APPLYING THE BLOWTORCH

by Barry from Beach Road

Sandringham tightened its grip as VFL top dog with a near clinical ten goal demolition of the sixth placed Northern Bullants at Trevor Barker Beach Road Oval on Sunday.

The game opened in near perfect conditions which persisted for much of the day save for a brief patch of drizzle. The protagonists opened with a goal each early in the game but after that, the Zebras quickly took control of the game applying the blowtorch and booting the next eight goals. Full forward Nick Sautner was in fine form for the home side and by late in the first half, he had booted his fifth goal for the game which brought up fifty for the season and gave him a stranglehold on what should be his seventh "Frosty" Miller Medal for the competition's leading goal kicker.

By the first break Sandy had effortlessly taken a five goal lead with thanks mainly to the ruck dominance of Paul Johnson and the midfield brilliance of Shane Valenti and Peter Summers, the silky smoothness of Demon Travis Johnstone and rapidly emerging defender Jace Bode. David Gallagher was getting pretty much into the opposition faces but he took on more than he could chew when he tried the same with an umpire. To his credit he cooled off and returned to play an important role in his team's victory. The Zebras' key position strength up forward in the guise of Sautner and Rod Crowe was also instrumental in causing the visitors headaches galore and this was compounded by Ezra Poyas who bobbed up every now and then with a piece of his usual brilliance.

The Bullants' game was already shot to pieces by half time and after the break they resorted to pushing numbers behind the ball, a tactic which at least limited the final deficit to a manageable number instead of the complete blowout that was threatening at times during the afternoon.

British health authorities are worrying about foot and mouth disease at the moment but that's nothing compared with the epidemic currently being suffered at Melbourne. This has also had far reaching consequences at Sandringham where the Zebras were able to field 14 VFL listed players plus two AFL rookies (although admittedly Bode has been uplifted to full senior status for the time being as a replacement for Clint Bartram who is on the long term injury list).

This week Stefan Martin joined other relative newcomers in the team in Rennie Gilchrist, Tomi Johnson Guy Martyn, Sam Monaghan and Tom Paterakis. This exciting group of youngsters has fitted into the side like a glove and they have not let down coach Mark Williams for the faith he placed in them. The presence of 197cm Martin from Old Haileybury added another tall option to the team and he did well when going forward complementing Saunter's ultimate goal tally of seven with three of his own. Williams will also no doubt be scratching his head wondering how he can fit injured skipper Chad Liddell and a few Demon listed players if and when the injury situation improves.

The Zebras' defence held firm throughout most of the game with Chris Lamb rock solid as usual, aided by Biddlecombe, Bizzell, Bode, Monaghan and an improving Colin Garland. Together they brushed aside an undermanned Bullant forward line that relied almost solely on veteran Digby Morell and at times, a slowish Lance Whitnall.

If there was one thing that would have made coach Mark Williams unhappy about his team's performance it would have been its sloppy kicking for goal particularly after half time – something that will need to be worked upon heavily between now and the finals.

Sandringham now holds a clear two game lead over Geelong with three rounds remaining before the finals. The Zebras have the ideal build up with two of their remaining games against the sides that beat them earlier in the season and the other against the third placed Coburg Tigers in the final round. Next Sunday's game at Box Hill City Oval will provide Sandy with an opportunity to avenge the shock 15 point loss it suffered in the wet in Round 10.

HOW THE DEMONS FARED

The two Melbourne dailies contained articles about the game and neither made mention of the player who occupied a different stratosphere to the remaining 43 players on the oval. Travis Johnstone was at his silky smooth best with his deft disposal and breathtaking skills. He was off the ground by three quarter time and appeared to be nursing his recently injured foot but by then he had done untold damage to the Bullants' confidence. I suspect the foot problem was only minor and that unless that Achilles heel proves troublesome during the week, there is little doubt that he will be back in the Demon midfield on Saturday night.

Johnstone should be joined by recently uplifted rookie Jace Bode who relished the opportunity of playing with a real maestro. In that respect it was a true dress rehearsal for the youngster. We all know that the AFL with its attendant rigours is a totally different kettle of fish to the more sedate pace of the VFL but if the pair of them can replicate the instant rapport they showed on Sunday, the Doggies might be in for a surprise. Bode is a rapidly improving defender who impressed with his strong play as a link man between defence and attack. He picked up a swag of possessions and pushed forward for a nice goal. The 183cm Bode is a very balanced footballer who is now playing with confidence and finally showing why he gained All Australian selection at the 2005 Under 18 National Carnival.

On the others -

Clint Bizzell – the Biz didn't have any particularly major assignments for the day but he did go about his work quietly and unobtrusively without doing anything to suggest that a promotion to the AFL was on the cards.

Lynden Dunn- showed a lot of mobility at times but it was a hot and cold performance. When he was on fire he looked a million dollars but also had some quiet patches. Kicked a nice goal from a fair distance out in the third quarter.

Colin Garland – not a big game by any means but he was solid in a strong defence and he did what he had to do well although admittedly, it wasn't exactly a tough day at the office for him.

Chris Johnson – another who didn't have to push himself but he got plenty of the ball and generally disposed of it well although he marred his game with a couple of real shockers.

Paul Johnson – dominated the ruck but didn't have much to do around the ground until he came with a late flurry and showed great agility for one so tall.

Shane Neaves – rucked reasonably well but didn't see all that much action.

Sandringham 6.5.41 11.11.77 14.15.99 19.21.135

Northern Bullants 1.2.8 5.4.34 8.6.54 11.7.73

Goals

Sandringham Sautner 7 S Martin 3 Martyn Summers 2 Bode Crowe Dunn T Johnston Poyas

Northern Bullants Morrell 5 Teague 3 Davies Houlihan Whitnall

Best

Sandringham Valenti Bode Crowe Gallagher S Martin Biddlecombe

Northern Bullants Teague Vansittart Morrell Iacobucci Raso Crow

Reported Player J Vansittart (Bullants) reported for bumping or making forceful contact to T. Paterakis (Sandringham) in the third quarter

The Zebra reserves continued their thrust towards a finals appearance with a convincing 38-point victory over the lowly Northern Bullants brushing aside their opposition in the second quarter and sealing the game in the third. Thomas Paule made up for his lack of height with tons of strength and endeavour and was his team's best. Jake Williams and Heath Neville were solid contributors.

This week the Zebras face a must win clash against last year's premiers, the Box Hill Hawks. Vvictory this week will strengthen the team's claim to a top five place - a position secured by the win over the Bullants.

Sandringham 2.7.19 7.11.53 12.13.85 14.15.99

Northern Bullants 2.3.15 3.4.22 5.5.35 9.7.61

Goals

Sandringham Gileno 3 Hughes Paule 2 Cleeve Collyer Curcio M Johnston McKenzie Williams Zarra

Northern Bullants Colbert Dobby Fraser Grillo Hampson Harvey Longmore Nanni Siciliano

Best

Sandringham Paule Williams Neville McKenzie M Johnston A Martin

Northern Bullants Taylor Dobby Vansittart Nanni Meese Crompton