SLOW START SINKS SANDY

[Demonland 70,236]

by Barry from Beach Road

Sandringham suffered its third successive defeat on Sunday when it lowered its colours to the Werribee Tigers by a solitary goal in blustery conditions at Chirnside Park, Werribee.

The hosts got off to a flying start with the assistance of the wind and they scored by five goals to nil in the opening quarter to lead by 32 points at the first break. From there, the Zebras were forced to play catch up football all day and, despite narrowing the gap in every succeeding quarter, they were still short by a goal at the final siren.

Sandy wore their clash colours and had Jeff White in the ruck as proceedings opened. He got his hands to the ball first in the early ruck contests but it was Werribee that was easily winning the clearances in the opening minutes of the game. The Zebras' skills were well below par, they had few winners and they simply couldn't hit a target in a poor start to the game.

The exceptions were Adem Yze and youngster Cale Morton who won plenty of the early ball but lacked support from their team mates. Forward Michael Newton, on return from injury and a stint in the reserves, was marking well but he had trouble converting on the scoreboard as Sandringham struggled with their slow start.

Things started to turn around slowly for the Zebras who had the aid of the breeze in the second term and it was Morton who kicked a lovely goal form a long way out to really get things moving. Sandy was still getting good service from White in the ruck who also received valuable support from John Meesen at this stage. Yze was everywhere and Newton was still marking strongly but not converting and the Zebras were moving the ball much better and getting great run off half back. With Nick Sautner back in the goals, the visitors finished the opening half full of running, kicking the 4 goals 1 behinds in the last ten minutes to narrow the deficit from 35 points to just ten at the main break.

The Tigers regained control in the early part of the third quarter but had a lot of trouble converting and managed only 2 goals 6 for the term. As the quarter went on there appeared to be a shift in momentum as the Sandy back line began to get on top. James Frawley was playing well on the dangerous James Podsiadly, Nathan Carroll took control of his opponent and Ricky Petterd, returning from a long lay off, also started to give some good run.

As the quarter went on, Chad Liddell was doing a lot of hard work in the middle of the ground and Sandy plugged away at reducing the Werribee lead. Saunter and Newton were providing good targets up forward but the loss of Ezra Poyas to a hamstring injury robbed the Zebras of a valuable player and they definitely missed his run and leadership. Despite this, the Zebras appeared well placed at the final change when they trailed by only 8 points and there was a strong sense of belief in the Sandringham huddle at ¾ time. With the breeze at their team’s backs, the fans smelled tiger blood.

Sandringham definitely had its opportunities to win the game but a silly free kick and a resulting 50 metre penalty given away by Meesen proved costly. The Zebras fought the game right out with White winning the ruck, Yze bringing his own ball (he finished with 37 possessions), Liddell still doing the hard work and young Morton showing some silky skills. Saunter and Newton were proving a handful in the twin forward posts but the high flying Newton let himself and his team down with an inaccurate 2 goals five behinds. Rod Crowe was creative at times and skipper Peter Summers worked hard for the Zebras who introduced another newcomer in Jake Williams.

Although the Zebras came close in the end, they probably did not deserve to win as their first quarter effort was poor and their performance on the day was generally patchy. The team needs to regroup as its season is on the line over the next fortnight with games against leading sides North Ballarat (away) and Williamstown.

HOW THE DEMONS FARED

The following are quotes from Sandringham coach Andy Lovell which appear in his Player Review on the Melbourne Football Club website:-

Daniel Bell - "played a really good game at half back. He beat his man and had 23 possessions. He was really strong and physical in his attack on the ball. He ran hard and gave us some good drive and rebound off half back. In his first game back, he had a really positive impact."

Nathan Carroll - "had a poor first quarter, but after quarter time, he was rock solid. He had 18 possessions, and played at full back on Leigh Brown. This was also his first game back after missing with suspension, and overall, he played a really solid game. "

James Frawley - "was solid for us down back. His opponent kicked one goal on him. He did turn the ball over a little bit with his kicking, but defensively he was really solid."

Michael Newton -"was really lively. He showed speed and led up really hard, taking 13 marks, which was a great effort. Unfortunately, he kicked the ball poorly, with two goals, five behinds and two out on the full. He did however, have 11 one percenters and six tackles. Three of our goals came directly from his forward line pressure. This was a really encouraging game for Michael, because he was back to the intensity and capabilities that we all know he possesses."

