Having secured a place in finals action there was little to lose but much to gain for the Rebels in the final round of TAC Cup football, with a sixth place finish in the offing.
Calder kicked with a wind advantage in the first quarter, scoring the first two goals before Nathan Horbury, using sound judgment and his reliable left foot, could register the Rebels’ first goal. Dean Gavin, Josh Free and Liam Hoy were working hard in midfield and Kurt Aylett provided run through the centre to create opportunities, but the Cannons were also running hard and fast into their forward line. Their “big gun”, Serhart Temel, goaled with a clever banana kick to give the visitors the edge. North Ballarat’s efforts at boundary throw-ins were much improved from last week though and the Rebels were holding their own in contests. Matthew Sully covered his opponent well to smother, recover and goal towards the end of the quarter to keep the home side in touch.
The Rebels gained confidence in the second half, kicking with the wind to score successive goals by Dylan Parish on good leads, at the end of hard work by Dean Gavin, Kevin Bourke and Josh Free in mid-field. Chris McMahon, Kevin Bourke and Liam Hoy benefited from the shepherding efforts of team mates to add individual goals in the last ten minutes of the quarter in a strong display, to give the Rebels a 9 point lead at the main change.
The early part of the third quarter saw a flurry of goals from both sides with Chris McMahon persisting and Kurt Aylett at his season’s best to keep the Rebels in contention. However, the Cannons, with precise, quick handballs and hard forward running, managed to establish an eleven point lead going into the final quarter, with Temel notching his fifth for the game.
With the wind continuing to favour the Creswick Road end of the ground, the Rebels were well positioned to overtake the Cannons, but a goal within the first minute, followed by four more saw Calder literally run away with the game. The Rebels’ work rate dropped off and decision making suffered, as the Cannons took 22 uncontested marks for the quarter. Matthew Dea’s second game for the season was outstanding as he stood firm in defence, marking strongly and sending the ball long into the midfield and beyond with accurate kicks. However, the Cannons completely outclassed the Rebels in the final quarter to run out easy winners by 45 points.
Ironically, the Rebels will face the Cannons again at 11am this Sunday at Visy Park (Optus Oval, Carlton) in the TAC Cup Elimination Final, which offers a last opportunity for the Rebels to achieve the potential which the team has shown, inconsistently, this season. We all wish the boys the best of luck for the finals!
Last Modified on 31/08/2009 11:03