack Doman – who sprinted from full back to the forward flank to get a handball – set up the Stingrays’ best highlight from the ‘premiership’ quarter.
While the talls flew all day – especially Tom De Koning (three goals) in an eye-opening debut from a 17-year-old – it was the Stingrays’ smalls that truly shone at Shepley Oval.
Danny Allsop continued his ascent through the TAC Cup ranks with a phenomenal five-goal haul in tandem with Sam Fowler (four goals) – as the latter has booted 11 already this season.
Allsop racked up the goals and kilometres as he intercepted marks, chased down defenders and generally terrorised anything in a Bendigo jumper inside his forward arc.
While Allsop and the like starred up forward, the defensive flankers and pockets shone just as brightly, with Narre’s Brenton Wells sinking his teeth into anything that roamed through his space. Berwick product Reece Piper finally got a big TAC Cup monkey off his back too, completing a TAC Cup match without injury and doing it emphatically with his disposal out of defence.
While not racking up the touches or the goals like his team mates, Mason de Wit was also one of the best afield for a gutsy effort down back, taking the main challenges with nominal full back Ryan Gains out for private school football.
In the end the Stingrays had answers for questions the Pioneers hadn’t even asked of them as Craig Black’s charges maintained their unbeaten start to 2016.
“Our start of the game… I wish we could start like that every week,” Black said. “We were on the boys about starting well with warm ups and leading the game and today it did.
“We were able to get the ball back into our hands and get the job done.”
With the baby Stingrays getting the job done – as Black continues to blood fresh faces throughout the start of the season – it shows the depth down at Shepley Oval as first choice outs like Josh Battle don’t halt the win streak.
“I think round one we had 12 first gamers, then three or four in round two and four more today,” Black said. “So we bring them in knowing they can do that and we expect a lot from our leaders to help bring them through.
“Happy as a program to give new kids an opportunity and you could see it today – how exciting was Tom De Koning might be?
“As a 17 year old if he can keep developing off that game this year and next year he could be quite exciting.”
With three wins and flying high in provisional first place (as of Sunday afternoon when the Journal went to print), Dandenong faces NSW/ACT Rams in a curtain-raiser at Frankston Oval on Saturday morning from 11am.
TAC CUP
DANDENONG 9.4 11.5 17.10 22.12 (144)
BENDIGO 2.2 7.5 9.7 12.11 (83)
DANDENONG Goals: D. Allsop 5, S. Fowler 4, K. Beveridge 3, T. De Koning 3, J. Doman 2, M. Poholke, C. Martello, A. Darling, N. Scagliarini, M. La Fontaine. Best Players: D. Allsop, M. DeWit, L. Gill-Renouf, C. White, T. De Koning, S. Fowler.
BENDIGO Goals: R. Saunders 4, D. Henderson 2, J. Rosengren 2, J. Thomas, Z. Norris, B. Blake, B. Robertson. Best: B. Blake, D. Henderson, J. Atley, R. Saunders, L. Wallace, J. Rosengren.
