By the 13-minute mark of the last quarter, the Western Jets had worked feverishly to trim the deficit to within two kicks of the Sandringham Dragons. The effort was costly. They faded dramatically in the last 15 minutes to lose by 46 points in a TAC Cup blow-out at Highgate Recreation Reserve on Sunday.
Jets coach Torin Baker was shocked to see such a lopsided final scoreboard after his side had been competitive for most of the game and were within touching distance so close to the end. “It was disappointing,” he told the Weekly. “We certainly matched them in the midfield in the first half and that’s why it was such an even game at half time.
“We probably had more ball inside 50 but struggled to score. In the third quarter, clearances were 14 to three in Sandringham’s favour; they broke the game open quite a bit.”
The Jets produced a much-improved showing on their previous week’s effort in a round-one loss to the Calder Cannons.
They were able to hang in the contest for a lot longer, but are clearly still prone to lapses in concentration.
“It was those five-minute windows where Sandringham were able to score some easy goals that cost us,” Baker lamented. “From a point of view of staying competitive for a large part of the game, it was better [than last week], but we still have issues to address around the ball.”
The positive for the Jets is their top-line players are performing. Connor Menadue, Harley Armstrong-Weston, Corey Ellis and Dillon Rainbow were tipped in preseason to have big seasons and so far have not disappointed. Menadue’s sizzling form continued with a 29-possession, six-tackle performance against the Dragons. “He provided some really good run and is good in the one-on-one contests,” Baker said. “His form is outstanding and I hope it continues.”
Armstrong-Weston’s effort to nullify Dragons forward Alex Spencer was also a feature. A week after booting three and featuring in the Dragons’ best, Spencer was kept goalless and sent to defence to make an impact.
“They moved him to defence because Harley was right on top,” Baker said.
The task doesn’t get any easier for the Jets, with a road trip to early pacesetters Oakleigh Chargers on Sunday.
“We’re getting solid contributions from our top-end players,” Baker said. “Some aren’t making enough of a contribution, although a lot are new to TAC football and need time to settle in.”
