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C_LEWIS
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Joined: 01/02/2004 - 00:00
Zebras and Bullants
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Great review of the game (from a Sandringham perspective) in Demonland:- ZEBRAS SHRUG OFF THE BULLANTS by Zebraman Sandringham has retained top position on the VFL ladder after a lacklustre game against the lowly Northern Bullants at Trevor Barker Beach Road Oval. The Zebras were lucky to hold an early lead and were unable to shake off their plucky opponents until the final quarter when they ran away with a flurry of late goals including one, from outside fifty metres after the siren, to Guy Rigoni. The end result was a relatively comfortable victory 15.12.102 to 7.12.54 but it was never easy going. With Sandy sitting on top of the ladder and the Bullants struggling outside the top eight with just one win, the home side looked superior on paper. But, to their credit, the visitors applied strong man on man pressure in an effort to put the Zebras off their game and it would have worked had they managed to capitalise while kicking with the wind in the first quarter. However, it was Sandringham that made the most of its opportunities to be a lucky quarter time leader by a margin of 10 points. The game soon turned into a scrappy affair and it was only the class of players such as 18-year-old early draft choice Colin Sylvia and former Carlton listed Sean O'Keefe that ensured that Sandy would feature in most of the better pieces of play. Even then, Sandy could only manage to stretch its lead to fifteen points at the main break. O'Keefe was inspired to do well against his former teammates and he produced an excellent game for Sandringham while another former Blue in David Gallagher threw off a bout of flu and gained many touches in the midfield to turn in another consistent performance Sylvia took the game by the scruff of the neck in the third quarter during which he booted three of his five goals for the day. The young half forward has a great build for someone in his first year out of junior football and he was far too strong for former Geelong VFL best and fairest and 2003 VFL Team of the Year member Andrew Carrazzo. The blond youngster deserved the accolades he received for producing a best on ground performance that was stamped with class. Not far behind him was Luke Williams who has been a model of consistency in defence for the Zebras. He manned up well and really worked hard for his possessions. Adam Fisher was another who stood out winning lots of the ball with his hard in and under style of play. The Bullants were still in with a show early in the final quarter but Sandringham finally shrugged off the visitors with a five goal to one final quarter to run out winners by 48 points. Despite finishing with 15 goals, the Zebra attack struggled at times. For the second week in a row, Nick Sautner failed to fire although he did manage to kick three goals in the end. Peter Vardy worked hard to shrug off an illness and while he kicked two goals, he couldn't really get going. Chris Johnson was solid without being spectacular and Nick Smith was a good option up forward but had only a limited influence on the game. The Zebras were well served in defence by likes of Chris Lamb, Troy Broadbridge, Cam Hunter and Daniel Bell. Former Tiger Andrew Mills is also gradually finding some good form. The withdrawal of Mark Jamar and Brock McLean would normally be expected to cause some problems for the Zebras but such is the strength of the team that it was able to cover their loss and maintain the upper hand in the midfield. Despite the ongoing controversy in the VFL about a possible cap on the number of AFL listed players, Sandringham was able to field 10 of its own list and the combination worked well on the field. Speedy rover Jason Ritterman was rewarded for his good form in the reserves with a senior debut. Although, his time on the ground was limited, he looks to have the pace and skill necessary to do well at this level. The final result would have been satisfying to Sandringham but its real test will come with next Sunday's curtain raiser to the AFL match at Geelong. The Cats are starting to find some form and will be hard to beat on their own turf. Sandringham 4.1.25 6.5.41 10.9.69 15.12.102 Northern Bullants 2.3.15 3.8.26 6.9.45 7.12.54 Goals Sylvia 5 Sautner 3 Fisher Vardy 2 Johnson Mills Rigoni Best Sylvia O'Keeffe Williams Fisher Johnson Broadbridge The Sandringham Reserves played their best football for the year with a great win over top side Northern Bullants. The young Zebras were in control from the outset with John Tabrett at full back providing plenty of rebound to be best on ground. Paul Newman played well on his return from injury and kicked two goals. Significantly, former Dragons Stephen Gravina, Tom Mentiplay and Tom Patarakis who have all stepped into the club from junior football were important contributors in Sandy’s outstanding performance. Sandy got off to a good start and led by 27 points at the first break before being reeled in during the second quarter and the early part of the third. In fact, the Bullants hit the front half way through the third term but three quick goals to the Zebras steadied the ship again and the team went on to record a solid victory that left it in second place with a slight percentage gap separating them from the Bullants who narrowly retained top position. The Zebras travel to North Ballarat on Saturday afternoon for what could be a danger game in the inhospitable climate (at this time of year) of Northern Oval, Ballarat. Sandringham 6.4.40 7.6.48 13.11.89 17.13.115 Northern Bullants 2.1.13 5.2.32 10.4.64 14.4.88 Goals Carson Zantuck 3 Mentiplay Newman Patarakis 2 Conroy Fletcher Gadsden Hall Warnock Best Tabrett Gravina Mentiplay Conroy Patarakis Hall Warnock Campbell
Edited by: admin on 28/12/2008 - 02:16