Sandringham Zebras news

From the Sunday Herald Sun
Reported by Chris Mitchell

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A SPIRITED third quarter burst lifted Frankston to a massive upset win against Sandringham at Trevor Barker Oval yesterday.

The Zebras led by 25 points in the first term and were never threatened until halfway through the third quarter, when the Dolphins hit the front after a Clinton Proctor major.

It was the spark the game needed and, led by captain Shaun Pollard, the Dolphins held on to win 15.12 (102) to 13.12 (90).

Star Sandringham spearhead Nick Sautner was held goalless by Pollard, while Melbourne-listed forward Michael Newton kicked just one goal.

Addam Maric made a case for inclusion in the Demons side with five goals, while Brent Moloney got through seemingly unscathed.

From the Bayside Leader
Courtesy Leader Group Newspapers

Reported by Simon McEvoy

THE man behind Sandringham's triple premiership golden era, coach Mark Williams, is moving on.

Last Friday Williams took a full-time job as development coach at Melbourne Football Club. It's an exciting opportunity for the 43-year-old, who has ambitions to be an AFL senior coach.

"My ambitions are to hopefully become a senior coach if I can, so this was a step forward in that regard," he said.  "I went for the senior job last year at Melbourne and they basically said to me if I want to move forward I've got to do some assistant coaching and go from there."

Williams' association with Sandringham was filled with success and he will always be known as a club legend.  A former Carlton and Footscray utility, Williams played in the Zebras' 1992 flag. A decade later, in October, 2003, he was appointed coach of the club, and he made a breathtaking entrance, guiding the Zebras to the 2004 premiership, followed by the '05 and '06 flags.

This year, Sandringham finished on top of the ladder but bowed out of the finals in the semis.

SANDRINGHAM notched its eighth consecutive win with a 65-point belting of a hapless North Ballarat at Trevor Barker Oval yesterday.

In the first quarter the Roosters posed as a team that had come to play and led by 14 points at the first break, but the premiership favourite booted 11 unanswered goals.

Shane Valenti and Ezra Poyas were dominant in the midfield, both with 30 possessions, and Poyas also contributing three goals. Chris Lamb, the reliable linchpin of the Zebra defence, was also very solid.

"We really imposed ourselves on the game physically in the second quarter. Our intensity and pressure went up and we started to hit more targets," Sandringham coach Mark Williams said.

With top spot secured, Williams will be keeping his eye on Williamstown, which looms as its most likely combatant in the first week of the finals.

SANDRINGHAM again stamped its authority over the VFL with a commanding 62-point victory over the depleted Northern Bullants at Trevor Barker Beach Oval yesterday.

The Zebras controlled the game from the opening bounce, racing to a 32-point lead by quarter-time.

The structured and polished ladder leaders turned the match into a virtual training drill, with some inaccurate goalkicking being the only real chink in their armour.

The Bullants battled hard all day but the home side was simply too talented.

Nick Sautner booted seven goals to widen his lead at the top of the goal-kicking table.

With 52 goals for the season, the 30-year-old full-forward is almost a certainty to win his seventh "Frosty" Miller Medal — awarded to the VFL's leading goalkicker. He will become the first player in the history of the VFA/VFL to win seven goal-kicking titles.

The Zebras steamed away to win by 62 points to move two games clear on top of the ladder with three rounds remaining.

Carlton captain Whitnall, back after several weeks recovering from a knee injury, was busy and lively.

He looked fit and sharp in collecting 17 possessions and kicked 1.1 in a brief stint in attack.

He was rested before the last quarter.

Bullants coach Barry Mitchell was pleased with Whitnall's performance but unsure whether he would require another hitout in the VFL before returning to the AFL.

An upset was in the making when Bendigo held a 16-point lead at three-quarter time on the back of a seven-goal third quarter sparked by Essendon's 2006 third-round draft choice, Kyle Reimers, who booted three goals in three minutes.

But the Zebras answered the challenge in a power-packed final quarter, booting 11 goals to win by 31 points.

They remain clear leaders of the competition with 48 points after their 20.14 (134) to 14.17 (101) victory.

Zebras midfielder Peter Summers praised the Bendigo Bombers, saying they had played with a lot of commitment and intensity.

"We knew at three-quarter time that our intensity was pretty good and we came out with a win," Summers said.

Melbourne ruckman Mark Jamar and Paul Johnson dominated the hitouts.

From the Sunday Age

Reported by Chris Walker
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Reported byPREMIER Sandringham kicked 11 goals in the final quarter to beat a brave and hard-working Bendigo Bombers side by 33 points at Trevor Barker Beach Oval yesterday.

For three quarters, the Bombers had seemed every bit a top-eight side but when the tempo lifted in the fourth, the ladder-leading Zebras, who are seeking their fourth consecutive VFL flag, produced their best football of the season, booting an accurate 11.2 to the ninth-placed Bombers' 3.1 to finish 20.14 (134) to 14.17 (101).

In conditions suited to hard running and skilful disposal, the first half was tainted by ineffective and inaccurate kicking. A tough but scrappy game ensued, with both teams rebounding staunchly and high-pressure tackling causing a number of turnovers by both sides.

Bachar Houli and Jason Johnson provided the unfavoured Bombers with the midfield ascendancy, finding the ball consistently from the stoppages and running through the lines at every opportunity.

But, with the exception of Sam Lonergan, who kicked three first-half goals, there was a lack of forward options for Bendigo, who kicked 4.10 (34) for the half.