Lights on deep in time on. Sandy 104. Collingwood 60 pic.twitter.com/d7slqmwaHF — Sandringham FC (@sandyzebs) June 14, 2014

A strong defensive effort from Sandringham was a key factor in its 44 point win over fourth placed Collingwood on Saturday.The Zebras’ defence kept Collingwood goalless in both the second and final quarters.James Gwilt was a leader down back, consistently taking marks and causing turnovers in the Magpies forward half.Sandringham coach Simon McPhee said a solid defensive performance had been a focus for the team and his side was able to deliver, consistently blocking Collingwood’s attempts to get the ball past its 50 metre arc.Keeping Collingwood to only one point was important in the tight tussle that was the second quarter.The term saw only one early goal kicked by Sandringham, until the Zebras added three quick majors in time-on to extend their half-time lead to 44 points, which would also be the final margin.The lead could have been even higher if Sandringham had made the most of its chances.A struggle for goals in the second term followed a first quarter in which goals flowed more freely.It was a more even quarter with Alex Fasolo kicking two goals for Collingwood, before he was kept quiet for the remainder of the match.Beau Maister also kicked two in the term for the Zebras, whilst Sam Dunell dribbled through the first goal of the match on his way to four for the afternoon on his return from the senior team.Jason Holmes starred in the ruck, dominating the hit outs against the experienced Ben Hudson and youngster Scott Greenhough.The only drop off in defence came in the third quarter when Collingwood managed to get through Sandringham’s back line and score four unanswered goals.McPhee attributed this to a change in the Pies tactics, suggesting that Collingwood's increased numbered inside its forward 50 made things difficult for the Zebras' defenders.“They got through us a couple of times so defensively we dropped off a bit,” he said.“Structurally they went wing on wing on us and we were just a bit slow to react.”However as the rain set in in the final quarter Sandringham were able to adapt to these changes and the Zebras again kept Collingwood to just the one point for the quarter.Sandringham kicked long down the ground, with the quick ball movement that was effective in previous quarters not being practical in the wet.The Zebras’ were still able to add on three goals under lights in a win that McPhee said was an important yardstick of where the team sits in the greater scheme of things this year.“We definitely needed to beat a side above us to make sure that we remain relevant in the competition,” he said.McPhee also agreed that beating Collingwood will give his side confidence when it takes on Williamstown next week, which, like the Magpies is also sitting higher than Sandringham on the ladder.