Power failure

By Paul Pickering
GIPPSLAND coach Damian Carroll said it was sloppy footskills – rather than the absence of key players – that denied his team a memorable victory at Box Hill on Saturday.
The undermanned Power suffered a 17-point defeat to the Eastern Ranges, despite having 11 more inside-50s and three more scoring shots than their more-fancied hosts.
Gippsland entered the game without representative stars Dyson Heppell, Jed Lamb, Tim Northe and Tom Bugg at the request of Vic Country officials, who asked that those players be rested for Sunday’s first round of the national under-18 carnival.
But, in a strange administrative anomaly, the Ranges – and all other Vic Metro feeder clubs – were afforded the luxury of deciding whether or not to play their own state representatives.
Eastern opted to select several of its Metro stars, but Carroll refused to make excuses for the loss.
“We probably lacked the poise and polish up forward that those boys (Lamb and Northe in particular) do have, but we were happy give some other guys a chance,” he said.
“And we certainly weren’t disappointed with their efforts. It was just our poor field kicking and kicking at goal that really let us down.”
The Power trailed by just five points at the last change, but could manage just 1.4 in the final term.
Still, there were plenty of positives to be gleaned from the competitive showing.
Dashing defender Michael Ross made his long-awaited return from a serious ankle injury, collecting 27 possessions in an encouraging first-up display.
And Danny Butcher, brother of recent Port Adelaide draftee John, made an impressive debut following off-season shoulder surgery.
Haydn Hector (25 disposals) and Shaun Wyatt (20) found plenty of footy through the middle, while key defender Pat Jones was typically reliable.
Ben Eddy had his best game of the year up forward, joining Shaun Marusic with two goals for the afternoon.
Ninth-placed Gippsland will travel to Bendigo to face the twelfth-placed Pioneers on Saturday.