Cannons on the Up - Round 9 v Oakleigh Match Report
Story by U18 player Jack Thorogood
Photo by Greg Kowalczewski
ON yet another chilly and damp day for footy, the wet weather proved no hurdle for Calder as the Cannons rallied to beat Oakleigh Chargers at Rams Arena.
The Cannons overcame a slow start to win by nine points with Muhammed Saad kicking seven of our nine goals.
Oakleigh were exceptional the first half, but the Cannons showed their fighting qualities to hit back in the second half.
There was confusion at the outset of the game, as the Oakleigh Chargers lined up ready to go the wrong way.
This mishap was soon forgotten with the Chargers scoring the first goal from a free kick.
The Cannons backline withstood a mountain of pressure, but then gave away three free kicks in the Chargers forward line to hand the visitors three easy goals.
Still, all the boys managed to make an impact, surging the ball forward at any given chance.
The boys were getting to the footy first but ended up fumbling or misusing it.
That wastefulness showed through on the scoreboard with the Cannons finishing of the quarter with one goal and five behinds.
The next quarter saw Oakleigh rack up clearance after clearance.
The Calder boys were unable to maintain possession for the first half of play.
Gratefully, the rain was able to hold up the Sherrin and enabled Calder to force the ball down their end.
Muhammed Saad (Saady) began his day out scoring two goals in five minutes and Bradley Bernacki began to fire up.
Although Calder Cannons were down by 21 points at halftime, Andrew Johnston insisted the boys were not out of it yet, and they weren’t.
The Cannons backline continued to stand tall and the team managed to keep the Chargers scoreless for the entire third quarter.
Calder was able to turn the ball over and maintain possession, dominating the second half.
Clean stoppage work from Ben Ronke, and Ben Caluzzi surging the ball forward, allowed Saad to score consecutive goals.
The mid-sized forward kept the Cannons’ spirits positive, scoring three goals alongside Ronke’s one to give them their first taste of a win.
Hayden Blythe and Zach Guthrie were also great.
They were stellar off the half back line, Guthrie playing off his man to provide the boys with some much-needed drive.
But of course, it was Saad’s day out. He finished the game with a matchwinning seven majors.
When you have someone like ‘Saady' kicking 7 goals, then the game will generally be yours.
Calder Cannons Football Club 9.16.70 def Oakleigh Chargers Football Club 9.7.61
Goals: M Saad 7, B Ronke, K Brown
Best: M Saad, Z Guthrie, B Bernacki, B Ronke, H Blythe, B Caluzzi
Last Modified on 01/08/2016 10:26
