By Will Jeffares
VFL
DESPITE a promising fightback, Frankston fell to a four-point defeat to the Northern Bullants as part of the VFL’s Standalones Practice Match Carnival on Saturday afternoon at Kinetic Stadium.
A slow start, in which the visitors opened a 23-point buffer at quarter time, and inaccuracy in front of goal proved costly for the Dolphins despite more than doubling the Bullants’ scoring shots and getting the game back on their terms after the first break.
After quarter time, Frankston were able to move the ball much quicker, with an intent to link up from defence to attack as they chipped away at the margin. However, despite goals from Noah Gown and Josh Butland in the final term, the visitors held on to claim the victory.
Although the result wasn’t in the Dolphins’ favour, Head Coach Jackson Kornberg said the side was able to take plenty of positives away from the hit-out. “Whilst the scoreboard shows we lost by a handful of points, I think there’s a heap of positives to come out of it,” Kornberg said. “Particularly from our ball movement point of view. I thought we moved it with real speed and aggression which is what we want to do. “Defensively, probably in the first quarter, we sat off a fair bit and allowed the Bullants to move the ball how they wanted to. “I thought after quarter time we responded and adapted. I thought it was a really positive showing after quarter time, obviously, we didn’t get the result we wanted but still, a lot to take out of it.”
George Grey was one of many positives for the Dolphins, with the former Casey Demon putting his foot skills and decision-making to great use when switching from defence to attack, something that also impressed Kornberg.
“I think ‘George’ has had a sensational last 12 weeks of pre-season and his games. He’s a real leader for us down back, he uses the ball really well and makes really strong decisions,” Kornberg said. “He creates a lot off half-back and he’s still learning the position, he’s still learning the craft. He hasn’t played half-back prior to this year but he’s growing every week and we love having George at the club.”
Kornberg also highlighted the performances of two fellow defenders, key defender Max Williams and half-back Tyson Milne, as well as welcoming back Colby Nayna, who returned for Frankston against the Bullants after a lengthy layoff. “Max Williams, I thought was positive down back. He plays that last line and I thought he stopped a lot of attacks. First quarter I thought we were a bit shaky, and he really stood up for the rest of the game,” he said.
“Tyson Milne as well. His run and drive off half-back. He did the same thing when he was at ‘Sandy’ (Sandringham Zebras) and that’s why we had a look at him to bring him across to the club and I thought he was good and I thought he was composed with the ball and made really good decisions today.
“There’s a few boys who were played on modified game time as well like Colby Nayna who came back in and he hadn’t played for a long time so it’s good to see ‘Colbs’ get some minutes in. “There were some good performers across the day. ‘George’, I thought he was super and the other two as well.”
The Dolphins will now turn their attention to Williamstown for their final practice match next Friday at Kinetic Stadium, with the sides to meet again just weeks later in Round 1 of the VFL season, a situation that Kornberg and his side are relishing. “For us, we’re just trying to maximise and prioritise synergy with the boys. Get the guys playing together as much as they can, get them playing our brand of footy as much as they can,” Kornberg said.
“I personally think it’s a great result to play Williamstown in the practice match and then get them round one. You get a really good look at them, see the personnel, see how they’re playing and then to be able to back up again two weeks later at the same ground on the same evening I reckon is really exciting for our boys.”
The two sides will take each other on at 7:30 pm on Friday evening at Kinetic Stadium as the final lead-up to the VFL season.
Final score: Frankston 6.17 (53)
Northern Bullants 9.2 (56)
First published in the Mornington News – 5th March 2024
