Redbacks are on a roll

By Mark Gullick
HAMPTON PARK consigned Pakenham to its second straight shock loss after the Redbacks kicked five goals to one in the final term.
The final score was 13.11.(89) to 8.14.(62).
The win wasn’t a surprise to Hampton Park, who had played well in patches against Beaconsfield and Narre Warren in the previous weeks.
Against Pakenham, it was able to put together a more consistent four-quarter performance.
Hampton Park coach Josh Taylor said he thought they had won the contested footy really well.
“We really wanted to tackle and harass, not only the ball carriers, but the five, ten-metre perimeter around the footy. We made a really conscious effort to close in on the footy all day,” he said.
The forwards rewarded the efforts of the midfield and defence with better kicking for goal.
“I’ve been harping on about scoreboard pressure (to the players) and I think we find enough of the footy, but we’re not converting enough in front of goal. It was the first game we’ve managed to kick more goals than points.”
Linden Fredericks continued his excellent form for Hampton Park.
“He’s a two-time best-and-fairest winner with the club, but I think he’s playing the best footy I’ve seen him play,” Taylor said.
“He’s finding a lot of the footy and really getting a lot of clearances out of the packs.”
Coach Josh Taylor played his best game for the year, as did Brennan Barwise. James Van Elewound was supreme in the backline. Kevin McLean kicked five goals and was dangerous all day.
Pakenham coach Ryan Cassidy was disappointed, but remained upbeat.
“A lot of people compare us to the past; it’s not the same side as last year, but in saying that I’m still disappointed in our results,” he said.
“A lot of credit to Hampton Park, they came ready to play. For periods of play, we were on top. Again, we went inside 50 more times than the opposition, but we just couldn’t convert.”
The Lions are missing more than ten players from last year and blooding lots of young players, but are not making any excuses.
They have some of the best top-end talent in the league, but it’s their next tier of players – the younger ones, that is understandably struggling at the moment.
Cassidy said that next tier collectively have five games (of experience) each.
“That group just needs to get some experience and confidence,” he said.