Division 3 Lacrosse, 2/5/2015, Bendigo v MCC at Maiden Gully
Another awesome, sunny Autumn Saturday at Maiden Gully, and the Bendigo Warhawks hosted the MCC division 3 team. Coming off a confidence-building win the week before, the Warhawks felt that they had a definite chance to make it two in a row.
MCC started with 10 players, but eventually had 11 to play, Bendigo had 13. The opening quarter was very evenly matched, and the Warhawks were doing well in the centre and were creating good movement up front and took early shots. While MCC were a little slower to get going and were only able to score one goal for the quarter, the Warhawks found the net twice: Alex Orr scored one goal (sorry, I can’t remember how he got that one), while John Webb finished off a terrific sequence of passes, whereby Alex regained possession from a turnover as MCC cleared, passed nicely to Russ Crofts who lobbed it over a defender to John Webb, who stepped out of the way of a charging MCC backman, turned and found the goal vacant and chucked it in. At this point I should apologise if the Webb goals always seem to be reported in much more detail, but I replay them in my mind for days after, especially when there is a near-death experience with a charging defender and a widow-maker pass. Back to the action....
With the score at 2-1 to Bendigo, the second quarter had MCC with more of the ball and despite being well held by Warhawks defenders and their shots stopped many times by Gino Iuliano in goals, they were able to score two. Bendigo had plenty of possession and took plenty of shots, but it began to become clear that the MCC goalie was of a high standard and that high long shots were going to be mere practice to him. His great skills with a goalkeeper stick also allowed some elegant clearing straight to the MCC forward line. During this period, the player movement seen in the first quarter by the Warhawks fell away a little and chances to shoot were fewer. Alex managed another great goal during this term, making the score 3-all at half time.
In the second half, the arm wrestle continued, and frustration began to manifest itself in the form of fouls to a couple of Warhawk defenders, but the MCC assault on goal was largely repelled and they threw only one for the quarter. Up the other end, the Bendigo forward line struggled to maintain structure and any shots were gathered cleanly by the goalie. Mark “Wookie” Reader came down from defence and beat the goalie with a shot that bounced high and just went in under the top rail. We went to the last break at 4-all.
Fourth quarter saw the MCC team settle in attack better than Bendigo, while the Warhawks’ were frustrated by the MCC goalie and organised forward play broke down. Regular Bendigo shooters became tired and players who would normally have a shot or two were reluctant take a chance. MCC players were tired as well, and we noted in the centre face-off that our midfielders were often being left completely on their own, but we didn’t really capitalise on it, and couldn’t get the net to billow in the last term. MCC ran out winners 6-4.
Votes were awarded to Mark “Wookie” Reader (2 Association, and 3 club) and to Alex Orr (1 Association and 2 club) and a single club vote went to Gino Iuliano in goals. All three guys battle hard and to the end in every game they play.
This one got away from us, and I think we just need everyone to get to training and practise our set play and then take it with us into a game. We are able to do it sometimes and when it works, it makes the game seem easy. When it doesn’t, we labour hard for few goals (and have to suffer the taunts and jibes of our defenders when they score more goals than the forwards do, and no-one wants that). Practise, practise, practise.
We take on Melbourne Uni next week at Uni.
John Webb
Senior Player
Last Modified on 11/05/2015 12:28