A firstquarter blitz and a disciplined second half from ROC seniors saw them record a comfortable 55point victory against Cranbourne on Saturday.
Callum White dominated the first quarter with four goals as the Kangaroos took a sixgoal lead into quarter time after winning most of the first term centre clearances. The second quarter however belonged to Cranbourne who took control of the centre and shut down ROC’s running game as they pegged back the Kangaroos’ lead to a point at the long break.
The third quarter again belonged to the Kangaroos as they retained their focus on the ball, while lapses in discipline cost Cranbourne dearly in terms of free kicks.
ROC kicked four goals nine behinds for the quarter, while keeping the opposition to just two points. ROC’s composure under pressure laid the foundations for an exciting final quarter as Cranbourne set itself to kick to the scoring end of the ground. Unfortunately the lack of discipline continued to cost Cranbourne, as the Kangaroos took control of the play and continually shut down opposition forward moves.
Scores: ROC 16.13.109 d Cranbourne 8.6.54. Goals – ROC: C. White 5, K. Quinn 2, N. Phillips, A. Young, D. de Jong, D. Main, D. Blake, T. White, B. Waite and B. Jones, 1. Best – ROC: Ben Waite, Brad Jones, Clint Williams, Callum White and Anthony Young.
RESERVES
A poor first quarter cost ROC early against Cranbourne as it spent the remainder of the game playing catchup football.
Trailing by eight goals at quarter time, the Kangaroos eventually went down by 22 points. After the lethargic first quarter, the Kangaroos began to back their judgement and take a few risks as they tried to peg back Cranbourne’s big lead. Clint Scott was outstanding on the wing and after a slow first quarter Nick McLennan began to gain plenty of effective possessions around the stoppages. With experienced players Matthew Castricum and Kable Dowsett leading the way and Matthew James repelling many attacks, ROC began to take control. The firstquarter lapse proved too much however and Cranbourne hung on for a win.
Scores: Cranbourne 13.14.92 d ROC 10.10.70. Goals – ROC: K. Dowsett, C. Scott 2, C. Glen, S. Marchetti, D. Johnson, C. Tucker, M. Castricum, S. McIntyre, 1. Best – ROC: N. McLennan, C. Scott, S. Marchetti, M. James, K. Dowsett.
UNDER 18
A powerful display from Cranbourne kept the young Kangaroos scoreless in a onesided game.
Superior skills and teamwork from Cranbourne coupled with ROC’s lack of fitness or commitment made for a disappointing day for coach Brad Snooks.
He reiterated to the team that commitment both to training and their team mates is the only thing that will lift them from their current slump. The scoreline at the final siren read Cranbourne
Scores: Cranbourne 21.20.146 d ROC 0.0.0. Best – ROC: Daniel Glen, Brendan Graham, Brodie Glen, Daniel McDonald and Jayden Vaka. The Bubba’s Pizza Pakenham awards went to Daniel Glen and Glen Marshall.
