Demon surge stuns Stars

by Nicholas Duck

Ten minutes of poor footy cost Garfield dearly on Saturday as they were downed by Koo wee rup at home.

A slippery arm wrestle of a match saw the Stars in it up to their eyeballs until early in the final quarter, where the Demons ran riot for three quick goals to go 23 points up and just about put the game to bed.

From there the Stars dropped their heads, unable to mount another challenge as they were beaten 7.8 (50) to 11.8 (74).
Garfield, still missing superstar coach Eddie Morris in the middle and Ding Dieng in the ruck, did well for much of the day to keep up with the Demons, who entered the game fresh off a stunning win over Inverloch-Kongwak last week.
Though their connection inside 50 was lacking at times the Stars were able to generally match the visitors pound for pound as the game looked set to go down to the wire.
The fourth quarter saw the Demons ramp up the pressure, however, winning several key clearances and turning up the heat around the footy to make Garfield second guess themselves.
That was enough of an opening, the Demons kicking away and never looking back to secure their third straight win and celebrate Tim Miller's 200th senior game for the club in style.
Best on ground for Garfield was recruit Tom Kelly, whose class shone even in greasy conditions.
Noah Rogers pace and ball use off half back impressed especially as he pressed further up as the game rolled on, while Will Cole did well with more midfield minutes as well as his usual defensive work.
Will Papley looked set to tear the game apart in the first half only for a corky to limit his impact past the main break while Will Pickering and Angus Emery did well.
For the Demons Liam Pirotta and Zak Banks were standouts, along with Matt and Nathan Voss.
Matt especially was a force to be reckoned with, clunking marks down back and swinging forward for a couple of goals in a versatile display.
Tyson Twite was an ever-present danger inside 50 with his tackling pressure and intensity as Josh Bateman crashed and bashed in the midfield.
Garfield would have been none too pleased by their start when Lachlan Hinde got the Dees rolling from point blank barely 30 seconds in.
Ben Tenace-Greenall would win a free kick in front of goal not long after for the Stars' response as the back-and-forth nature of the game was on display early.
The teams traded blows and at times had plenty to say to one another as a few spot fires cropped up from some dangerous tackles.
Those scuffles cost both sides, with Matt Rennie and Nathan Voss both cashing in goals from some off the ball push and shove.
Will Papley drove home a beauty from outside 50 early in the second and a nice gather allowed Will Pickering to checkside a major, giving Garfield an eight-point lead at half time.
The Demons pressed in the third, with Nathan Voss slamming one through off a few steps to finally give them some reward.
Twite got out the back to soccer through another as the teams went into the three quarter time huddle with the game on the line.
The first goal of the final term was always going to be vital but the Stars' ill-discipline bit them again when a dangerous tackle on Matt Voss was followed by a Garfield player shoving his opponent off the ball, leading to a 50-metre penalty and the easiest of kicks for Voss.
Voss would again threaten moments later only for his kick to be smothered, before Taj Stanley went off the ground for a major.
Nathan Voss joined in the party, marking from the next centre clearance and putting through another as a Stars comeback looked like an impossibility.
They weren't helping themselves, it must be said. Garfield just couldn't find their targets inside 50, shooting themselves in the foot until the clock wound down.
By the time Tim Miller got on the end of a goal to the joy of his teammates, it was game over.
Speaking post-game, Morris said the Demons stepped it up a gear in the last and his players didn't go with them.
"I was talking to my coaches and going 'what happened?' We couldn't match it, they got those first few clearances and it felt like we just powered down from there," he said. "Our structure with our forwards was I'd say pretty poor. We still won plenty of ball and defended reasonably well. Just our opportunities going forward weren't great.
"I don't think it was talent today that lost it, it was more our method. We just couldn't match it with them."
Morris said both he and Dieng remain some weeks away from returning.
Garfield travel to face Inverloch-Kongwak this Saturday.