Happy scrappy victory
A SCRAPPY but i important win has set Be Bell Park up for its blockb blockbuster clash against St Joseph Joseph’s this weekend. FacingFac South Barwon on Saturd Saturday, Bell Park battled early a and neither team kicked a goal until 25 minutes into the contest, but a sevengoal-to-none second term kicked the Dragons clear. Missing primemovers Luke Rounds (shoulder), Mitch Cuthill (knee), Ben Johnson (knee) and Tim Sheringham (hamstring), a couple of key Dragons stood up. Veteran big man Zane Vail was dominant in the ruck, while Kyle O’Connor likely played his best game for the club, kicking three goals from the midfield. O’Connor’s performance showed off the under underrated depth in Bell Park’s midfield. “He’s“H probably now put himse himself in the position where he wil will be in our starting midfie midfield,” co-coach Sheringham said post-match.
“He’s a kid who came to us pretty late and we didn’t know a hell of a lot about him, but he just loves his footy and loves learning and getting better.
“Zane himself was a major contributor in terms of actually winning the clearance and getting it forward.”
The win was the seventh in a row for the Dragons, who run into St Joseph’s in strong form.
Rounds and Sheringham are likely starters in that match, while Johnson will be touch-and-go.
Joeys cruised to a 57-point win when these two met in Round 1 but due to the combination of weather interruptions and having a fresh team on the field, Sheringham believes that result is now meaningless.
“Round 1 we don’t think was a fair indication of where we are at against Joeys — one: weather wise, but we had a fairly new group,” he said.
“We just want to know that we are going to be competitive come September against the likes of Joeys and the other top-five teams, so next week is a good test that the boys have not so much been waiting for but are pretty keen to get out there for.
“Next week is really about the process and making sure we do everything the Bell Park way.”