After waking to a cracker morning, I am sure the kids involved in this Grand Final would have been as keen as mustard to showcase their skills on the Traralgon Rec Reserve. If there was to be a downside, it would have been the early morning dew, but the conditions were ideal for footy!
Police Boys got the first win for the morning winning the toss and kicking to the Loy Yang end of the ground. Looking for some retribution from last year's Grand Final, the Police Boys were keen to get off to a good start. Thye managed the first score of the game, a point to Tyler Mudita. This opening quarter was being dominated by the backlines, with the ball getting no further than the half back line each end as both teams were looking for that vital first goal. Combined Saints managed the first goal of the game, when Declan "The Mosquito" Massaro managed to take a mark, and with good vision found Nick Graham closer to goal with a nice pass. Nick's shot on goal was a little off target, but Nathan "Daisy" Harrup was able to mark the ball and slot it through accurately, giving the Combined team a 7 point lead at quarter time.
In the second quarter, both teams were able to demonstrate their fabulous skills and teamwork for such young players. The game was a real arm wrestle, as neither team was able to take control. Tyler Mudita snapped his second point of the game after a long kick into the forward line from Josh "Juddy" Meyer. Not much later, Combined were into attack and Police Boys failed to clear far enough, with "Daisy" Harrup latching onto the loose ball, taking on the defence and kicking his second goal of the game. Both teams were giving nothing away, as scoring opportunities in this quarter were basically non-existent. It was just before the end of the quarter, when some quick thinking from Josh McLeod, who found himself on the ground with the ball, hand-balled backwards, finding his Captain, Archie Grant, who snapped truly to make the scores at half time, 3-2 to 0-2.
Both Coaches at the long break encouraged their players to keep doing what they had in the first half and the opportunities would eventually come. It was a great contest and Combined Saints, with Captain Grant having his kick smothered, but he recovered smartly and found "Mosquito" Massaro, who with some dash cut his way through a couple of defenders to snag his first goal of the game and extend their lead to four goals. Combined Saints continued to push forward, and if not for the efforts by players such as Meyer, Ruyters, Hutton, Police Boys could have been further behind, but their intensity remained constant and they were rewarded with their first goal when Combined Saints faield to clear far enough, and Lewis Noble was able to put one through the big sticks, and more importantly lifting the spirits and rewarding the team for their efforts. Just before three quarter time, and Nathan "Daisy" Harrup, after some good work further upfield by Marsh and "Buddy" Shields, ended up with the ball and kicked his third of the game, giving Combined a 27 point lead, 36 to 9 going into the last quarter.
The dew was drying off and the skills on show from both teams were evident. Each Coach was encouraging and positive with their teams, asking them to go and do their best and the rewards would come. Polce Boys got off to the better start in the final quarter, as they had more of the ball, and about 4 minutes in, Luis D'Angelo found himself with the ball and kicked straight for a much needed goal! Police Boys continued to press, forcing the ball forward, and would have had many more scoring opportunities except for the work being done acorss half back by Max Luckie. Luis had the ball not long after, and with more moves than Micheal Jackson, he was able to allude the Combined Saints defenders which resulted with a shot on goal, but unfortunately, it was off line. With about 5 minutes remaining, Chandler Whitehead from Police Boys had the ball and his dancing shoes on, as he managed to dance around a few defenders and slot through another much needed goal for Police Boys. Best on Ground, Nathan "Daisy" Harrup found himself with the ball again after excellent team work up the ground and sealed the game with four minutes to go with his fourth goal of the game. Full credit to Polcie Boys, as they continued to put pressure on right to the very end, kicking the last goal of the game off the boot of Cohen Ruyters.
In the end, it was Combined Saints taking the Premiership and going Back to Back, with a hard fought 6-11-47 to 4-4-28 win. These teams I think are going to develop a strong rivalry over the coming years due to the competitive nature of their teams and excellent team work.
Best on Ground as judged by the Umpires, was Nathan Harrup of Combined Saints who was awarded the Bill Bishop Best on Ground Medallion.
Best players:
Combined Saints - Great Team Effort
Police Boys - Kaijah Noda, Chandler Whitehead, Cohen Ruyters, Joshua Meyer, Luis D'Angelo & Beau Hutton
Last Modified on 05/09/2011 12:23