By Sam Howard
The North Ballarat Rebels started off the week with another challenging game facing Gippsland Power at the Queen Elizabeth Oval in Bendigo. The boys’ enthusiasm and intensity increased during the week at training as we knew we had a good chance to beat the Power and their quick style of play.
The intensity and hardness of training helped the boys realise the amount of running that was needed to combat the Power’s speed and strength.
Being a debutant for the Rebels I had mixed emotions about the game ahead that included excitement, nervousness and also some pressure knowing that I had to make a good impression for the chance of continued selection.
Before running on to the ground the excitement and thrill of playing for the Rebels against such a quality side started to sink in, but as the whistle was blown and the ball was bounced it was just another game. Conditions were ideal and I was keen to get involved and get a few touches.
The boys started brilliantly in the first half with on-ballers Nick Suban, Ryan McKenzie and Andrew Hooper collecting the crumbs from Jordan Roughead’s good work in the ruck and kicking directly to our leading forward Tim Ruffles. The coaches thought Ruffles would be a difficult matchup for the Power and they were right as in the end Tim kicked five goals. The backs held their opponents well and ran hard out of the defensive area when needed. Bryn Weadon did some great “gut” running to provide many opportunities for our forwards.
The third quarter proved costly for the Rebels when Gippsland came out with quick goals to secure a two point lead coming into the last quarter. However, the Rebels didn’t give up and the team gelled together and pushed the ball forwards to create scoring opportunities. It was a tough battle to the finish but the Rebels came off with a seven point win. Quick changes and hard work from the boys made the win possible.
The Rebels travel to Portland next weekend to play a regional match against Sandringham Dragons and I hope to be given another chance to play.
Last Modified on 08/02/2009 16:41