Stingrays coach Graeme Yeats dicusses tactics with his young charges in the rooms before the game.THE Dandenong Southern Stingrays suffered a second bad loss in a row when comprehensively outplayed to the tune of 68 points by the Northern Knights, the justifiable flag favorites, in the TAC Cup in the roundthree clash at Preston City Oval.
Kicking into a three to fourgoal breeze, the Stingrays were outscored by 33 points and managed a solitary goal to the Knights’ six and went into the first change with some hope as their firstterm form had not been as bad as the score indicated.
Solid efforts from midfielders James Magner, Nick Bateman, Pas Saccuzzo, Logan Hill and Luke Clark kept pumping the ball forward but it was only Matt Robinson who looked dangerous in the forward line.
The second quarter was the best term for the Stingrays as they started to get cohesion in their play. Robinson was dominating across halfforward and kicked four goals for the first half, Logan Hill had the better of the Knights’ star play maker Ryan Anderson and Magner and Bateman went under packs to win hard possessions.
Four goals six and a couple out on the full was not a fair return for the effort of the Stingrays, while they held the ladder leaders to a solitary goal.
In the third quarter the Knights stepped up a gear and applied tough, hard physical pressure. The Knights kicked 6.9 to the Stingrays’ two points and the threequarter time lead of nine goals had put the game out of the Stingrays’ reach.
Another five goals by the Knights to the Stingrays’ three blew the margin out to 68 points.
Coach Graeme Yeats said postmatch that he had expected much more from his bigger players. He said noone stood up to the physical challenges of the Knights’ big men and this lack of physicality was costly.
This Sunday the Stingrays travel to Deakin Reserve, Shepparton to take on the Murray Bushrangers.
Scores: Knights 18.18.126 d Stingrays 8.10.58.
Goals: Matt Robinson 5, Pas Saccuzzo, Russell Gabriel, James Magner 1.
Best: Matt Robinson, Logan Hill, Nick Bateman, Luke Clark, James Magner, Pas Saccuzzo.
