CRIB POINT FC – By Jared Newton
HASTINGS inflicted Crib Point a 109 point hiding at Hastings in what was Crib’s worst loss in a few years.
The game started evenly with a goal for goal opening term with the contest looking poised at quarter time before Crib Point were completely blown out in the remaining three quarters.
Hastings piled on goal after goal to kick 18 unanswered goals, before Crib Point salvaged a bit of pride in the dying minutes of the game with two late goals.
For the Pies, Brad Arnold was their best through the middle and toiled all day, a Dean Kairies played another strong game across half back, and Jack Johnson provided some spark with the limited opportunities he received kicking two. Aside from that many were down on their best and the result looked pretty inevitable when the Pies were down to two on the bench and looked very flat after halftime.
At the halfway mark the Pies are sitting 2-6 and had they been offered that pre-season would have been shocked at the thought. Injuries and suspensions to key players has disrupted the season but their best has shocked a few, with finals out of the equation the second half the season is a good opportunity to try a few new things and disrupt a few other sides in their run for finals.
There is a finals football team somewhere there and if they can show it between now and August, they can set the foundations for a strong 2016 now.
The reserves found themselves undermanned and outgunned against a slick Hastings outfit who had more winners across each line in the midday game.
The seconds had their 7th poor start to a game football is year and were always going to find it hard to get back into it trailing by 27 points at the first break.
The boys found a bit of fire in the 3rd quarter to fight back and win the quarter but the task was insurmountable as they went down by 76 points.
It’s a shame that it takes the boys so long to get going in games of football. When their intensity, discipline is up they play better football, regardless of the skill errors.
The biggest killer for the reserves has been their lack of discipline. Lack of discipline in manning up, lack of discipline following instructions.
With eight games to go they should set their sights to show greater discipline in the second half of the year and aim to win at least half their games for the rest of the year. Not an insurmountable task.
The under 19s continued their brilliant season and in the coming weeks I might need to start opening the articles with their efforts because they have been brilliant for Crib Point week in week out.
The unders continue to pressure the opposition and wear them down with run and pressure before blowing games open in the second half. After halftime, the unders kicked 7.8 to 0.3 to dismantle Hastings by 82 points.
The margin could have been greater had it not been for inaccurate kicking.
Coach Justin Rutherford has done well to keep a lid on the boys who will still need to keep improving should, they want to be premiers in three months time.
First published in the Western Port News – 23 June 2015
