Star talent sidelined but Coutas make no excuses
THE list of outs is as long as your arm.
But Queenscliff coach Steve Clark has refused to blame injuries for his side’s disappointing performance against ladder-leader Barwon Heads.
In fact, the former Leopold premiership coach heaped praise on the Seagulls, who blew the Coutas away after quarter time to run out 100point winners.
“We were really good in the first quarter — our shape and structure was really good — but Barwon Heads came out in that second quarter and they just got a hold of us a little bit,” Clark said.
“We lost shape, and with a bit of inexperience in the team, we tended to retreat rather than stay where we needed to be.
“We addressed that, but the horse had bolted. It just got away from us. “I thought we adjusted in the third quarter, even though we were a long way behind, but I was really happy with the way they went about it.” Kicking just 3.8 for the match, Queenscliff was annihilated by a Seagulls outfit that had 41 scoring shots. Inexperience was telling, but Clark knows his side can turn it around. “Barwon Heads are a really good side and they’re going to be tough to beat, but from my point of view, when we do what we’re able to do we’re a really good side,” Clark said. “We’re well aware, as we get further into the season, of what makes us be not such a good side.
“It’s being able to identify that on the ground at the time and wrestle it back, rather than come into the break with the damage done.
“Once we start to get a bit of experience back in the team, then that’s going to help.”
Queenscliff was without plenty of star talent, with Luke Orvis, Michael Randone, Daniel DeGois, Jayden Durran, Cameron Habgood, Jake Hedley and Nickolas Aringo among a host of players on the sidelines.
“I don’t want to make any excuses,” Clark stressed.
“It will certainly help with experience when we get them back, so no doubt it’s going to help.
“I’d have to say they are the best side we’ve played. It was a really hot game early and then they just opened us up in the second quarter and they were too hard to stop.”
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