Gippsland Power Media Release
By Bryan Mitchell
Luckily for Gippsland Power followers the TAC Cup competition has no entry fee for spectators as their performance for the first half of last weeks game against Tasmania would have led to rush on the ticket box with people demanding their money back. They were particularly uninspiring early and seemed hell bent on playing the wrong sort of football for the conditions that prevailed. To their credit though, they adjusted their game in the second half and played some great football in the last term to emerge comprehensive if not convincing winners by 45 points.
The Power went into the match without regulars Michael Todd, Nick Stockdale and Shane McIntosh who were all missing due to injury but this gave an opportunity for Andrew Petrou, and Sam Kater to make their debuts and Andrew Oldmeadow to get another chance to impress. Conditions at Casey Fields didn't inspire confidence of a skillful exhibition of football with a howling wind blowing diagonally across the ground and intermittent squally showers making ball handling difficult.
The Power opened the game kicking against the gale and early on looked as if they were going to dominate play despite this difficulty. A clever goal to Chris Endres set the scene however, instead of building on their positive start, they let Tasmania take the initiative and were content to gamble rather than play committed and disciplined football. Turnovers due to poor skills and decision making gifted the Mariners with some soft goals but they were playing as a team and attacked the correct side of the ground to telling effect. They had 5 majors on the board before some forward pressure set up Will Kelly for a much needed Power goal but the Mariners still led by 21 points at the first change.
It appeared as if the Power didn't know how to use the ball in the conditions and they were facing an opposition team full of confidence. Early in the term it was obvious that the Power had lifted their work rate but they were making it easy for the Mariners by consistently attacking the wrong side of the ground. The ball spent most of the term in the dead pocket for the Power and again it required some Endres magic to spark some positive play by the Power.
Robert Michaelides and Tristran Francis combined to set up Sam Kater for another but instead of going on with it, they became bogged down in some dour passages of play. It took a nice mark and goal by Jackson Hall to give the Power a narrow lead late in the term but they were far from convincing. They had held the Mariners scoreless with some dogged defence but played some dumb football in attack. The Mariners didn't help matters by "flooding" and they had their entire team in the Powers half for much of the quarter.
Rain fell at half time and once again the smarter team would exploit it to advantage. The Power were very strong in defence throughout the term but couldn't use the ball with much purpose or precision. Their decision making was poor and this was then compounded by sloppy skills even when not under pressure. Neither side could get their game going but were both giving their all as the conditions deteriorated further. A goal in red time by the Mariners gave them a 6 point lead at the last change and it was time to see if the Power could play smarter and direct football with the wind in the final quarter.
Things didn't look good early for the Power as the Mariners flooded again and the Gippsland Boys continued their infatuation with the dead pocket. As the conditions improved it seemed to inspire the Power to take risks and they began to attack from the right side of the ground. A typically clever crumbing goal by Michaelides was the catalyst for some switches of play that effectively by-passed the Mariners flood and suddenly they were hitting the right targets. Michaelides set up Haelen Kay for a second major and then Endres was on the end of some great team work that once again exploited the attacking side of the ground.
The Power had put enormous pressure on the Mariners and they were cracking under the strain. Darren Granger gratefully took advantage of such a brain fade before Andrew Petrou took a strong mark to goal after a long and direct forward thrust. Some more Michaelides vision and poise set up Hall for his second and then Granger and Dan McKenna combined for another. The rout was completed by Brent Connelly and by the final siren the Power had regained some credibility and much needed self-belief.
They had held the Mariners to one goal for three quarters and had finally woken up to the fact that they needed to adjust their skills to suit the conditions and avoid the wrong side of the ground when attacking. The fact that they had responded positively to the challenges involved pleased the coaches and gives hope that they will be able to work their way out of similar problems in the future.
Final scores, Gippsland Power 13 goals 12 behinds 90 points defeated Tassie Mariners 6 goals 9 behinds 45 points. Goal kickers were Chris Endres 3, Jackson Hall 2, Will Kelly, Sam Kater, Haelen Kay, Darren Granger, Andrew Petrou, Dan McKenna, Brent Connelly and Rob Michaelides 1. The conditions were tailor made for Tristran Francis courageous in-and-under style of play and he applied enormous pressure to opponents as well as generating drive with his many possessions. His on-ball "apprentice" Darren White also relished the thick of the action and was able to win the hard ball and use it with purpose all over the ground. Andrew Oldmeadow made excellent use of his opportunity to claim a regular spot in the side and was pivotal in the improved last term effort with his positive use of the ball.
Jackson Hall was another key contributor to the win with his disciplined defence and uncanny ability to become a forward threat with his willingness to run hard and provide a viable option. Once again Nick Heyne gave the side an effective avenue to attack on his wing but was also versatile enough to be a dogged defender as well. When the side needed a spark, Rob Michaelides provided it with his uncanny skills and ability to use the ball in the heaviest traffic. He made the difficult look very simple. Haelen Kay was another to continue his fine form this season and is quickly showing that he is going to be one of the sides prime movers with his athleticism and disciplined play. Adrian Hickmott was particularly pleased with the efforts of James Blaser in the clinches and the impressive performance of Sam Kater in his TAC Cup debut.
Adrian and his assistant now have the perfect scenario to assess just where the Power sits in the 2007 season as they face the 2006 premiers Oakleigh next week. The Chargers have started slowly but are a quality side who won't let the Power off the hook if they lack purpose or direction. He was rightly pleased with their endeavour last week and will be keen to eliminate the decision making errors that were so prominent in the early part of the game.
He should have some of the injured brigade back for the clash and it will be a matter of creating the right team balance for the conditions at Oakleigh next weekend. Adrian now knows that he has considerable depth on his list and that he can call on several players who can come into the side without detracting from the effectiveness of the team. With several Power players due to participate in the under 18 nationals, this quality depth is critical.
Last Modified on 26/05/2008 14:11