Lions show finals grit

By Brad Kingsbury
A SUPERIOR work-rate combined with steely self-belief saw Pakenham overcome its first finals challenge of 2009 with a 38-point qualifying final victory over Cranbourne at the Edwin Flack Reserve on Sunday.
The result put to rest widely held doubts about the Lions’ mental strength under finals pressure and set up a mouth-watering second semi-final clash against minor premiers and flag favourites Doveton next weekend.
However after the victory, seasoned coach Michael Holland warned that his side would need to lift again to match and beat the talent-laden Doves.
“Our execution lets us down at times and we are going to have to play to another level again next week,” he said. “I think that our best is good enough to beat any team but we will have to play better footy than that.”
Both sides were close to full strength with star midfielder Dan O’Loughlin coming back from a leg injury after a three-week break for the Lions, and Nick Barker replacing suspended defender Robert Beadel in the Eagles’ line-up.
Cranbourne kicked to the scoreboard end of the ground, which was slightly favoured by a swirly wind blowing to the outer side, and took immediate advantage of some sloppy Lion turnovers to boot the opening two goals in the first five minutes of play.
As thoughts of 2008 deja-vu suddenly flashed into supporters’ heads, Pakenham’s leaders snapped into action and helped the Lions kick the next five goals, including two pearlers to experienced big man Glen Wouters, to take a 20-point lead into the first break.
There were already several sore bodies on the Cranbourne bench at the change and it was the second quarter that told the story of the game.
There was nothing special about it, in fact it was scrappy and ugly at times but, importantly, every challenge thrown down by the Eagles was answered by Pakenham, with captain Jared Goldsack controlling the game from centre half back and bringing mobile team mates Dean Blake, Beau Wheeler, Luke Walker and Dom Paynter into the game.
The Eagles were kept goalless for the quarter and trailed by 36 points at half time.
Cranbourne regrouped at the break and started to harass the Lions in the third quarter, forcing the Pakenham bench to move a few magnets.
The Lions lost Walker who was crunched and winded on the wing at the 12-minute mark of term, and suddenly a look of vulnerability appeared.
Defender Adam Cook was sent forward with Dan O’Loughlin, but the Eagles’ defence led by Daniel Watson, Matt Thompson and Troy Aust, kept the pressure on and, had it not been for some ordinary shots at goal by Cranbourne’s attack, the three-quarter time deficit of 29 points would have been smaller.
The game opened up in the final term with the two sides going goal for goal, with Paynter booting three for the quarter and Eagles captain Marc Holt breaking free of Nathan Brown’s close checking to kick two.
In the end the Lions showed why they are the main challenger to Doveton this year but, given that veterans Troy Datson and Adam Wright, along with recruit Brad Coller were the only three players in the side to have played a senior final, the effort was not that bad.
Cranbourne coach Doug Koop was not upset with his players or their overall effort and, in typical style, took the positives out of the match.
“There’s learning to win and learning to win finals – it’s two different ball games,” he said.
“The players have to realise it’s a tug-of-war and 10 minutes in a quarter isn’t good enough. It has to be full on.”
Goldsack was clearly best afield, while Walker recovered from his third-quarter knock well enough to return to the field in the final term.
Holland was happy with his players’ reaction when they were challenged early but lamented a second half drop-off of intensity.
“It’s a new season but we obviously knew we were going to be judged on our effort this week. In the end we had to win,” he said. “I thought we played well in patches but after half time they started to play the game on their terms which I was really disappointed with.”
He added that there were positives at either end of the ground that would be further refined as the finals campaign progressed.
“The back six or seven were very good all day and Goldy (Goldsack) was brilliant,” he said. “The biggest plus for the second half of the year has been the spread of goal kickers that we’ve developed and we need that to continue.”