Powerful defence the secret at Sale

SALE was up for the fight when second-placed Wonthaggi Power came to town last Saturday and there was only two points separating the teams at half time as onballers broke even and both defences were on top.

Big Jack Leslie was doing well in the ruck for Sale, coach Jack Johnstone was a looming presence up forward and Sale playmaker Shannen Lange was getting first hands on the ball.

Out of the Wonthaggi side that won a season-defining match at Morwell the previous week were Jye Gilmour, Tom Macmillan and Jarvis Harvey and in came Tom Murray, Reeve Moresco and Andrew McNeal.

It was tight and tough in the opening 10 minutes with no goals scored despite the lightning-fast conditions at Sale but ultimately it was Sale coach Johnstone who broke through after what looked to be a soft free kick.

Lange continued to provide drive, but his efforts were curbed by Andrew McNeal who put him on notice with a crunching tackle on the wing. But equally, Issac Chugg and Kyle Reid were putting their stamp on the Power defence.

Chugg was a dynamo around the flanks where he forced a stoppage, Tom Murray swept the ball away and Brodie Mabilia ran onto the loose ball for the Power’s belated first goal at the 18-minute mark.

Fergus O’Connor, Reid, Josh Schulz, Jaxon Williams and Ethan Dickison were holding up well in defence, but Sale’s defenders were also rebounding strongly, and the scoring remained low through to the first break.

The output of Wonthaggi’s Ryan Sparkes was being pressured somewhat by Sale’s Lachie Ronchi with Kaj Patterson picking up some of the slack but ultimately it was Cooper McInnes who marked in the goal square with only seconds to go in the quarter and Wonthaggi had the lead as the siren sounded.

It was the same again at the start of the second quarter until Jasper Shone drove it forward 10 minutes in where Sparks received front and centre to kick the Power’s third goal from close range.

A minute later, though, Tom Campbell responded for Sale and it was an absorbing contest.

Sale’s Leslie got the tap in the centre but Shone sharked the ball only to see Jake Hutchins out-mark Wonthaggi key forward Mabilia. Those two were having a really good contest in the Power scoring zone.

A goal saving tackle by Schulz and a mark on the last line by Reid stopped Sale equalising initially but ultimately Bohdi Walker made it three each at half time.

However, in workmanlike fashion, rather than with flashy play, it was Wonthaggi which came out after the break full of intent, Cooper McInnes setting the tone with a long bomb for goal from 50 metres and Isaac Chugg continuing to show the way in transition.

Ryan Sparkes won a possession the hard way at half back, was awarded a free and 50 metres before finding Chugg on the move and then Hunter Tiziani whose second effort and tackle produced a free at half forward and a team-lifting goal.

When Chugg, Connor Macmillan and Jai Williams combined for another goal soon after, Wonthaggi had cleared out to a 21-point lead and had assumed control in the contest, which they maintained to the last break after a goal-saving mark on the line by Jaxon Williams.

The Power was now in complete control at the defensive end and had doubled Sale’s score, 23 to 46 with a quarter to go.

Andrew McNeal still had an arm across Lange at the stoppages as the last quarter started and was burrowing in when the ball hit the deck, but he had plenty of mates as Power kicked into gear in the last quarter.

Superb running play by Chugg, giving and receiving from Josh Bates produced as good a goal as you’d ever want to see, with Jai Williams capping it off from long range followed by another to Mabilia, the result of an overhead hand pass by Jakeb Thomas.

A coast-to-coast goal starting with Kyle Reid on to Jaxon Williams and then Jai Williams, who took a contested mark, before kicking truly was a sign for the future from Wonthaggi and while Sale’s Walker pulled a couple back at the end, it was all Wonthaggi in the second half