ZEBRAS FLAG ANOTHER STRONG SEASON

[Demonland 73,140]

by Barry from Beach Road

A good crowd witnessed the unfurling of Sandringham's 2005 VFL premiership flag at a cold Trevor Barker Oval yesterday and the Zebras repaid the faithful by recording an emphatic 69 point first up victory over old rival Port Melbourne.

Sandy took a while to shake off a determined Borough side which has decided to go it alone after a couple of years' affiliation with the Kangaroos. It took until late in a short first quarter for the Zebras to hit the front despite having the advantage of the breeze but they took control in the second term to hold a handy 28 point lead at the main break. The floodgates opened in the third quarter when the home side piled on 9.8 to 2.2. with Port's second goal for the term coming from a shot after the siren.

With the game well won, Sandringham coasted in the final quarter after holding a lead of more than 14 goals to record a great start to the season as the club vies for a third successive premiership.

The victory was a tribute to the healthy association between the Melbourne and Sandringham Football Clubs and once again the contributions of players from both were on par in an excellent team effort.

Ezra Poyas relished his role across half back picking up countless possessions and was constantly moving the ball forward to his team's advantage. Rod Crowe worked hard up forward and combined well with new look slim line Nick Sautner and the bevy of midsized players who rotated on the ball and across the forward line. The most outstanding performance of the day however, was that of Demon youngster Matthew Bate who was in everything until rested for most of the final quarter. Ruckman Paul Johnson proved a headache for the Borough whether on the ball or resting and he showed great agility for such a tall man.

The Zebras underlined their strength with some solid contributions in defence from Chris Lamb, Jared Rivers, Andy Biddlecombe and Nathan Brown who provided a lot of run from out of the backline. And skipper Chad Liddell was once again an inspiration with his courage and strength. Peter Summers also put in a consistent and gutsy performance.

A couple of youngsters stood out with their efforts on the ball. Nathan Jones from the Dandenong Stingrays appears to have a glittering career in the AFL ahead of him while Zebra youngster Shane Valenti was superb in his first game after coming up from the Sandringham Dragons.

HOW THE DEMONS FARED by Whispering Jack

After watching the Melbourne Football Club open the season with two horrific defeats in the space of seven days it was satisfying to watch some of the boys actually winning the ball well, showing some solid form and dominating the opposition. Sadly, this has to be tempered by an understanding of the fact that Port Melbourne is a stand alone VFL side and is just finding its way in that capacity. We're talking light years in difference to a good AFL opponent but I was happy enough with the form of a few of the Demons to be satisfied that the selection committee will be challenged this week.

The names Bate, Brown, Jones and Rivers certainly thrust their names forward and I hope to see them all make the trip up north for Easter.

Matthew Bate - had me confused for a while because his carrot top has been replaced with a more subtle reddish brown tinge. However, he has lost none of his pace, fitness and flair. He was in everything early and picked up kicks all over the ground. His disposal and decision making were excellent.

Nathan Brown - a bit of a surprise omission from the Demon lineup (team balance?) but it wouldn't surprise if he made his way back after just one week. Set a great example for his teammates and bobbed up everywhere kicking a couple of goals as well when he ventured into attack.

Simon Buckley - a running outside player with a lot of pace and athleticism but don't be fooled - he showed at times that he has a real football brain. Could see AFL action later in the season.

Lynden Dunn - excellent work on the ground where he was agile and smart with his kicking and general play. Didn't go for any of the big marks but I've seen him in previous games and he is not bad in this area - and can be quite brilliant on a lead. Developing nicely.

Simon Godfrey - a strong robust performance but his kicking hasn't improved.

Paul Johnson - did well in the ruck and got the ball often when at ground level. Still needs to work on his contested marking and the major problem at the moment is to determine his place on the ground.

Nathan Jones started on the bench and came on in the latter stages of the first quarter when he was quiet. Early in the second quarter he received a free kick after laying a monster tackle and then was rotated off the ground. After half time it was a different story and he was super impressive with his work in the clinches, his ability to get the ball out from in close, his quick hands, his accurate disposal of the football, his tackling and his composure. In short, everything that most of the Demon midfielders are not. For mine, I'd play him at Melbourne every week for the rest of the year. He's fit for triathlons and, although football is a different sport, I think his body can handle the rough and tumble of our game at the highest level.

Shannon Motlop - got the ball a lot but tended to overuse it and wasn't anywhere near as effective as a result.

Alistair Nicholson - this is about the time of season when the selectors decide that it's time to give him a run at AFL level. He didn't do nearly enough to earn his spot but Melbourne's current backline malaise might see him back in the red and blue.

Phil Read - started with plenty of aggression and made his presence felt. Some disposal errors marred what was otherwise a fine game but he really does have a dip.

Jared Rivers - I can see why the selectors might have been hesitant to rush him back into the side last week - his elbow is still bandaged and I was worried at times when he made a few of his usual kamikaze marking attempts. He's too good for this level and Melbourne's defence has lagged badly in his absence. Bring him back!

Nick Smith - started in a real blaze and petered out. In his defence, he was thrown around between forward line, ruck and I'm sure I saw him down back at one stage but he won't replace any of Melbourne's key forwards any time soon.

Sandringham 3.2.20 8.5.53 17.13.115 21.14 140

Port Melbourne 2.3.15 3.7.25 5.9.39 10.11.71

Goals Sautner 4 Brown Dunn Gallagher Godfrey Summers Valenti 2 Bate Buckley Crowe Liddell Smith

Best Poyas Bate Brown Johnson Liddell Gallagher

RESERVES IN STYLE by The Zebra

Sandringham reserves kicked off a new VFL season at Trevor Barker Beach Road Oval in fine style with a strong win over Port Melbourne - a team that has always troubled the Zebras in the past. Newcomer Andrew Fleming from the Sandringham Dragon was impressive and won the ball well. He was ably backed up by Leigh Fletcher and Marc Johnston in the midfield. Together they fed forwards Tom Mentiplay (8 goals), Ben Holland and Danny Hughes enough times to ensure a reasonably safe victory.

The Melbourne contingent included Holland (played half a game returning from injury), Michael Newton and three of the club's rookies Hughes (also returning from injury), Shane Neaves and Andre Giafagna.

Sandringham 4.3.27 8.7.55 13.10.88 17.16 118

Port Melbourne 2.0.12 3.4.22 6.7.43 11.11.77

Goals Mentiplay 8 Hughes 3 Holland Johnston 2 Gianfagna Paule

Best Mentiplay Holland Fleming Johnston Corp McGettigan

More reports and photographs on the Sandringham Football Club website http://www.sandringhamfc.com.au/