By Jonty Ralphsmith
Cranbourne has gone down in an ugly slogfest to premiership favourites Cheltenham.
With light rain falling in a low scoring grand final rematch, Cranbourne never led after conceding the first two goals of the game.
The margin sat at about the one-to-two goal mark for the majority of the contest as the Rosellas generally responded straight after an Eagles goal gave the visitors a sniff at Jack Barker Oval.
Matt Alister kicked a goal early in the last quarter to tie the scores up at 40 apiece, but that would be the Eagles’ last, with Cheltenham banging home the final three.
Missing full forward Marc Holt, Cranbourne lacked a big presence inside 50 all day and couldn’t execute their plan with their entry kicks.
Skipper and key defender Brandon Osborne returned for his first game in a month in time for an enticing duel with league leading goal kicker Josh Fox.
Fox, who rotated through the ruck, took three marks inside 50 and finished with two goals, including the match-winner but Brandon Osborne won some critical one-on-one battles.
Both teams brought high pressure and were willing to get to work in the clinches with repeat stoppages the flavour of the day.
Jarryd Barker won plenty of the footy and Dylan Cavalot was named among the best but Cheltenham was able to match Cranbourne’s hardness and deny them easy exits from stoppage.
Another key part of Cheltenham’s victory was their ability to slingshot between the arcs when they intercepted in defence.
When Cheltenham dictated play, it was off the back of their speedy ball movement, set up by the halfbacks, which gave their forwards good looks ahead of the footy.
Glenn Osborne was named best on ground but it was fellow defender Andrew Green who caught the eyes of several watchers from both sides with his spark off halfback.
The result all but sews up top spot for Cheltenham.
“It was a slogfest but sometimes they’re the games you need,” Cranbourne coach Steve O’Brien said.
“The guys needed that contest just to prime us up going into the bye.
“It was a tough contested game and not the greatest spectacle.
“We give ourselves a chance, we know our best footy’s good enough, we rate this side so highly.
“They’re well organised out on thee ground. We have a bit to improve on to challenge them when the whips are cracking but I think we’ve shown we can do that.”
NO HOLT NO METHOD
In the absence of Holt, Ryan Jones, Chris Ramac, Alister and ruck Michael Boland were among the Eagles to play as the deepest forward.
Dickson remained in his natural centre-half-forward position all day.
The premiership goal kicker’s absence was front and centre from the first minute.
Cranbourne broke away from the first centre bounce and went inside 50, having the ball in their forward end for the first two minutes, with three kicks to dangerous spots but no mark pulled in.
No one was able to stand up and have scoreboard impact, though the delivery early wasn’t suited to an attack that lacked its biggest player – both in size and reputation.
Cheltenham threatened with their ability to pick off the high ball and either intercept and go or get it to ground level and chain out through hands.
At the first break, midfielder Zak Roscoe implored his teammates to lower the eyes and hit up targets while composure was the coach’s phrase of choice.
But the pressure on the ball carrier made it difficult for kicks forward to have directive in a game with limited free flowing play.
It took a Glenn Osborne smother when numbers were in Cheltenham’s forward end of the ground for Cranbourne to get a two-on-two look inside 50, which Dickson cashed in on.
In the second half there was a willingness to go to open space with the entry kicks and back themselves at a stoppage inside 50.
But the deviation from the usual method of operations proved one which was too big to overcome.
Cranbourne scored three goals via free kicks, two from quick kicks inside 50s to even numbers to the advantage of the forward and Ramac opened the scoring with a pearler in open play from 50.
EMERGING DEFENDER
With each game he plays, Green looks a more confident and established member of the Cranbourne lineup.
The Officer local from Northern Australia played for the NT Thunder in the Coates Talent League earlier this year and was a reasonable contributor in a team that lost its three games by an average margin of 136 points.
In a much more successful Cranbourne team, he’s been able to showcase his weapons, taking the game on when exiting defensive 50.
He was willing to get high up the ground to help lock the ball in Cranbourne’s forward half and the teenager’s marking and read of the ball in flight round off his game nicely.
At one stage in the third quarter, he put his head over it to try and win a hard ball in Cranbourne’s forward 50 and won a free kick.
When he went back and nailed the set shot, all 17 of his teammates got around him to celebrate his first goal.
Halfbacks that can create are a key part of the modern game and Green’s certainly got that and more.
““He’s a good young player,” O’Brien said.
“He gives us plenty of drive. He’s a nice kid and has really embraced our footy club and we’ve embraced him. He’s a fairly quiet boy but he’s a good kid to have around.
“He’s a good defender but gives us a fair bit of drive and he’s got a good left foot coming out of the back half and uses the ball pretty well.”
Meanwhile, Springvale Districts escaped with a draw against Dingley.
Shakore Bragg-Taylor had the ball outside 50 with about 20 seconds remaining and launched it to the line where it came off hands and narrowly missed the behind post to level things up.
Cam Dickie took the kick out, his attempted torpedo coming off the side of the boot and travelling just 40 metres but fortuitously ending up in Dingley hands before the siren sounded.
Brody Ledder was the clear best on ground for the Dees providing drive off halfback, while Mason Russell laid some important tackles in the dying stages.
Springvale Districts came from three goals down in the last quarter, shifting the way they moved the ball and moving some magnets to get back in the contest.
Dingley’s Kristen Feehan had the job on Matt Wetering, keeping him to one goal, but Wetering was playing injured after the first quarter.
Results R13: Chelsea Heights 6.14 50 v Mordialloc 10.5 65, Cheltenham 8.11 59 v Cranbourne 6.6 42, St Kilda City 1.4 10 v St Paul’s McKinnon 24.19 163, Dingley 6.11 47 v Springvale Districts 7.5 47, Bentleigh 12.12 84 v Port Melbourne Colts 12.14 86
Ladder: Cheltenham 48, Cranbourne 40, Springvale Districts 38, Port Melbourne Colts 36, Dingley 34, St Paul’s McKinnon 28, Mordialloc 16, Chelsea Heights 8, Bentleigh 8, St Kilda City 4.
Fixture R14: Mordialloc v Dingley, Port Melbourne Colts v Cheltenham, Cranbourne v St Paul’s McKinnon, St Kilda City v Chelsea Heights, Springvale Districts v Bentleigh
