While at the main change, a despondent Lang Lang were kept out on the ground. Pictures: Stewart Chambers.
By Ken Moore
THE showdown between the top two teams on the ladder, Garfield and Lang Lang, turned into an anti-climax after the Stars clobbered the Tigers by 100 points on Saturday.
The star of the show for the victors was strong-bodied star Pakenham recruit Daniel Fry, who left his opponents awestruck in the first half, kicking six goals to set up the home side with an unbeatable 55-point lead at the main break.
A lunar eclipse happened during the week but from the first bounce it was Lang Lang that appeared moonstruck by the big occasion.
The Tigers took until the final quarter to score a goal, its only one for the afternoon. It was put through by John Nicols, who has been a tremendous recruit and had kicked 36 goals coming into the game but was starved of opportunities by a stingy Garfield defence.
Hard-to-contain Stars utility Jim Bow marked and steered through a goal at the two-minute mark of the first quarter, which set the mood for the game. From there on Fry lit up with four goals in a row to provide the home side with a 29-point lead at the first break.
Things continued to go like clockwork for Garfield in the second quarter, and with two more goals, both after marks to Fry, and two to Brett Reid and Mal McKenna, the game was as good as over by the main break.
In the third quarter, goals by veteran forward Mal McKenna, roving a spillage, Luke Bee-Hugo, with a long inspirational goal, Fry, after good teamwork up field, and Tom Marsh, with a very strong mark, put the home side 83 points to the good at three-quarter-time.
The only interest in the last quarter revolved around whether Lang Lang could kick a goal – and if Garfield could win by a three-figure margin.
In the end, both were achieved. Nicols drilled through the Tigers first goal early in the opening minutes of the last term and the Stars went on to prevail by a century of points.
The hunger Garfield showed for the ball was magnificent – and it did not have a passenger. Once again coach and ruck-rover Brent Eastwell led by example, Fry showed what he can do, Bow was great at both ends of the field and underrated defender Damien Rhind wore Tiger key forward Kurt Batt like a rash.
Through the midfield Bee Hugo, Ned and Ben Marsh, Matt Hobbs and Sam Ferguson drove forward time and time again.
Eastwell was pleased with the performance of his team, but frighteningly for opposition clubs, suggested there is still room for improvement.
“While it was our best four-quarter effort since we played Buln Buln, there are still a few areas we can build on … and I don’t think we have hit our straps yet,” the Stars coach said.
They are comments that must send a shiver up the spine of all rival clubs.
Simply put, Lang Lang was terrible. It was outplayed across all lines and looked listless from the first bounce. When it did have the ball, too often it dilly-dallied.
With a midfield totally eclipsed, defenders Aaron Creasey, Dean Brown and Dan O’Hara tried hard to repel the wave of attacks and did well in patches. Hadley Tomanichel, Alex Saraikin and youngster Troy McPherson were among the better players in and around the midfield for the visitors.
“They showed us where we want to be at. We have got to learn from it,” sombre Lang Lang coach Ben Dwyer said.
