After round one in 2008 you couldnt blame people for thinking Mitcham might be in for another long season. After a long battle off field during the pre season, the club succeeded in their first battle of 2008. After a huge turnaround of players from U18's through to the senior squad, Mitcham succeeded in getting three teams together for Division three 2008. With a sense of excitement heading into round one, all three teams seemed to fade away under the pressure. Warrandyte looked to set the standard of division three letting the Mitcham faithfull know that this year would be no walk in the park. Round two would be no easier. Taking on 2007 finalists , Upper Ferntree Gulley was always going to be a big ask. The game did not start the way Mitcham were hoping for. Upper Gulley set the bar high in the first quarter with their power forward Grant Noonan kicking 4 early goals. Taking that lead into quarter time (4 goals) Mitcham had a hard task infront of them. The tigers stuck to the task and managed to close the gap to 11 points going into half time. Although the game seemed to become more even in the second half, it was still Upper Gulley that managed to keep the scoreboard ticking. A lead of 5 goals at three quarter time to Upper Gulley could have signalled another fade away from the Tigers. Mitcham coach Paul Nigro sought composure from his young senior group at three quarter time. The message to his players was to persist for the last quarter and run over the top of a tiring Upper Gulley side. With Kym Cox keeping big Noonan to one goal in the second half, the Tigers were able to start their comeback. The backline provided plenty of run with Pat Spendlove, Aaron Blundell & Locky Gleeson stepping up to the challenge. While the Higgins brothers combined nicely with Andrew Heard and Al Cowen up forward, it was a complete team effort that saw the Tigers bang on a 6 goal to 1 last quarter. A young midfield led by captain James Quilty and youngster Jordan Roberts provided the guts and determination to shut the game down in the last few minutes helping the Tigers too their first win of the season and their first senior win in 24 consecutive matches. While there was plenty of emotion after the game, the club realises that there is a long road ahead. Hopefully this win will spark the confidence of this young Tiger team and provide them with the opportunity to carry their success into future rounds.
Score:
Q1: Mitcham 3.2.14 Upper Gulley 7.2.44
Q2: Mitcham 7.5.47 Upper Gulley 9.4.58
Q3: Mitcham 10.8.68 Upper Gulley 15.6.96
Q4: Mitcham 16.10.106 Upper Gulley 16.7.103
Goals: Mitcham - L. Higgins (3), A. Heard (3), F. McNaul (2), B. Higgins (2), A. Cowan (2), J. Andreatta, J. Quilty, S. Straka, B. Reiner
Upper Gulley - G. Noonan (5), M. Petracca (3), A. Tapscott (2), J. Sherlock (2), T. Power, T. Watts, M. Pudney, A. Hards
Best: Mitcham - L. Gleeson, B. Higgins, P. Spendlove, A. Blundell, J. Quilty, L. Higgins
Upper Gulley - J. Sherlock, T. Power, D. Lizza, G. Noonan, T. Watts, M. Streit
Last Modified on 05/05/2008 17:32