Giants stung

By Paul Pickering
DANDENONG exacted some small measure of revenge on its 2009 grand final conqueror, the Calder Cannons, at Coburg on Saturday.
The Stingrays led from wire to wire on their way to a 25-point victory, wrestling back bragging rights from a club who has caused them such anguish in recent TAC Cup campaigns.
The Cannons were minus their batallion of private school stars, but that fact was only a minor footnote to the Stingrays gutsy performance.
The visitors established an immediate advantage in the middle, via the grunt work of Tom Curren, Mitch Gent and Alex Benbow.
Key forwards Tom Lynch and Arryn Siposs also had the Cannons defence under pressure from the outset as the Rays jumped out to a 14-point lead at the first break.
Some loose checking opened the door for a late Calder charge in the second, narrowing the gap to eight points at the interval, but the Stingrays took complete control in the third.
Dandenong coach Graeme Yeats threw co-captain Luke Parker into the middle with immediate effect as the Rays booted 5.1 to Calder’s four behinds in a decisive stanza.
A late rally from the Cannons reduced the damage, but the result was never really in doubt.
Still, Yeats was delighted to secure the points against a dangerous foe.
“We always respect Calder and they’ve always troubled us,” Yeats said.
“On their day they are a really good footy side, and while they had a few out, they were still very competitive and hard at it for 100 minutes.
“They were coming home reasonably strongly, but I thought we controlled much of the game.”
First-half injuries to emerging half-back Matt Buntine and dogged onballer Max Gearon hampered the Stingrays usual rotations, but they still conceded just three goals in the second half.
Defenders Jake Batchelor, Riley Heddles and Jarryd Amalfi deserved much of the credit, winning the vast majority of their one-on-one contests and rebounding expertly off half-back.
Batchelor’s reputation continues to grow on the back of an extremely consistent season down back.
“We’re rapt with how he’s gone this year,” Yeats said of the composed defender.
“He and Nathan Allen have probably been our most consistent players of the guys who didn’t play nationals, and we’re really excited about his prospects.”
Parker and Corey Buchan led the Rays with three goals apiece, while Noble Park pair Adam Treloar and Piva Wright made successful returns from injury.
Third-placed Dandenong returns to Coburg this Sunday to face fifth-placed Sandringham, coming off a three-goal win over Murray on the weekend.