Sandringham Dragons sit clear at the top of the ladder, after defeating the Oakleigh Chargers by 31 points at Visy Park on Sunday as Ben Guthrie reports.
After trailing by more than two goals at quarter time, the Dragons were able to work their way back in to the contest and eventually took control of the game to win 12.11 (83) to 7.10 (52).
Oakleigh were on top for most of the first quarter, but three straight goals to Sandringham forward Lachlan Boyd in a five minute period allowed his team to take the lead.
The Dragons began to hit their targets by foot and applied enormous defensive pressure on the Chargers which caused them to turn the ball over on a number of occasions.
Sandringham coach Dale Tapping said it was an impressive win by his side against quality opposition.
“To play them at this point of the year and to perform well and in the end to put a bit of a gap on them was really pleasing,” Tapping said.
The tackling pressure of Sandringham was the impetus for them to surge into the lead in the third quarter, and they capitalised on their opportunities in front of goal.
Jackson Paine and Anthony Anastasio were pivotal for the Dragons, with the latter providing pace and pressure to keep the ball locked in the forward line.
Paine was a force in the air and also used the ball well when delivering inside the forward line, while Michael Barnes added something on the wing.
Oakleigh coach Greg Doyle said his team’s inability to safely find targets in the corridor cost his team the game.
“I don’t know how many times that we kicked it straight to them in the middle of the ground and that was just easy inside 50s to their forwards one-on-one that really hurt us,” Doyle said.
These turnovers were further enhanced by Sandringham’s tackling intensity, and the Dragons, more often than not, made them pay.
Oakleigh’s best player was Tom Curran, while their key forward Nick Murphy finished with three majors.
Tapping said he was delighted by his team’s willingness to apply strong body pressure.
“They’re a good team and if you give them room they’re going to run and carry the footy and they’re going to hurt you,” he said.
“Our tackling pressure’s been a bit of a focus, it’s really an attitude.”
Oakleigh Chargers
Goal Kickers: N. Murphy 3, K. Jaksch , D. Mascitti , C. Prowse , M. Arnot
Best Players: T. Curran, T. Greene, M. Wooffindin, N. Murphy, C. Lewis, J. Stewart
Sandringham Dragons
Goal Kickers: L. Boyd 4, A. Anastasio 2, M. Barnes 2, T. Temay , J. Paine , J. Beech , C. Sharp
Best Players: J. Paine, A. Woodward, T. La Rocca, X. Richards, M. Barnes, B. Darrou
Last Modified on 18/04/2011 15:44