STRATHFIELDSAYE remains on track to emulate Golden Square’s undefeated 2011 season, but only just.
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The top-of-the-table Storm were pushed to the limit by second-placed Sandhurst at Flight Centre Park on Saturday, winning a thriller by five points, 12.14 (86) to 12.9 (81).
It was the Storm’s 12th-straight win this season and their remaining six home and away games are against the bottom six clubs.
“We were just lucky enough to be in front when the siren sounded,’’ Storm coach Darryl Wilson said.
“I didn’t think it was a great game of footy. It was hard and it was tough, but it wasn’t great quality with the amount of players both teams had missing.
“I don’t know whether we’ll take heaps out of the game, but thankfully we got the points.”
The Storm looked the better side for much of the first three quarters, but couldn’t shake the desperate Dragons.
A superb set shot from Lee Coghlan gave Sandhurst the lead midway through the final term, but a 50m penalty against the Dragons at the start of time-on proved costly as teenager Harry Conway kicked truly to regain the lead for the Storm.
With less than two minutes to play the Dragons surged forward again and looked set to regain the lead when youngster Josh Hann took a fine mark in the goal square.
However, the umpire paid a free kick against Hann’s team-mate Joel Wharton for a push and the Storm dodged a bullet.
The reigning premiers worked the ball inside their forward line and the siren sounded seconds later.
The Storm won despite being without a plethora of top-liners and they also walk away being better for the experience of having a quality side challenge them deep into the final quarter.
Saturday’s game was the only time this year the Storm has been behind on the scoreboard with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game.
Sandhurst had key forward Ben Anderson and key on-baller Adam Parry pull out before the game and then lost on-baller Alex Pollock to a knee injury in the first quarter.
“Our effort was pretty good because we kept coming at them all day,’’ Sandhurst coach Brett Fitzpatrick said.
“The final quarter was like a finals game as far as pressure is concerned, so that was good experience for us.
“We didn’t get the points, but we will take some reassurance out of the game that we can compete. Both teams had key players missing, so it will be interesting to see how each team structures up in the finals.”
There’s no substitute for quality and the Storm’s most influential players were midfielders Kallen Geary and Sam Heavyside.
Geary was the best four-quarter performer on the ground, while Heavyside looked a class above everyone in the first half.
For the Dragons, skipper Blair Holmes was superb through the middle of the ground, Zac East was damaging all day and Matt Thornton had a big influence on the game in the second half.