By DAVID NAGEL
SEFL
REVIEW – ROUND 3 (Split Round)
PAKENHAM coach Steve O’Bryan hit the nail on the head as he addressed his side before Saturday night’s 57-point win over ROC at Toomuc Reserve.
“It’s all above the shoulders tonight, if your heads are right there’s no reason why we can’t go out and win this game,” he said as he looked his players in the eye.
O’Bryan addressed many things in his pre-match speech – including the honour of playing on Anzac Day – but it was his focus on making sure there was no mental let down after last week’s epic victory over Narre Warren, that was most telling.
It’s funny isn’t it… talent is one thing in sport but 90 per cent of the battle seems to be above the shoulders.
ROC captain James Canty, playing in honour of his grandfather of the same name who fought in World War II, got the game off to a fitting start with the first kick of the match, the contest pretty even in the first term.
ROC coach Brad Jones had the big-bodied Sean Roach play at full-back on Daniel Fry, while other key match ups saw ROC-ace Matt Clarke stood by Lions’ defender Michael Taurua, and Matt Rogers with the midfield stopping role on Pakenham’s in-form skipper Dean Blake. Russell Lehman was everywhere for the Lions in the first term, but ROC’s defence did a great job in repelling the Lions’ attack. Key defenders James Waldon and Jake Ingaliso were terrific for the Kangas, while the ball use of the Lions’ half-back line of Troy Toussaint, Nathan Brown and Jarrod Tonks kept the visitors at bay. Toussaint, in particular, was deadly with his disposal in the first term and made the Lions look a bit cleaner with their transition.
A late goal to the busy Damien Holmes, fed from Lehman, gave the Lions a small buffer at quarter time.
“We need to be tougher at the contested ball… and when we win it we need to be a bit smarter and more direct,” Jones told his Kangaroos at quarter time.
“Our pressure and our courage will need to be there for the full four quarters.”
Canty and Pakenham’s Anthony Young set the second-quarter scene with a bruising head-on collision, the Lions taking until the 15-minute mark to answer Clarke’s third goal for the match, which came six minutes into the quarter.
The Lions piled on four goals in a seven-minute burst, between the 15 and 22 minute marks, to take a 28-point lead into the main break and basically put the contest to bed. Scoring was almost identical in the second half, the Lions doubling their advantage and making it a perfect three-zip start to the season.
Fry finished with four for the Lions, and exciting youngster Jake Smith three, while O’Bryan and Jason Fisher were busy with two each for the evening. Brown, Tonks and Taurua – who fought back well after a slow start on Clarke – were the Lions’ best defenders, while Beau Wheeler had a great head-to-head duel with ROC’s Blair Allan.
Brown won the Anzac Day Medal – awarded by the umpires – for his efforts across half back.
Jones will be disappointed with this performance from the Kangas because, apart from Clarke who finished the night with four goals, the visitors lacked potency up forward and were reliant on too few through the middle of the ground.
Ben Tivendale worked his backside off for his side while Neil Adams and Nathan Brewster were other serviceable contributors. The Lions now have two weeks off before hosting Cranbourne on 16 May, while ROC welcomes Berwick to Starling Road after a week’s rest.
