Reality checks aren’t always a bad thing and that’s the case for Rupertswood, whose 10-game winning streak came to an end in the Riddell District Football League on Saturday.
After playing the lower sides in recent weeks, the Sharks were looking forward to testing themselves against Riddell, the form team of the competition.
Disappointingly though, the Sharks were found wanting in many areas in the 10.15 (75) – 7.9 (51) loss.
Sharks coach Ben Jordan said the loss was what his side deserved.
“We were outplayed for most of the day and we got what we deserved really,” he said.
“We thought we’d go better than that … a bit disappointing really. They were stronger than us.
“They were cleaner with the footy and we were reactivate all day. We didn’t look like scoring much and didn’t look dangerous when we had the ball in hand.”
Jordan said the loss had left his side with plenty to work on in the final two rounds of the season, including ball movement.
“We were slow to move the ball,” he said.
“We had some chances to attack and counter- attack early on and seemed a bit tentative.
“We didn’t link up and carry the ball like we would have liked to, which makes us easy to defend against.
“We never really gave ourselves a chance.”
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Jordan said it was good to play a couple of the top sides in the run home, with an eye on finals.
“It’s a good preparation from our point of view,” he said.
“We’re aware that some of our wins have been against sides that aren’t travelling too well. I’ve been happy with how the boys have built up some momentum after a slow start to the season.
“It’s not a bad thing to play good sides like Riddell and Romsey now. If we’re to win finals we have to win these sorts of games.”
The loss sees the Sharks slip from top to fourth ahead of a clash with new leader Romsey.
“We had a win in the wet against Romsey last time,” Jordan said.
“It’s a crucial one for us; we need to respond and we have to respond.
“It’s such an even competition we could finish anywhere from first to fourth.”
