DANDENONG STINGRAYS
MID SEASON REVIEW
With no games played over the weekend with the TAC Cup having a bye for Development Round, NICK CREELY has cast his eye over the first eight rounds of the season for the Stingrays, as 2017 reaches its halfway point.
LADDER POSITION: 6th (4-4)
BEST AND FAIREST: No player has relished more midfield time than Mitch Cotter, who is a contested ball animal and one that loves to lay a bone crunching tackle. The 17-year-old from Doveton has carried the Rays’ midfield brigade, and flourished with more responsibility. Cotter has played every game so far this season, averaging around the 20 disposal mark. More importantly, his tackle numbers have been enormous, with an average of almost six per game. Angus Patterson – the tall key defender – has also been excellent, and would be a close second at this stage of the year.
BEST INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE: In Round 4 against Sandringham at Frankston Park, draft prospect Hunter Clark played a colossal of a game in a losing side. The midfielder racked up 25 disposals, seven tackles but, more importantly, kicked two goals laced with class. Just before three-quarter-time, Clark streamed out of the centre, shrugged two tackles and a launched a brilliant 60 metre kick straight through the goals. He then backed it up with a clever snap only minutes into the last quarter. He showed exactly why he will be on an AFL list in 2018.
LEADING GOALKICKER: Jai Nanscawen (14)
SURPRISE PACKET: Developing forward Riley D’Arcy may be out with injury at the moment, but he has sure made an impression this season, and out of relative obscurity. After playing a handful of games as a bottom ager in 2016, D’Arcy has begun the 2017 season in brilliant form – in just six games so far, he has scored 12 goals. More importantly, he kicked four goals in a near best-on performance for Vic Country in the second trial game.
BEST TEAM PERFORMANCE: With their backs against the wall in what was almost a mini final, the Stingrays finally found their mojo in Round 8, crushing Eastern Ranges by 63-points at Shepley Oval. With the prospect of heading into the weekend’s bye with a 3-5 record, the Rays flicked the switch and played a tough, relentless brand of football. After taking a narrow three-point lead into quarter time, the Rays kicked six goals in the matter of 15 minutes to steal the game away in one foul swoop. Sturdy midfielder Mitch Cotter (24 disposals, 12 tackles) was among the best, while rangy half back Mason De Wit (31 disposals) was a nightmare for the Ranges.
WORST TEAM PERFORMANCE: Although Round 6 broke the hearts of the Rays with a nailbiting three-point loss to Northern Knights after leading until the final moments, at least it was competitive. The very next round, the Oakleigh Chargers blew the Rays away in a dominant 89-point win and just never looked likely. Although they were missing a large chunk of their cavalry, the performance was a disappointing one, but a game that Craig Black and his side learnt a lot from, as shown by their performance the very next week.
WHAT HAS GONE WRONG? Although it is inevitable with all the TAC Cup clubs, more often than not the Rays haven’t had their best players available, and that has caused a spike in performance. The Rays’ two most lucrative players – Oscar Clavarino and Luke Davies-Uniacke – have been caught up with school football commitments, and only played one game each. Adding to this, some overages (Bailey Morrish and Mason De Wit) have had the chance to make their VFL debuts. Although this is a positive for the club in getting games into others and phasing these players into elite football, it is the main reason they have been inconsistent.
WHAT HAS GONE RIGHT? With a number of players missing, a lot have stepped up and showed immense promise. Cotter and Patterson are the two who have relished their chances the most, but others such as Will Hamill, Lachlan Young, Ali Zijai and Dylan Morris are all exciting. With Craig Black getting games into these kids, the results will slowly turn in a positive trajectory after the bye.
