NAB League 2019: Northern Knights hand Dandenong Stingrays first defeat in more than a year

The Dandenong Stingrays had gone more than a year without defeat but the Northern Knights pinned a heavy loss on them at Shepley Oval.

IT had been a long time since the Dandenong Stingrays had lost a match: Round 5, 2018, when they fell to the Oakleigh Chargers by six points.

From there they went on to win the premiership, all honour and glory to them for the first time in the Under 18 competition.

And with more or less a new group of players the Stingrays started 2019 with six wins and a draw to stay on top of the ladder.

But they met an impressive team in the Northern Knights at Shepley Oval on Saturday — and were defeated for the first time in 14 months.

It was a heavy loss, too: by 67 points as the Knights defied their position in the bottom half of the table.

The visitors dominated the early exchanges so thoroughly that the Stingrays had their first forward entry 10 minutes into the first quarter. It happened to produce a goal, Jai Nanscawen’s pass finding Blake Kuipers.

But the Knights quickly replied through Ben Major, snaffling a crumb in the goalsquare. And few minutes later Major had another major, this time from a set-shot, and the Knights were out to a 16-point lead.

If they looked back, it was only to see if they could pick up the Stingrays trailing behind.

They had some outstanding performers.

Reece Orchard (right) cracks in for the Stingrays.

Onballer Adam Carafa, who had played for Vic Metro at the Under 18 championships last week, had 24 possessions and kicked a goal; lively forward Sam Philp had 19 disposals and also booted two; Nathan Howard relished a long run in the ruck; and bottom-age player Ewan MacPherson had 21 touches off half back, in the manner of his old man, former Footscray utility Steve, or “Super’’ to his many Doggies admirers.

As his father did, MacPherson wears the No 27 jumper.

Reigning best and fairest Josh D’Intinosante did some good things too.

At quarter time 18 Stingrays players had 16 possessions between them.

They rallied in the second quarter with four goals to two, the tigerish Reece Orchard and acting captain Luca Goonan supplying a spark.

Small forward Ashton Williamson got involved too.

Ashton Williamson is jubilant after knocking over a gloal for the Stingrays.

But the Knights pulled away in the third quarter and rounded out a rousing performance with six goals to one in the final term, the last coming from a goal after the final siren.

“Really good learning experience for our boys today, just showed them the level you have to be at every week, against quality opposition,’’ Stingrays coach Nick Cox said.

“We got beaten in too many areas … scrapped to get back in the game at half time but they probably should have had a bigger lead. I think we had the ball inside our 50 for 38, 40 minutes. For a 100-minute game you’re always going to struggle to score when the number’s like that.’’

Ruckman/forward Corey Ellison, Orchard, Goonan and Henry Berenger battled it out for the Stingrays, who had a handful of players away representing Vic Country in the national championships.

Former Bulldog Steve "Super'' MacPherson and wife Karen at Shepley Oval.

Carafa was left out of the Vic Metro team but went thumping at the door of the selectors with his best-afield display.

“We thought he was instrumental with some of his hands and his work in and around the contest and sharing the ball … we were pleased with him,’’ Knights coach Justin Wenke said.

“When you get dealt some disappointment it’s what you do next that counts the most.’’

Wenke said MacPherson had shifted to defence after playing as an onballer in previous seasons.

“He reads the ball well, he marks the ball extremely well, d he makes good decisions with his feet and he’s a competitor. In the last four or five weeks he’s been in our best every week.’’