By Jonty Ralphsmith
Devon Meadows winger Toby Sinnema was the hero for Dandenong on Saturday as the Stingrays ran out 12.7 79 to 10.13 73 victors over GWV at Mars Stadium.
Forced to claw their way back from behind three times in the last quarter, Sinnema gave the Stingrays the lead with three minutes to go.
His shot on the run was kicked in strikingly similar fashion to a couple he nailed for Devon Meadows’ senior side last weekend in its win over Chelsea.
It’s the highlight of a solid start to the Stingrays season patrolling the wings, for the Vic Country U16s representative.
The Stingrays followed a tight first half with a disappointing third quarter, trailing by six at the last change which set the scene for a thrilling climax.
Noah Hibbins-Hargreaves continued his clutch goal-scoring, opening the Rays’ account a minute into the last quarter, levelling the scores as they looked to run over the top of the hosts.
The Rays and Rebels traded goals throughout the last quarter, with Henry Hayes and Cooper Hynes the goal scorers for the visitors before Sinnema’s sealer.
Hynes finished with 35 disposals, with his strength and power both features, while Harvey Langford was also industrious.
Overaged key position player Jordan Doherty was the clear standout for the Stingrays, collecting 27 possessions to go with six marks, eight hitouts and a goal.
His skills and calmness are excellent for a player of his size and he offered an option down the line all day.
Charlie Orchard had some important one on one wins in defence throughout the day to continue his strong form; Berwick’s Kane Hurst got involved in counterattack on several occasions; bottom-aged player Tyson Anic played his best game for the club; and Harry Doughton kicked two crucial set shots.
Meanwhile, the girls were eventually able to shrug off a gallant GWV outfit 8.6 54 to 1.4 10.
It took until the 11-minute mark of the second quarter for the first goal of the game to be scored via Dandenong forward Evelyn Connolly, but the Rays had most of the momentum throughout the first half.
Zoe Besanko got another soon thereafter, with the Stingrays going into halftime leading by seven points.
After two goals to zip in the third quarter, debutante Georgia Goss was the beneficiary of a clean centre clearance to start the last which effectively sealed the result.
Running and tackling machine Nikita Harris finished with a mind boggling 22 tackles for the Stingrays reflecting the high pressure her team brought.
After averaging eight tackles as a bottom-aged outside player last year, she has moved into the midfield this year and thrived, averaging 11 tackles and able to release teammates.
