Unbeaten run comes to an end!
Central 1.2 4.5 6.6 10.12 (72)
Port 4.4 9.7 9.10 9.11 (65)
Best: Central – M. Fuller, L. Rathman, B. Taylor, D. Shillabeer, J. Reid. Port – J. Neary, B. Luteria, T. Byerlee, G. Phillips, M. Burford. Goals: Central – D. Shillabeer 2, J. Quigley 2, R. Paynter , C. Edson , A. Grantham , N. Callary , N. Kinnear , J. Reid. Port – C. Smith 2, T. Underwood , G. Phillips , J. Watson , K. Johanson , B. Mudge , C. Brooke , M. Burford
Our unbroken run was bought to an end with a pretty ordinary second half performance against Central last Saturday opening up the race for top spot once more.
We started well in the first half with good numbers at the contest and workrate was good before seemingly going to sleep and not scoring a goal in the last half.
Burford Neary Byerlee and Stephens led the 1%ers in double figures and the overall count of 52 tackles wasn’t enough for such a big game.
The defence did well and again 10 goals was a respectable figure to hold them to, but we didn’t score enough ourselves. In the third quarter we missed a few ‘gettable’ goals that left the pressure on us when they scored 3 in the first 9 minutes of the last.
The last quarter inside 50’s was 4 to 19 and in honesty we were lucky to not have been beaten by more. If we have numbers back we must learn to slow the game up when coming out and use stoppages as a win for us from there, and then re set up. We continued to bang the ball out to their wall where their superior numbers allowed them to pump it back in. We must think.
Positives that came from the game
• The first half at 32 points up had good movement forward and out of the middle.
• Clearances 31/19
• The defence again holding a side to a small score 72 points
• Held Woolford quite well- was injured but Cody manned him up well.
Points we need to improve on
• The second half.
• A couple of set shot misses hurt us.
• Tackles must be up and must dispossess the opposition of the ball. Missed tackles cost us.
• Didn’t use the boundary enough to bet the ball out of defence and didn’t run forward with the ball. Last quarter inside 50’s 4/19!!!
• Too many in the back free kicks – 13 to 22 against
• Need some cool heads when it starts to go against us, not enough taking responsibility
Looking forward
Solomontown- What more do we want. They looked very impressive for large parts of last weeks game against South and should have won. Bearman, Fitzgerald & Hayes were all out and they were strengthened with a few June imports. They will have their best 18 for the season.
Its past players night this Saturday so plenty of out of towners will be about to see this years bulldog bunch, we cannot let them down!
Their better plyers are well known to us but they did have another good in. Tall Josh Parker from Whyalla has a huge left leg that he always uses long and looked impressive when around the ball. Price is their other main gun.
I was pretty annoyed after last weeks game when it all turned to mush but in the cold light of day there was a few pluses from a 7 point loss. There wont be any if we go down again this week!