By RUSSELL BENNETT
AFTER their stirring 24-18 win over the Northern Raiders in Morwell in week one of the Gridiron Victoria Division-2 season, the Pakenham Silverbacks would have ridden a wave of positive momentum into Saturday’s game against the Bendigo Dragons.
But Bendigo was on fire from the outset, and with the injuries Pakenham carried over from week one making life exceedingly difficult, Silverbacks went down 22-0.
Yet despite his side going scoreless, Pakenham quarterback Steve Mclean played a solid game; while Jye Healey (who made the transition from the offensive line to the defensive line during the game), wing back Josh Smith, and wide receiver Paul Ballinger – who took three catches in a strong athletic display – were also promising.
The Silverbacks’ second half was a vast improvement from their first, finding the red zone on multiple occasions.
But the combination of late adjustments to Pakenham’s blocking schemes at the line of scrimmage, the windy conditions wreaking havoc on their passing game, and the unavailability of three starting running backs due to either injury or illness proved far too much to overcome.
The Silverbacks are now fourth on the six-team Division-2 ladder, with a win and a loss from their opening two games. They’re just the one-win behind division-leaders, the Monash Barbarians, who they’ll face this Saturday from 10.30am at Maryvale Reserve in Grant Street, Morwell.
