By JARROD POTTER
DANDENONG Stingrays changed their previous fortunes against the Gippsland Power – snapping a three-year losing streak with an emphatic eight-point win.
The Stingrays failed to strike with the wind – kicking only five goals with the major advantage in the first and third quarter combined – to have a two-point lead going into the last term.
Yeats tried a few different things to generate a victory.
With two men down at the final change – Mitch White (ankle) and Brady Egan (knee) – Yeats swung a few of his best around to generate more overlap run.
Midfielder Billy Hartung was put behind the ball and roved the half-back line like a seasoned general and rising star Daniel Capiron also took to the defensive end and reaped the rewards.
Both sides tackled with their lives on the line – Stingrays trio Hartung (nine), Zak Jones (eight) and Nathan Foote (seven) clamped onto anything that went past, as did Power’s Alex Carr (nine), Aaron Heppell (eight) and Garfield’s Eddie Morris (seven).
Jack Soroczynski, threatening all day in the forward arc, put the first major in the ledger for the quarter to extend the lead.
James Harmes kicked the next goal in the fourth – in a 20-possession standout game for the Devon Meadows midfielder.
Power forward Josh Scott stemmed the Stingrays’ rampage with a goal against the flow, his fourth of the match, but the Power could only generate another major, kicked through by Connor Ambler, to fall short.
Four opportunities were converted only into behinds as Gippsland failed to seize initiative back from Dandenong.
Capiron booted the decider – running into the forward-50 and let fly with a cannon that sailed through the uprights.
The siren went with the ball in Dandenong debutant Keegan Downie’s hands – kicking a point after the siren to give the Stingrays an 11.14 (80) to 10.12 (72) win.
“Couple of men down at three-quarter-time and they looked like they were doing it tough as well – ’cause it was a pretty hard fought game,” Yeats said.
“We seemed to have a bit more energy and a bit of run in the last quarter.
“I don’t think it was a fluke that we won, but either side had their chances and we were lucky enough to be in front at the end.”
Yeats praised his defenders and inside midfield brigade – especially Zak Jones for his “hardness around the ball” and captain Nathan Foote who was “excellent across half back all day”.
In its biggest test this season, Dandenong heads to Victoria Park on Saturday to play ladder-leader and short-priced TAC Cup favourite Geelong Falcons – with Yeats wanting the Stingrays to challenge the top seeds in the lead-up to finals.
“We’d much rather play the good teams in the lead up to finals to get a good understanding of where we’re at,” Yeats said.
“And I think we’re realistic – we don’t think we’re a world-beating team, but we’ve won five in a row and we’re in decent form.
“Don’t know what that means in relation to next week and beyond, but I would’ve thought we’d get a bit of confidence out of today.”
DANDENONG STINGRAYS 3.5 5.5 8.12 11.14 (80)
GIPPSLAND POWER 0.2 5.8 8.8 10.12 (72)
DANDENONG STINGRAYS Goals: D. Capiron 2, J. Lonie 2, C. McCartney 2, M. Rennie, J. Harmes, B. Egan, J. Soroczynski, J. Bastinac. Best: Z. Jones, N. Foote, D. Capiron, D. Kempster, R. Marks-Logan, C. McCartney.
GIPPSLAND POWER Goals: J. Scott 4, E. Morris, J. Cashman, L. Channing, C. Ambler, L. Webb, B. Kearns. Best: A. Heppell, D. Keilty, J. Hammond, A. Wallace, C. Ambler, J. Scott.
