By Paul Pickering
Stingrays’ defender Jarryd Amalfi was best-on-ground in his side’s victory over Eastern Ranges on Saturday. 29207 Picture: Stewart Chambers
DANDENONG broke into the TAC Cup’s top four with an impressive 40-point victory over Eastern Ranges at Shepley Oval on Saturday.
The Ranges went into the game undefeated after four rounds and unbeaten in first quarters, but it was the Stingrays who looked hungrier from the outset.
Despite the promising early signs – including two classy goals from skipper Ryan Bastinac – the Stingrays were unable to capitalise on their ascendancy, booting 2.7 in the first term to trail by two points at the break.
But Dandenong’s midfield pressure became too much for the Ranges in the second and the result was seven-goal stanza for the home side.
Dominant big man Levi Casboult became a magnetic force up forward, kicking two for the quarter and contesting strongly to create goals for the likes of Will Petropoulos and Matt Shaw.
The Rays took a 20-point lead into the main interval and never looked like relenting in the second half.
The visitors won plenty of the ball through the middle, but it invariably came back just as quickly as Dandenong backmen Jarryd Amalfi and Dylan Roberton turned defence into attack.
Amalfi was best-on-ground in his role at centre half-back, while Roberton collected 24 possessions on the rebound.
The Rays had contributors all over the ground, with Casboult and Mitch Hallahan up front, Bastinac, James Hallahan and Luke Parker across the middle and Madison Andrews and Stefan Baumgartner surging out of defence.
The visitors were best served by key forward Luke McDonald and midfielders Josh Dyson, Ryan Minahan and Ayden Kennedy.
Dandenong coach Graeme Yeats couldn’t have been happier with his charges, likening the sustained four-quarter assault to their opening-round win at Gippsland.
“I reckon that easily matched our Gippsland performance for consistency and effort over the course of the game,” he reflected.
Yeats had lamented some sloppy openings in recent games against Bendigo and the Northern Territory, so he was delighted to match it with a proven fast-starter in Eastern.
“We thought they were probably the best first-quarter team in the competition, so we really primed ourselves to be ready,” he said.
“I think we controlled it right from the start. You can never keep a team down for 100 minutes, but I don’t think we lapsed at all.”
Dandenong’s depth will be further tested when it travels to the Gold Coast this weekend without a handful of its representative stars.
Bastinac, Shaw and the Hallahan brothers will all be playing in under-18 selection trials for Vic Country, while Tom Scully, Myles Pitt and Corey Millard continue their private school commitments.
The Coasters are sure to be stiff competition, but Yeats is looking forward to learning something about some of his fringe players on the trip north.
Ben Wells had 19 possessions and six tackles in an eye-catching debut on Sunday and Yeats has vowed to throw a couple more first-gamers into the mix this Saturday morning.
