James Saker says there will be lessons for his coaching group after Bell Park failed to match it with another GFNL premiership contender.
The Dragons were on the end of an 89-point hiding after being comprehensively outplayed by St Mary’s at Anthony Costa Oval yesterday, 20.11 (131) to 6.6 (42).
Saker conceded much of the preparation for the clash was focused on his team.
“We didn’t spend much on them this week,” he told krockfootball.live.
“We took a bit of a different approach and didn’t study their stoppages or study their patterns too much.
“It was more about things we wanted to try and do against a good side, so there is a bit of learning in that for us as a coaching group.”
Despite the magnitude of the loss, which was similar in nature to their 91-point loss to St Joseph’s in Round 5, Saker was still looking at the positives with his team.
Bell Park, which registered eight wins and a draw in 2023, will enter the bye with an 8-3 win-loss record.
“We’re 8-3. Twice we’ve played against the top two, and we’ve been a fair way off, so there’s a bit of reality in that,” Saker said.
“But, I’ve also been involved in campaigns where you can have these days against opposition that is too good for you.
“It’s a funny game, footy. You can change that, and you can turn it around.
“That’s a long way from us right at this moment, but there’ll be enough to work through to stay positive.”
For St Mary’s, it was their fifth win by more than 85 points for the season, taking their percentage to 304.
“It was pretty much a complete four-quarter effort,” co-coach Glenn Keast said.
“We probably had 30 seconds of brain fade. But, other than that, it was a really solid contribution across the board across all our three lines, and the boys came and did the job.
Keast says St Mary’s was prepared for Bell Park at its best.
“They’ve certainly got some aspects of their game, and some players are really important to them,” he said.
“Certainly, a focus for us was to take a few things away from them, and we had a couple of guys today do some good jobs and made those players a bit ineffective, which goes a long way to you winning a game.”
Zak Sherman was the standout for the Saints with a six-goal haul, while Harry McMahon and Michael Rudd each kicked four.
Charlie Sarcevic kicked two goals for the Dragons, who were without Geelong VFL-listed forward Kaelan Bradtke after he was recalled to the Cats team.
St Joseph’s recorded 11 consecutive wins for the first time since 2019 after seeing off fellow premiership contender Colac by 18 points at Central Reserve.
The undefeated ladder leaders led by seven points at half-time before a 4.5 to 1.0 third quarter opened up a handy 30-point buffer.
Joeys were outscored by the Tigers in the final term, five goals to three, but they had done enough to secure a 13.15 (93) to 11.9 (75) result.
Paddy De Grandi kicked five goals to lead a St Joseph’s forward line missing reigning Rookie of the Year Hunter Lewis.
Joffy Simpkin finished with three majors for Colac, with league-leading goalkicker Adam Garner held to two goals by Joeys defender Liam Betson.
Leopold has used a 14-goal to-four second half to hand Newtown & Chilwell a 74-point hiding at Memorial Park, 20.13 (133) to 9.5 (59).
The reigning premier led by just eight points at half-time before breaking the game open with a 6.6 to 0.2 third quarter.
Connor Giddings continued his solid form in front of goal with four majors, while Billy Ritchie chimed in with three.
Debutant Max Annandale kicked a goal after being a late inclusion for Will Sheahan, who was called up for Geelong VFL duty.
The Towners, who were without the likes of Matty Lloyd (Sydney VFL), captain Matt McMahon, Zach Walter and Joe McDonald, were best served by Will O’Dwyer and Luke Maddock (three goals).
Grovedale has won consecutive games for the first time since Round 14, 2022, after overcoming inaccuracy and a determined North Shore at Windsor Park.
The Tigers trailed by seven points at three-quarter time but kicked the only three goals of the final term to claim victory, 10.21 (81) to 10.7 (67).
Mitch Chafer was again the standout for Grovedale. He finished with four goals, as did teammate Tom Gillett, in his best return for the season.
Harry Purcell almost dragged the Seagulls over the line with a five-goal haul.
South Barwon climbed into the top five at Colac’s expense following a 44-point win over Geelong West at West Oval.
The Swans led a tight tussle by just four points at half-time before kicking away for a 12.15 (87) to 6.7 (43) victory.
Captain Matt Caldow, joint Mathieson medallist Fraser Fort, and Harry Cunningham each kicked three goals.
Max Kelly (two) was the lone multiple-goalkicker for the Giants, who are now three games adrift of the top five.
St Albans and Lara will complete Round 11 in a standalone clash at St Albans Reserve next Saturday, July 6.
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