It looked more like a rodeo than a football match, but Gippsland’s Jack Johnstone’s unorthodox method of laying a tackle worked in this instance against Bendigo. 67666 Picture: Jarrod Potter
By Gavin Staindl
AN INEVITABLE storm looms for Gippsland Power and its TAC Cup season … but the Power is making the most of the calm before it arrives.
In the run home to the finals, Gippsland will meet two of the top three teams and face off against the dangerous Oakleigh, but meanwhile it is content to build its arsenal and take care of loose ends.
Gippsland retained top position on the ladder on Saturday with a 72-point win over the Bendigo Pioneers at Box Hill Reserve – a team it was expected to beat.
The Power looked shaky to half-time, but a clinical second half finished off any chance of an upset.
Perhaps more importantly, three of Gippsland’s core personnel returned to the line-up after lengthy stints representing Vic Country.
Also joining the trio was a list of players returning from injury, a trend Power coach Adam Dowie expects to continue.
“The two Hectors (Damien and Hayden) and (Shaun) Marusic didn’t play and they’d walk straight into the side,” Dowie said.
“We’ve got a tough run home but we’ve got more players to add to the team.
“It was good to have guys coming back from Vic Country. We expected them to be a bit flat and jaded so they’ll get better.”
But that was not the case for All-Australian representative Clay Smith, who, according to unofficial statistics, racked up more than 20 possessions and kicked two goals in the first quarter against Bendigo.
But his effort was one of the few shining lights for Gippsland in the first half as Bendigo rebounded out of defence without much resistance.
“When we had the ball we looked pretty good,” Dowie said.
“We would change angles, reward the run and looked good coming through the corridor, but we need more forward and midfield defensive pressure because too many times they brought the ball out of defence too easily.
“If we had played a really good side we would have got smacked.”
But with a week off for all TAC Cup teams and players quickly returning to the line-up, Dowie expects his reinforced side to be prepared for whatever mayhem the next four weeks may bring.
“The break has come at the perfect time,” he said.
“We’ll go away for a camp and it will be a really good chance to get some time in with the boys that we don’t normally get together.”
