By Hayley Wildes
The Dandenong Stingrays once again showcased the depth of their squad with a resounding win over the Sandringham Dragons on Sunday morning at Shepley Oval.
In slippery conditions to start the game, the Rays were without their 12 Vic Country representatives, but it mattered little as contributions from across the board helped Dandenong record its seventh win of the season and remain atop the TAC Cup ladder.
The Rays kicked the opening three majors of the game, including an impressive effort from Riley Bowman that saw him gather the ball from a big pack and slot a composed goal.
The efforts of Matthew Gahan in the backline were proving too much for the Dragons to get past. On three occasions throughout the first term, he refused to let Sandringham get past his line of defencing and saved early goals.
The Rays were controlling the ball and at quarter time held a 20-point lead, 4.3 (27) to 1.1 (7). Their clean hands and attacking ball use were the difference in the opening stanza.
Dandenong continued to take on the game and the half-back line, led by Gahan and Lachlan McDonnell, was simply impenetrable and provided plenty of offensive forays too.
With Reid Nanscawen and Campbell Hustwaite doing some great work in the middle, the Rays put through four majors and held the Dragons goalless in the second term. An Edward Cahill goal after the siren sent the Rays into half time with an imposing 46-point lead.
To Sandringham’s credit, the Dragons came out firing in the third quarter and Dandenong was unable to get their hands on the ball. The Dragons scored two goals in two minutes to put some respectability on the scoreboard, but as it was in the first half, Dandenong’s half back line was superb in holding Sandringham out.
When Lachlan Stenning got things going from half-back, Riley Bowman got on the end of the play and put through the Rays’ first major of the term at the 16-minute mark.
From there, the Rays possessed all the momentum and when Angus Paterson slotted a goal after the siren, every Stingray got around him.
Jamie Plumridge provided the highlight of the quarter with a screamer over a big pack in the forward 50 and finished off his great work with a set shot that sailed straight through the goals.
A pair of questionable 50-metre penalties gifted the Dragons the opening goal of the fourth term, but the Rays piled on three goals in the final four minutes of play to run out 15.16 (106) to 4.4 (28) winners.
Matthew Gahan was the star of the day and showed he is one of the prime-movers across half back, while Lachlan McDonnell, Riley Bowman and Jamie Plumridge were sublime.
TAC Cup action returns to Shepley Oval on Saturday, 16 June when Dandenong takes on Oakleigh.
