Cool morning on Saturday at The Village Green, home of Easts as the Dockers were trying to stop a 3 game losing streak.

 

The Dockers started well with good movement of the ball, Joe Britton, Luke Freemantle, and Ryan Hughes were willing the ball into the forward line but shots for goal from Chris Glover and David Jung were astray. Turnovers from the Dockers were not helping as Easts were making them pay kicking 5 goals for the term.

 

The second quarter was a similar vein as the first with Dockers making some good forward thrusts just to be let down with the last pass or handball falling to the ground, Easts swooping on the loose ball and they were away again. Bryce Singleton was giving all with a number of shots on goal. Backs Ryan Hancock, Jordan Moore, and James West committing his body were also trying hard but the ball kept coming back with the poor skills of the Dockers. The half time margin was not a fair indication of how the game was going.

 

The third quarter showed glimpses of some good play from the Dockers. Ryan Hughes was holding marks, Brady Ollson making tackles, David Jung looking for Blake Malcolm to set up play down the wing the Dockers were starting to put some passages of play together. Luke Freemantle played well all day. Lewis Bond, Jack Horgan and new player Thomas Chard were also starting to run and there seemed some chance of a fight back but the disappointment of continual drop ball started to tell as they then started to drop their heads as the game seemed lost.   

 

Coach Fowler implored them to use physical pressure for the last quarter and get something out of the game but a (seemed) fitter Easts just kept running whilst the Dockers did seem slow. The option of handball seemed to be overused in critical situations. Back to the drawing board for the Dockers and with 4 games to go a team effort towards training and with Chris Bolt, Nick Whitehead, James Howard and Rhys Lindsay should add some spark to the forward line next week.