Gippsland Power coach Paul Hudson directs his players during Saturday’s game at Morwell.GIPPSLAND Power started its 2006 TAC Cup campaign with a slight hiccup, going down by six points to the Dandenong Stingrays in a hardfought game on Saturday.
The win went some way to avenging Power’s emphatic win against the Stingrays in the 2005 grand final.
The Power went into the game with seven of the premiership team but had Beau Vernon and Jeff Ryan missing due to longterm injury.
Ten made their TAC Cup debuts for the Power.
The game opened with lots of pressure and neither side could get much cohesive play going.
Some excellent forwardline pressure allowed the Power to score goals to Ben Ross and Ben Hughes and then some precise and purposeful use of the ball set Jackson Hall up for another.
The Stingrays stopped the rot, got two quick ones and it was ‘game on’.
Some vision and creativity allowed Luke Webber to goal and the Power had a 13point lead at the first change.
Dandenong dictated the tempo in the early part of the third term.
Ben Ross set up Tyson Goldsack for a goal against the flow of play and it looked as if the Power had the Stingrays’ measure.
However, instead of capitalising on the good start, the Power was forced into skill and decisionmaking errors and the inexperience of its youngsters was exposed.
The Stingrays slammed on six unanswered goals to go into the long break 15 points up.
In the third term the Power seemed revitalised with Lachlan Hansen on the ball and was back to its aggressive and hardnosed best.
A goal to Ben Ross seemingly set the ball rolling, but the Stingrays replied immediately.
Tyson Goldsack and Ben Hughes gave the Power a spurt and once again it was dictating terms all over the ground.
However, the Stingrays were far from done and regained the ascendancy with a ‘soft’ major.
Ben Ross and Marc Truscio showed dazzling skills and by the end of the term the Power was six points ahead and seemed to have the answers when it mattered most.
Early in the last term both sides gave their all, but neither could break clear and it took 15 minutes for the Power to break the deadlock and set up Ben Hughes with some brilliant teamwork.
Once again the Stingrays dug deep and reduced the margin to seven points.
The Power was under pressure as inspirational skipper Rob Eddy had received an injury and battled hard to withstand yet another Stingray challenge, but was unable to respond in the dying minutes of the game.
Scores: Dandenong Stingrays 13.10.88 d Gippsland Power 12.10.82.
Goals – Power: Ben Ross 3, Marc Truscio, Tyson Goldsack and Ben Hughes 2, Jackson Hall, Kael Bergles and Luke Webber 1.
Best: Lachlan Hansen, Rick Delphine, Ben Ross and Dan McKenna.
The Power play Northern Knights at home next Saturday.
