Falcons in overdrive to beat Ranges
GEELONG Falcons coach Danny O’Keefe believes his side has “found another gear” after powering away from Eastern Ranges in a 58-point win at Deakin University yesterday.
The ladder-leading Falcons kept the highly rated Ranges goalless in the second half while piling on six goals of their own in the 11.16 (82) to 3.6 (24) win.
Inspired again by the midfield masterclasses of Cassidy Parish and Sam Walsh, the Falcons are ap- proaching finals in their best form of the season as they seek to end a 17-year premiership drought.
Parish and Walsh both rotated forward, with Walsh adding three goals to his starring role, leaving O’Keefe confident he had witnessed the pair’s best performances of the season.
O’Keefe challenged his players in the lead-up to the match, urging them to go to another level with finals starting in a fortnight.
Internally, the Falcons rated Ranges as one of the most credentialed sides of the competition, despite sitting mid-table.
His side answered the challenge emphatically, outpointing Ranges with a hardworking midfield, coupled with admirable contributions from Cooper Stephens, Tom McCartin and Adam Garner.
“Us and Eastern play a considerably different brand of footy I guess to each other and, on reflection, our brand of footy stood up better than theirs,” O’Keefe said. “I was extremely proud of the boys today.”
Geelong remains in a two-way fight for top spot with Oakleigh Chargers heading into the final round of the year — the pair are split by less than 1 per cent.
The Falcons finish their homeand-away season against thirdplaced Dandenong Stingrays, but even a win might not be enough to retain top spot.