By ROY WARD
DINGLEY was running in quicksand in the first term against Clayton on Saturday but by full time the Dingoes were walking on sunshine.
The Dingoes came back from 35 points down at the first change to beat the Magpies by 51 points in their Southern Football League division 1 clash and in the process move to within one win of securing a finals berth.
In the opening term nothing went to plan for the Dingoes. They couldn’t win the football nor find their men as the Magpies repeatedly spread themselves across the field and pelted the ball into their forward line. Aaron Purves and Chris Morrison were especially damaging.
But the Dingoes must have found some boot polish during coach Shane Morwood’s quarter-time talk.
They showed a clean pair of heels to the Magpies, getting back within 17 points at half-time then kicking themselves into the lead by three-quarter time, thanks to an after-the-siren goal from Daniel Turcurelli.
The Clays kicked the opening goal of the last term but the Dingoes broke free from that point onwards. Ben Arnold’s goal midway through the term took their lead past three goals before a flurry of late majors extended the margin.
After the game, Morwood was full of praise for his players but warned they had to continue to win the contested football to stay competitive with other finals teams.
“This team is a very fit side and physically strong as well, so I didn’t doubt how we would finish,” he said.
“They really dug in and after Clayton kicked that first goal in the last term anyone could have won it, but we kept running and to finish like we did was excellent.”
Luke Walmsley, Steve Vinen, Marcus Freeman and Arnold were among the Dingoes’ best, with their defence and midfield leading the charge.
Winning the contest for the ball remains the No. 1 objective for the Dingoes, at least in Morwood’s eyes. “Our run is a secondary thing. We have to win the contested football first. That is the key for any side who wants to be successful.
“You could see today at quarter time that our boys were stuffed because they had been chasing all quarter. But when we were winning the ball then we could run, and when we do that we can beat anyone.”
Morwood said his side had to start better in their matches from here on.
“Next match we have St Paul’s and we can’t give them a start like we did today,” he said.
“I could see the boys weren’t switched but there wasn’t much you could do. But the boys turned it around after quarter time.”
In division 2, Springvale Districts lost by nine points to Bentleigh in coach Clint Einsiedel’s 300th game.
SFL division 1: East Brighton 56 points, 212.34 per cent; Chelsea Heights 48, 145.71; Cheltenham 40, 167.69; St Paul’s 40, 133.57; Dingley 36, 123.40; St Kilda City 28, 103.24; Clayton 24, 88.27; Highett 12, 73.58; Heatherton 12, 49.77; Mordialloc 4, 37.25.
