Jake Calvert put one last hanger against his name at the Dandenong Stingrays in their semi final loss to Oakleigh. 86991 Picture: JARROD POTTER
By JARROD POTTER
DANDENONG couldn’t hold back the surging Oakleigh Chargers – knocked out of the finals with a 46-point loss.
Dandenong came into the match sporting a high-calibre injury list – Nathan Wright (hamstring) and Billy Rolfe (dislocated knee) were unable to take the field with Taylor Garner (shoulder) still recovering from reconstructive surgery.
The match started badly for Dandenong as the Chargers piled on four early goals through Tom Cutler, Sam Raru, Jackson Macrae and Ryan Exon
A crumbing goal stabiliser to Cranbourne’s Clay McCartney kept the Stingrays in the chase before Oakleigh kicked their fifth – Ned Walmsley was hit lace out within the forward fifty and converted the opportunity.
Jake Calvert (Narre Warren) and James Harmes (Devon Meadows) found some space in the pocket and hit up Jason Pongracic (Kooweerup), who slotted Dandenong’s second goal on the quarter time siren.
Coach Graeme Yeats asked for more poise from his team at quarter time– with too many double touch attempts on the ball and not enough physicality costing the Stingrays on the scoreboard and on the stat-sheet.
Oakleigh out-possessed Dandenong by over 100 – the Chargers had 384 possessions for the match and used every one of those to their benefit.
The Chargers engine-room – Raru, Jack Billings and Luke McDonald – generated touches seemingly as will, while Dandenong couldn’t create the same output.
Despite Oakleigh’s high-possession and high tempo game, Dandenong held firm in the second term, kicking goals through 17-year-olds Billy Hartung and Angus Scott.
Oakleigh’s run-and-carry troops were able to slip out of every Dandenong tackle, but couldn’t make them pay on the scoreboard with the margin only increased to 21 points at the major break.
Yeats threw his first gamble in the third term – Matt Rennie was switched with Ryan Morrison to try a different forward-defence mix, but the Chargers found an extra gear.
Six goals to two from Oakleigh blasted the margin out to 46 points at the final break.
The final quarter seemed to mirror the fortunes of last week’s capitulation against Gippsland.
Dandenong fought to restrict the margin – goals to Pongracic, Ryan Marks-Logan, Matt Rennie and Ryan Morrison kept the match in check at the final change.
Pongracic kept chugging away through the midfield and up forward all match while the key defencemen Marks-Logan, Tyle Williams and Rob Hill can claim minor victories.
Oakleigh will face the North Ballarat Rebels with the winner of that match squaring off against either the Gippsland Power or Sandringham Dragons in the TAC Cup grand final, to be played at Etihad Stadium on Sunday 23 September as the curtain-raiser to the VFL grand final.
Dandenong Stingrays 2.1 4.2 6.3 10.9 (69)
Oakleigh Chargers 5.3 7.5 13.7 18.7 (115)
Dandenong Stingrays GOALS
J. Pongracic 2, C. McCartney 2, R. Marks-Logan, A. Scott, J. Calvert, M. Rennie, R. Morrison, W. Hartung.
BEST
J. Pongracic, R. Hill, R. Marks-Logan, J. Harmes, T. McGenniss, N. Foote
Oakleigh Chargers Goals
K. Jaksch 4, E. Walmsley 3, R. Exon 3, J. Billings 2, J. Kennedy-Harris 2, J. MacRae, T. Cutler, A. Franetic, S. Raru.
BEST
R. Exon, L. McDonald, K. Nolan, J. MacRae, C. Prowse, K. Jaksch