Ricky Petterd - "this was his first senior game, and he played at half back. In the first quarter, he gave his man a lot of room and got led up to the ball. In the second half, he tightened up and played one-on-one football. He finished the game by beating his man, and was really strong and hard at the ball. He did turn the ball over and could have used it better, but overall it was certainly a positive first game back for him. "

Tom McNamara - "played his second game of fooball at the senior level. He played at half back and was much improved. He beat his man one-on-one, and had 13 possessions, but he didn’t run to create as much as we would have liked. However, he is still learning the game and trying to find his feet. Tom looked calm under pressure, and showed that he is a good decision maker."

John Meesen - "struggled to have an impact on the game. His used the ball all right without being super. He just has to get his hands on the ball more and use his major strength, which is running. He also has to physically impose himself on the game more. He disappointingly gave away a 50 metre penalty late in the game that really hurt the team, and this was unfortunate. "

Cale Morton - "again, Cale got lot of the ball with 28 possessions. He played on a wing, and played as a midfielder through centre bounces. He had seven one percenters, which was a real improvement and that’s been an area of the game which has been a focus for him. In an average team performance, Cale was a good contributor."

Jeff White - "dominated the ruck. He had 23 possessions, taking seven marks and linking up well around the ground. He had a great attitude and was thoroughly professional in his approach. Jeff won a lot of respect through his actions on Sunday."

Adem Yze - "won plenty of the ball and impacted the game with 34 possessions. He did turn the ball over and kicked it poorly at times. Otherwise, he could have had a bigger, more positive impact on the game, but he didn’t use the ball as well as he normally does. He still competed hard."

Sandringham 0.2.2 6.3.39 9.5.59 13.9.87

Werribee Tigers 5.4.34. 7.7.49 9.13.67 13.15.93

Goals

Sandringham Sautner 4 Lamb Newton 2 Bell Morton Poyas Summers Yze

Werribee Tigers Brown 3 Henderson Podsiadly McMahon 2 Chisholm Davies Sheringham Young

Best

Sandringham Yze Newton Liddell Crowe Frawley White

Werribee Tigers Goldstein Thompson Davies Greenwood Howard Ross

The reserves had a strong victory over the Werribee Tigers in a curtain raiser that saw the return of David Gallagher after a knee injury and a handy debut by a youngster who looks to have a great future in Jack Grimes who captained the Victorian Under 18’s last year. Guy Martyn starred with six goals in a dynamic performance for the Zebras. He received great support from tough youngster Kyle Cheney, Marc Johnston and Sam Monaghan put in another fine performance.

HOW THE DEMONS FARED

More quotes from Sandringham coach Andy Lovell which appear in his Player Review on the Melbourne Football Club website:-

Kyle Cheney - "was close to being best on ground, playing across half back and in the midfield. Obviously he got demoted from the seniors, but went back to the reserves and really impacted the game. He rebounded hard off half back, he marked the ball well, and he also used it pretty well. He also showed some intensity and speed, which is what we have asked him to do."

Jack Grimes - " This was his first game for the Club, and first for the year. Jack played off half back and in the midfield, collecting 18 possessions in only one half of football. He was really poised and showed he is a good decision maker. He had time and space when he had the ball, and used it pretty well. It was a really encouraging performance first up, and the kid showed that he had a bit of class. Physically, he pulled up well afterwards, which was good. "

Addam Maric - "played at half back, which was part of his development to gain a better understanding of opponent accountability. He needs to be able to play on a man, beat him and then win the ball. He had 33 possessions off half back, which was very good. He still did struggle a little bit playing super tight on his man, but it was a really good learning curve for him. His attitude was also really positive. He went back and worked hard on his game, rebounding and using the ball really well."

Isaac Weetra - "had 16 touches, and was a lot more positive again. His workrate was right up there, and his repeat efforts were better. He is looking increasingly confident and assured in his game. He is just starting to work a bit harder, and is getting his hands on the ball."

Sandringham 5.2.32 9.11.65 12.14.86 19.18.132

Werribee Tigers 3.1.19 3.2.20 7.5.47 8.10.58

Goals

Sandringham Martyn 6 Hardiman Kondarovskis 3 Weetra 2 Cheney Cleeve Fleming M Johnston Monaghan

Werribee Tigers Jackel 2 Bloomfield Mahoney O'Brien Sharp Thompson Wormald

Best

Sandringham Martyn Cheney M Johnston Gribbin Hardiman Monaghan

Werribee Tigers Sharp Hudson Palmer Magnabosco Zerafa Mahoney

Reported

Werribee Tigers J. Palmer for tripping

Sandringham Nil