Dragons win top 3 fight
BELL Park’s brand of manic contested football helped the Dragons secure the double chance as they tuned up for another premiership tilt with a 28-point win over Colac at Hamlyn Park.
The victory kept Bell Park in second spot on the ladder, assuring it a qualifying final against St Mary’s, while Colac dropped down to fourth and into a cutthroat elimination final against reigning premier Leopold.
Bell Park was never truly headed, with the margin not getting under three goals after quarter-time.
Jackson Bright (four goals) and spearhead Jarrod Garth (three) were a handful, and the margin could have been more if not for some inaccurate kicking. The home side’s much-vaunted contested ball and stoppage work was exemplary, and Colac simply couldn’t match it.
Without experienced ruckman Lochie Veale (hamstring soreness) to compete against, Bell Park’s Zane Vail gave first use to the on-ball brigade of Todd Stevenson, Luke Rounds, Mitch Cuthill and pacy winger Tyler Stack, who all had standout games.
“We made more of a focus on contested work this week because they’re really strong at it, and they also touched us up a bit around the footy down there (in Round 6),” co-coach Tim Sheringham said.
“We were minus-22 in that area when they beat us by a couple of points, so we rate our own mids but we also had to look after theirs.
“We were pretty glad when we found out Veale wasn’t playing. In saying that, (Zach) Zdybel and (Steve) Presani gave him a good battle, but Zane (Vail) is a superb player and we always get 100 per cent from him.”
The returns of key midfielders Rounds and Cuthill from injury made an evident difference — their bigger bodies at times bullying the Colac midfield.
Their inclusions — plus the likely return next week of defender Ben Johnson, who hasn’t played since Round 9 — bodes well for the Dragons heading into a tight finals series.
“Johnson was close. He probably didn’t get as much training leading in as he wanted but come next week he should be raring to go,” Sheringham said.
“He’s a pretty fit bloke and the role he plays for us he can come in slightly under done.
“It’s amazing when you change a couple of players how different teams can be.”
Sheringham said his team will come into the first week of finals confident against St Mary’s, believing his side exposed a few chinks in its armour.