Plovers lose to Geelong despite home advantage

A HOME ground advantage wasn’t enough to get the Warrnambool Plovers across the line against Geelong on Saturday.

The new look Plovers side went down 19-44 against the more experienced Rams at Brauerander Park.

The loss leaves the Plovers winless after two rounds of the Victorian Rugby Union division two pool.

The Plovers lost to Monash University last week.

Plovers coach Franco Gillett said things were not looking too bad at half-time, despite the score being 12-19 Geelong’s way.

But the score blew out in the second half, with the Rams outclassing and outscoring the Plovers for the remainder of the match.

Gillett said the lack of experience in his side showed right through the game.

“Geelong are a very experienced and well disciplined side,” he said.

“We have a lack of experience, there are a lot of new, young fellas in the team who have very little game play experience, but we are improving each week.”

Gillett said there were only two or three “old heads” still at the club from the side that made the quarter finals last year.

“We are a whole new line-up,” he said.

“We’ve got to work on building up the team, getting them to work together and get that comaraderie happening again.”

Gillett said the standout player for the Plovers on Saturday was new recruit Michael Tokana.

“He had a very impressive game, very impressive for a young fella in his first run-out,” he said.

The Plovers have a bye this week and Gillett said they would use the opportunity to focus on training.

“We need to get back into heavier training and we have to get the fellows working together as a team — that’s the priority,” he said.

“Even though we have lost two in a row, we have played competitively and are improving each week.

“We are finding our feet, it’s going to take some time, but we will get there.”

The season has been extended from 16 rounds to 18, after one of the teams in the A grade pool dropped back into the B grade competition.