Giants quick to quell Saints
GFL
ST ALBANS coach Hayden Best lamented his team’s poor starts in the opening three games of the season after it let Geelong West kick six unanswered goals in the first quarter of Saturday’s 48-point loss.
The Giants appeared unstoppable at The Gordon Tafe Oval, with their ball movement and skill execution looking first class against a youthful Supersaints outfit.
But Best said the lesson for his players was that they simply had to be better when the heat was on at the beginning of matches.
“The lesson is we’re off the pace when the whips are cracking,” Best said.
“We’re just not up to it at the moment with our skill execution, our pressure, and we’re reactive to how the opposition is playing around us.
“The second half of most weeks we’ve got a little bit of a move on but it’s just too late with the first quarter blowouts.
“(We gave up) eight goals against South Barwon in Round 1, six goals against Geelong West and St Joseph’s missed a heap (of goals), but at the moment we’re a long way off it.”
The home side kicked into gear after quartertime and matched Geelong West for periods of play in the final three terms without threatening a genuine comeback.
Best praised Hayden Elliott for his job on Giants’ star Chris Moreland and Will Law for his work across the ground but said St Albans had too many passengers on a disappointing day.
“We have got plans in place but it’s just a mindset thing that the players need to adapt and work as hard as they possibly can and at the moment I just don’t think we’re working hard enough,” he said.
“That obviously comes back on the coaches and Geelong West looked fantastic, they looked like a top-five side, but in reality they’re probably not going to be around that mark but I suppose that just shows how far off it we were.
“We kicked five goals for the game and they were all from backmen, so we’re really struggling to find any forward power and anyone who can kick a goal … at the moment we’re not capable of kicking 10 goals, 12 goals, 15 goals that you need to win. “At the moment we’re just well off it.” COLAC flexed its muscle against North Shore, running out a 38-point victor at home.
Zachary Zdybel slotted four goals in a best-afield performance, with playing-coach Kane Leersen and ex-Geelong Falcon Adam Garner contributing three majors apiece. LEOPOLD put away Grovedale by 10 goals after leading by just five points at half-time.
The Tigers were kept scoreless after the main break as Leopold went on a goalscoring rout.
Trent West was named the home side’s best on ground. ST Mary’s retained its unbeaten streak with a 106-point thrashing of Lara, with swingman Tom Gillies kicking six goals in a match dominated by Jarryd Garner.