by Paul Cook - ********************** THE WARM-UP: ********************** Last year’s runners-up, Perth Spirit, were looking to kick-start their 2015 campaign following their opening weekend defeat at the hands of Brisbane City, in what was a replay of the 2014 grand final. Buoyed by a heavy Western Force presence, they were one of the pre-competition favourites and were keen to start their home series of fixtures with victory. For the North Harbour Rays, this game was of the utmost importance in terms of the direction their season would take. They’d impressed in patches in the round one loss to the Sydney Stars, but in such a short competition, they knew that two losses in a row would leave them very much behind the eight-ball regarding a spot in the finals. ********************** THE BREAKDOWN: ********************** The opening half hour saw the Rays faced with a tidal wave of yellow and black shirts as the Spirit started with a bang, dominating in most facets of the game exce