Stingrays show

By Paul Pickering
A FULL-strength Dandenong Stingrays outfit returned to the winners’ circle – and how – smashing lowly Bendigo by 161 points on Saturday.
The winning margin was the largest yet in this year’s TAC Cup competition, and Dandenong’s 27.19 (181) was its highest tally of the season.
It also represented an emphatic return to top form after back-to-back losses to Geelong and Oakleigh.
Not surprisingly, that resurgence coincided with the return of the Stingrays’ Vic Country under-18 stars, including co-captains Mitch Hallahan and Luke Parker.
The Pioneers, with just one win to their name for the year, actually struck first, kicking the opening goal as they looked to take advantage of a strong wind.
But the Rays hit back to kick five unanswered goals and headed into the quarter-time huddle with a 22-point lead.
They were inaccurate in the second, registering 4.8 for the term, but Bendigo’s scoreless return pointed to the prominence of Dandenong’s back six, led by experienced stopper Riley Heddles and half-backs Jake Batchelor and Matt Buntine.
The Rays’ midfield was utterly dominant in the second half as the contest spiralled into an almost-farcical rout. A 13-goal fourth quarter meant party time for the home club, which hosted a luncheon for its sponsors and supporters at Shepley Oval.
Marking forward Arryn Siposs put the finishing touches on a seven-goal bag, while Tom Lynch (three goals) and Corey Buchan (four) were thrown back into defence as Rays coach Graeme Yeats shuffled his deck.
Defenders Buntine and Andrew McInnes also enjoyed a stint in attack, but it was midfielders Dylan Shiel (37 disposals) and Alex Benbow (31) who found the footy most frequently.
Shiel has now averaged over 33 disposals per game in his first three outings for the club.
Bendigo on-baller Anthony Dennis (22) and running defenders Leigh Masters (35) and Jayke Barrack (30) were among few winners for the Pioneers.
The fourth-placed Stingrays now have a weekend off before tackling the seventh-placed Calder Cannons at Craigieburn on 24 July.
Meanwhile, Dandenong’s under-16 Vic Country contingent acquitted themselves extremely well in the national championships in Sydney last week.
The Stingrays had 10 players in the Country team, which lost its opening two games of the carnival before knocking off eventual champion South Australia in the final round.
Stingray Lachie Whitfield (Mount Martha) was named as Vic Country’s MVP for the tournament, while team-mates Jason Pongracic (Kooweerup), Nathan Wright (Berwick) and Corie Intveen (Narre Warren) also produced eye-catching performances throughout the week.