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TWO wins in two weeks over quality opposition has Queenscliff back on track for 2014, as it took care of Drysdale by 39 points on Saturday.
In trying conditions, the Coutas’ fast first-quarter start of four goals to none gave them a critical advantage and set the tone for the rest of the match.
Holding steady against a wasteful Hawks — who kicked 2.8 in the first half — Queenscliff blew the game open after halftime, kicking away thanks to its ability to take opportunities and convert when needed.
“In that first quarter, in particular, we probably had the scoring end and we really had to work with torrential rain, but we still managed to put a good score on,” coach Tom Limb said after the game.
“That then set us up for the game.
“It’s a credit to the guys, who are really keen to play a good contested brand of footy in these conditions and we showed that we can do it.”
It wasn’t quite the Coutas of old, but who could blame them given the circumstances. The opening term saw buckets of rain tumble down on to the Drysdale Recreation Reserve, with the home side left floundering without any goals at the first break.
Queenscliff consistently took a more direct route to goal, bundling the ball forward and relying on their smaller, pacy forwards to be at the fall of the ball if main target Daniel DeGois couldn’t hold.
DeGois did kick three goals by the end of the match, but eight other Coutas were on the scoresheet, something that pleased Limb.
“That’s fantastic that we can share the load and that we’re not all just relying on ‘Frenchy’ or someone down forward to kick our goals, that everyone can step up when they’re needed,” Limb said.
“In these conditions, you’ve just got to take the chances when you get them.”
While Queenscliff was opportunistic inside its attacking half, Drysdale was uncertain with its entry into forward 50 and found itself taking set shots from tough angles, which explained, to some extent, its poor accuracy rate.
But the Coutas’ defence was also stoic and can take credit for their stoppage work.
“We were really happy that in conditions like this, we were able to get the footy forward and actually have shots on goal,” Limb said.
“But what’s more pleasing is to keep Drysdale to (seven goals); the back six really worked well and it starts from our forward pressure then the midfield helps our back line out.”
Queenscliff’s ferocity and attack on the footy was far superior to Drysdale’s, particularly in the third quarter where the game was won.
The Coutas will remain in sixth place on the ladder for a second consecutive week, but are certainly buoyed by their recent form.
“We felt like we were starting to get back on track after that win against Torquay,” Limb said.
“Credit to the way Modewarre played … they really took it up to us and hurt us that game, and beat us.
“We needed to reset, so probably our last four weeks — apart from that Modewarre game — we’ve really been pretty happy with where we’re at.”
The courageous midfielder and two-time premiership coach said that the shock loss to Modewarre a fortnight ago, in which the Coutas were held scoreless in the final term, may have propelled his men into action.
“It just shows that you can never be too comfortable with where you’re at,” Limb said.
“After the game against Torquay, maybe a lot of the guys thought ‘all right we’re back, we’re here,’ (but) you’re playing against quality opposition each week.
“So now we managed to get a good win again, we’ve just got to make sure this is the starting block so we can continue to build on that each week.”
COUTAS GET HAWKS WRONG-FOOTED IN WET
SUSPECT foot skills are keeping Drysdale players from reaching their peak, according to coach John Fitzgerald.
The Hawks were found out with their disposal on Saturday’s game against Queenscliff, going down to the revived reigning premiers by 39 points.
While Fitzgerald was happier with his side’s performance against the Coutas than he was the previous week against Torquay, he concedes there is still work to be done.
“We had plenty of footy but we just didn’t use the ball very well, which is probably the story of the day for us,” Fitzgerald explained after the game.
“Our foot skill level is not the best in the comp and when it’s a bit slippery like this it makes it a bit tougher.”
“I don’t know if it strikes fear, but it’s not ideal,” Fitzgerald said of the loss.
“I think we were a lot better this week than we were last week; we were a lot more competitive for longer this week and we really did have our chances.”
Drysdale did end up winning the last quarter, but it was only thanks to a Jake Simons goal after the siren. The third quarter was where the Coutas broke away and, with the low-scoring nature of the game, it was always going to be a challenge for the home side to recover.
“In the context of the whole day they had probably 20 minutes in the third quarter where they were all over us,” Fitzgerald admitted.
“Their midfield was just too good for us.
“If you go into the last quarter and you’re six or seven goals down, you’ve got to have everything go right, you can’t miss and it’s pretty hard to peg that back.”
