The Western Jets were made to pay the ultimate price for a lacklustre first half in a season-crushing 15-point loss to the Dandenong Stingrays in the TAC Cup elimination final at Visy Park on Sunday.
The Jets prepared for the loose players that the Stingrays would inevitably place across their half forward line and placed an emphasis on smart use of the ball going into attack, but might have overcompensated, overusing the handball and losing their usual fluency.
PICTURE GALLERY: Western Jets v Dandenong Stingrays
“It was a bit of poor execution early in the game that hurt us,” Jets coach Torin Baker told Star Weekly.
“We were always chasing for most of the day and you spend your petrol tickets trying to get back into the game.”
In fairness, the Jets were behind the eight ball before the ball was even bounced.
They lost two of their highly-rated draft prospects to injury with scans on Wednesday revealing that Corey Ellis had stress fractures in his foot and Jayden Laverde had not recovered from a corked thigh suffered in the previous game.
Ruckman Mark Orr compounded the injury list when he was ruled out on Friday night after contracting a fever.
“They didn’t help the cause, but that’s footy,” Baker said.
“We certainly had the chances to win the game and it wasn’t to be.”
The Jets got back on a level footing late in the second quarter, only for parity to be ripped away by some late Stingrays goals, leaving them 10 points in arrears at half time.
A huge third term from Connor Menadue got the Jets back in the contest.
Menadue perhaps sensed his side needed a lift after the injury bug struck again, this time to prime mover Liam Duggan.
Duggan was the Jets best player in the first half, but was restricted to playing from the goal square in the second half to manage a corked thigh.
Menadue’s star undoubtedly rose when he gave the Jets a lift from the wing.
“I thought he was outstanding today, particularly his third quarter,” Baker said.
“He was really carrying the team on his own back trying to get us back in the game.
“His run and carry was brilliant.”
Brayden Monk, Dillon Viojo-Rainbow and Liam Carter provided much-needed spark.
Menadue, Pele Manivong and Brenton Payne snared two goals each as the Jets came home hard, but it was the Stingrays who made the better of late chances to hold on for victory.
A season of promise came to a grinding halt for the Jets.
The writing on the wall might have come in the last home-and-away round when they coughed up a double chance with a shock two-point loss to also-ran Gippsland Power.
“There’s a real feeling that the season had great promise in it for a fair bit of the year, but losing that last game obviously hurt us and we were a bit battle weary at the end with some of our key players getting injured,” Baker said.
“Now we look at the draft and try and get as many drafted as possible.
“We’ve got quite a few who we think are a good chance.”
