by Scoop » Sat Jun 07, 2008 11:11 pm
The headline that Warren Partland has used isn't exactly accurate, I think. I did a quick interview with Sampson after the game for our site and the words he used to me were, "Very unhappy with the loss but happy with the endeavour." Bit of difference to "New coach enjoys loss." While I'm sure that he enjoyed taking the reins for the first time the headline is a little deceiving and carries a second meaning which, I feel, is unfair on Sampson.
I thought that the difference between the two sides, discounting the off-field upheaval at SAFC lately, was that the Bulldogs are used to pressure football whereas South, by far the younger and more inexperienced side, aren't. When the Bulldogs came at them in the second half the Panthers started to miss targets with their disposal and be brushed aside by shepherds in support of the Bulldogs' ballcarriers. In the first half Warren led his man a merry dance and remained dangerous for most of the game (probably dropping out a bit in the third term) while debutantes Redigolo (three goals) and Ash Baxter (with only limited minutes) contributed well. Second-gamer Rolfe also held his wing, his goal at the southern end after outrunning Paul Thomas (taking two bounces) was fantastic to see from such a young player.
The decisive move for Central came in the third quarter when they started to win the clearances from the centre with more regularity (a draw in the first half probably) and then around the ground, allowing them to hit leading targets upfield under less pressure than South were disposing of the ball. For the Bulldogs I thought that Thomas was by far their best player, winning many possessions and leading from the front, especially when South hit them hard in the first half, Elijah Ware with four goals was their most damaging forward and a livewire around the packs inside 50m, with good support from McCabe and Dutschke (although Central fans will be able to provide better insight to their team's performance).
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