By Jonty Ralphsmith
It was another case of what could have been for Talent League team Dandenong Stingrays on Sunday.
The Stingrays boys went down to Gippsland 11.14 80 to 7.14 56 in the ‘wildcard’ round of the finals which has seen them eliminated.
Nick Cox’s side had the wind in the first quarter and had the better of Gippsland but, for the second consecutive week, was unable to convert the ascendancy onto the scoreboard.
Bottom-aged players Cooper Hynes and Harvey Langford had likeable moments, but the Stingrays trailed by three points at the first break, opened up on transition and beaten in the midfield.
Ahead on the scoreboard and with the wind on their backs, Gippsland played with freedom in the second quarter and extended the lead to 24 points, the Rays always playing catch up from there.
Midway through the third quarter, the Rays were able to tighten the screws and lift their intensity, closing to within two goals.
Berwick product Riak Andrew had an enormous 10-minute patch, taking four intercept marks and laying a big tackle in defence to allow Dandenong to continue pressing.
Talismanic skipper Cooper Simpson scored two goals at crucial junctures, including one from stoppage in the third quarter to keep the Rays within touching distance.
The Stingrays brought pressure all day, but their corridor usage and chained ball movement made them much more dangerous in the third quarter.
But, trailing by 13 points and needing to kick against the wind in the final quarter, the task proved too difficult.
Gippsland kicked two goals in the first two minutes, and while Dandenong was doughty and much more opportunistic when the game was on the line, they left their run too late.
The 24-point final margin, extended by a goal due to an ill-discipline double 50 metre penalty when the Rays realised the game was over, belied how tight it felt until the final four minutes.
With quick midfielders Billy Wilson and Harry DeMattia and defender Kobe Shipp leading the go-at-all costs mantra, they gave themselves every opportunity given the predicament they found themselves in.
Shipp had an enthralling duel with Zane Duursma, both players having strong games, with top-10 lock Duursma kicking three goals and Shipp collecting 25 disposals to make himself an important rebounding ingredient.
Lively forward Coren Gilliam finished the day with his arm in a sling which left the Stingrays down a rotation.
Meanwhile, the girls won the final game of their home-and-away season, reversing the early season loss against Geelong with a 10.8 68 to 4.2 26 win.
The Falcons lead by 11 points at quarter time, kicking four of the first five goals, but did not manage another one for the rest of the afternoon.
Led by three goals each to Sophie Butterworth and Abbey Tregellis (24 disposals), and productive games to Mikayla Williamson, Nikita Harris and Stella Rogers, Dandenong was able to run over the top of Geelong.
The Rays will kick off their finals campaign this week against GWV, which they will be favoured to win.
