‘Selfish’ Rays stung badly

By Paul Pickering
DANDENONG Stingrays coach Graeme Yeats branded his players as “selfish and undisciplined” in the wake of their 46-point loss to Geelong on Sunday.
The Rays were denied their eighth-consecutive win by a more professional Falcons outfit, leaving Yeats to declare Geelong and Oakleigh as still the TAC Cup’s benchmark programs.
The public perception is that the Stingrays are bridging that gap, but the bubble was well-and-truly burst at Shepley Oval on Sunday.
The second-versus-fourth clash begun well enough for the home side, with cagey young forward Corey Buchan kicking the first goal five minutes in.
However, Dandenong had to wait until two minutes into the final term for its next major, when hard-working midfielder Tom Curren snapped truly from 30m.
Those goals were separated by 16 behinds; each more agonising than the previous. Meanwhile, the efficient Falcons had drilled 11 goals to establish a 51-point three-quarter time lead.
But, as Yeats noted, the Rays’ inaccuracy was a symptom of a deeper and more concerning problem.
“That was a reflection of our lack of care and responsibility,” he said.
“I thought we played really selfish footy. We pride ourselves on being a selfless team and a blue-collar working team, but we totally went away from those areas that have been the pillars of the way we play.
“Whatever way you look at it, we were just very disappointing, and it was driven by a lack of spirit and teammanship.”
Indeed, it was a very un-Stingrays-like performance.
The decision-making and delivery going forward was a constant frustration to the likes of Buchan and Jerred Savage, who in turn offered little pressure on the rebound.
The well-drilled Falcons picked Dandenong’s defensive zone apart from their kick-ins, moving the ball with more purpose and effectively isolating full-forward Isaac Baker (three goals) and crumber David Peel (two).
Dylan Shiel (35 disposals) was the shining light for the Rays. The AIS-AFL Academy member played his first game for the club after recovering from a long-term injury.
He and Curren (30) were among a handful of Rays who had a genuine crack for four quarters.
Acting skipper Mitch Gent’s commitment couldn’t be questioned and ruckmen Todd Elton and Stewart Damon contested well.
Buchan finished with three goals, while Jake Batchelor had 24 touches and seven marks across half-back.
Yeats said he was wary of over-reacting to the club’s second loss of the season, but his charges are certainly on notice ahead of Saturday’s clash with the Oakleigh Chargers at Warrawee Park.
Dandenong, Oakleigh and Geelong have all been severely depleted during the AFL Under-18 Championships, which finish today at Geelong’s Skilled Stadium.
Those representative stars will be unavailable on Saturday, so the game should again provide a useful gauge of the depth at each club’s disposal.