The Calder Cannons have bowed out in the first week of the TAC Cup finals.
The Cannons were blown out of the water in the first three quarters by the Eastern Ranges and found themselves trailing by 64 points at the last break.
With nothing to lose, the Cannons fought on in the last quarter, kicking six goals in a row to reduce the margin to 27.
The comeback fell short with the Cannons losing 17.8 (110) – 11.10 (76).
Their coach, Andrew Johnston, said the result summed up where the club was at this season.
“Eastern played really well and it’s a credit to them,” he said. “We were just too far behind.
“I said to the boys at three-quarter-time to take the game on, there’s nothing to lose. I asked for the 18 and 19-years-old to step up and enjoy the last time they would play in a Cannons jumper.
“It’s unfortunate to lose, but that’s where we’re at this season; we’re the seventh to eighth- best club.”
Johnston said a big last month in the season had taken a toll of the players.
“The effort the past month had been massive as they didn’t want to finish the season poorly,” he said. “Playing on a big ground didn’t help either. I don’t question the effort that was put out there today.”
The first-year coach said this year’s team had been an unknown quantity at the season’s start.
“I didn’t know what they would be like and they didn’t know what I’d be like.
“We would love to have finished higher on the ladder but … we played in one final, which is a positive outcome.”
He said getting games into a number of 17-year-olds was a big positive.
“Campbell Moorfield, Jack Reaper and Hayden Blythe have been good players,” Johnston said. “Joel Bramble didn’t play today but he will become a more consistent player. Jackson McDonald is another one who will take things from this year.”
Nick O’Kearney leads the list of players who could be drafted from the club.
Last year, it had a record 10 players picked up in the national or rookie draft.
“Hopefully, Hisham Kerbatieh gets a shot, and Callum Moore has special attributes,” Johnston said.
“Tom Wallis’s leadership and power out of contests has improved so much in the past month – I hope Essendon look at him as a father-son pick. Bruno Laguda has had a pretty good year and doesn’t get the recognition he deserves, while Ben Allan has the ability to play at that level.”
