Simonds space to lift Colac
COLAC coach Kane Leersen says his side is looking forward to being on the open expanses of Simonds Stadium in next week’s elimination final against Leopold, after being hemmed in and negated by a fiercely contested Bell Park outfit on Saturday.
Leersen believes Colac and the reigning premier will be suited more to Kardinia Park, after the smaller dimensions of Hamlyn Park, coupled with Bell Park’s contested ball superiority, led to a high number of stoppages, not allowing the Tigers the room to move.
“It’s a big difference coming from Central Reserve into a ground like this, so we look forward to getting out on to Simonds Stadium where there’s a bit more space for guys to operate and use our players on the outside,” he said.
“We couldn’t get much clean ball out of the stoppages to get the ball on the outside.
“That’s the challenge because they have big bodies and hammer you in tackles and create a lot of source pressure, so the challenge for us going forward is to get it out into space some more.”
A third-quarter burst of three quick goals between Luke Hillman and Ben McCarthy gave the Tigers hope, but Colac could not generate momentum to narrow the margin to a chaseable figure.
“They’re a really good side, they’ve got some really big bodies in there with (Todd) Stevenson, the Sheringham boys and (Mitch) Cuthill, so you need your best day to beat them,” Leersen stated.
Heading into next week, he believes his side matches up well against Leopold, a team it defeated by 17 points in their Round 13 encounter.
The Colac coach also forecast the returns of ruckman Lochie Veale and star youngster Campbell Floyd for the elimination final.
Veale was managed for a second week with hamstring soreness, while Floyd has not played since August 12 after injuring his ankle playing for the Geelong VFL side.
“They just weren’t quite right,” Leersen said. “They were at about 90 per cent.
“We’re conscious there could be three or four weeks to go, so if they had re-injured themselves it would’ve hurt us in the long run.”