By Jarrod Potter
THE Dandenong Stingrays booked a clash against the Calder Cannons in week one of the finals with a clinical 72-point victory over wooden-spooners Bendigo Pioneers on Saturday.
The Stingrays cantered through the match, leading comfortably at every break.
Dandenong went into the match knowing a win would propel it into fourth place and secure it a double chance, as the Western Jets had lost to the Sandringham Dragons in the match before the Stingrays at Highgate Reserve.
Dandenong went out with that in mind and took control from the get go, with their overlap running out of defence being the highlight of a dominant display of football.
The Stingrays were tenacious at ground level, and sequences of Bendigo kicks and marks were immediately pounced on.
Todd Elton was best afield, with three goals and eight contested marks highlighting a return to his peak form, while the defence unit – especially Ryan Morrison, Robert Hill and Matt Buntine – continued to deliver as a staunch unit, by allowing only five goals from the Pioneers.
Alex Benbow continued his great form with countless possessions generated between the 50-metre arcs surely impressing the crowd of selectors who gathered near the scoreboard.
Stingrays coach Graeme Yeats was pleased with the win and the contributions of the team.
“The most important thing was we won the game,” Yeats said.
“We’re happy to win our way into the four and get the double chance.
“There weren’t really any standouts; we thought we were pretty even across the board.
“I thought we got a good performance out of most of the guys.
“I don’t think the game reached any great heights, but I was just happy with the general way we played.
“We were OK in most areas and we worked on some zonal things and our structure, but we’ve still got a fair bit of work to do in those areas.”
The Stingrays face the Calder Cannons on Saturday morning at Visy Park, a task Yeats thinks will come down to match-day factors alone.
“We match up OK with them, so it’s coming down to genuine hardness.
“We need to create that pressure aspect and control the ball when its in our hands. We have to apply both ways pressure, fly with the ball, execute our possessions well and create the right structure.
“I haven’t seen Calder at their best, but I would think we have to play well to win and they’ll have to play just as well to beat us.”
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