ROC hard work pays off at Starling Road

By Brad Kingsbury
STARLING Road was rocking and the smiles on the faces of long-suffering ROC supporters on Saturday night told the story of a stirring round-one win over Hampton Park.
The 28-point victory to the home side was the result of a long and arduous fitness orientated off-season under new coach Kris Fletcher.
The effort proved well worthwhile with the Kangaroos overrunning the Redbacks in the second half, booting 15 goals to nine.
Hampton Park, under the charge of Josh Taylor for the first time, looked good early with Matt Shorey and Kevin McLean creating opportunities in attack and Jim Van Elewoud, Ryan Simpson and Dean Jamieson providing plenty of drive.
The Redbacks led by 15 points at quarter time and 16 points at half-time, with both sides struggling for accuracy in front of goal.
Fletcher’s move of half-back Andrew Logan into attack in the second half proved telling.
Logan finished the day with four important goals and provided another scoring option as the Kangaroos stormed back into the game in a nine-goal-to-seven third quarter shootout.
The Kangaroos ran the game out better than their tiring opponents to record a win and set a positive tone for the 2009 season.
Fletcher said the game was scrappy early but he thought everyone was a bit eager, given it was the first game of the season.
“It was a high-pressure game and fast moving too,” he said.
“I thought our attack on the ball needed to improve at half-time, but after that we really lifted our intensity and it was good to get a win first up. It was really important for the club actually.”
Ash Comer, Ben Johnson and giant ruckman Paul Phillips were the Kangaroos’ best.
Eagles on the board
Beaconsfield began the season with a regulation 39-point win over an improved Tooradin at the Perc Alison Oval, but the Seagulls showed that the ‘easy-beat’ tag of 2008 had been disposed of in favour of competitiveness.
With both sides boasting a number of new recycled names, Tooradin hit the ground running and led by 14 points over the inaccurate Eagles at the first break.
While Beaconsfield made the most of the inclusion of youngsters Sam Benbow and Nick Smith from the VFL Bullants, it was the Seagulls, led by Paul Ray, Adam Splatt and Nyora recruit Rory Gilliatte, that looked the slicker unit.
The Eagles hit back and grabbed a 22-point lead at half-time, but that was reduced to 16 points at the last change, setting up a tense last quarter.
Tooradin would not lie down and fought strongly in the early part of the final term, before Beaconsfield’s experience through Andrew Will-iams, Kane Airdrie and Lachlan McDonald saw the home side steady and run out solid victors in the last 25 minu-tes.
Taylor was pleased with the win, but more pleased that his players came through unscathed.
“We’re all walking and with a few more games like that I think we’ll only get better,” he said.
“Tooradin has definitely improved, but so have we and so has the whole competition I think.”
“Lining up sides at the start of a season is always tricky, but a win was what we were after in the end.”
Berwick storms home
Berwick consigned its off-season off-field dramas to history and placed the focus back on football with a solid 28-point come-from-behind win over Devon Meadows at the Glover Reserve.
While the Wickers were singing their song, the result sparked a seething response from Panthers coach Steve O’Brien who locked the changeroom doors and gave his charges a blast that would have had their ears ringing long into the night.
After an even first term, the Wickers ground out to a 15-point half-time lead before the home side stormed back to lead by nine points at the final change.
Unfortunately that was the extent of it and Berwick, through midfielders Brad Miles and Adam Mott together with big-marking forwards Grant Noonan and Jason Heath, overran the Panthers with a seven-goal-to-one final term.
Devon Meadows missed the drive of Brett Armitage (overseas) across half-back and Jesse Dehey was also out of sorts after a heavy collision during the game, but O’Brien said every player needed to apply themselves for four quarters when the pressure was on – not in spasmodic bursts.
“It’s between the ears with these blokes,” he said.
“The ability is there when you kick seven goals and dominate the game for a quarter and then don’t even show up for the other three. You can’t play one quarter of football and expect to beat anyone.
“It’s disappointing, but there’s definitely a bit more depth at the club this year and I will be using that sooner rather than later.
“They’re good at talking the talk, but that’s not good enough now.”
On a positive note Scott Morrison and Aaron Henneman finished with five goals apiece, while newcomers Callum Ransom and Daniel Rigg were among the Panthers best players.