A freezing Melbourne winters day greeted the two teams at Newcomen Rd. With the rain not looking like easing, a good start while the ball was dry was what we needed. Billy Athanasopoulos marked and kicked truly in the first two minutes to get us on the board. Adam Nichols provided our next major, capitalising on some good work from Gav Vassallo. The captain snapped his own goal minutes later to get us out to a handy early lead. Billy and Gav both had their second majors before quarter time, with the visitors responding just before the break with a goal. Given the heavy conditions, a four goal lead was a good place to be at quarter time.
Above: Billy shoots a goal in driving rain
We continued to do the basics well in the second quarter. We were generally first to the ball and did not overuse it, preferring to move it forward at all costs. To the Kangas credit they had organised their defence a bit better and stemmed the flow. Our persistence paid off with Billy adding a third and Ryan Wachter getting on the scoreboard in the latter part of the quarter.
Below: Brad Dight works hard in front spot.
It was more of the same in the third term with the Demons breaking through for goals to Gav and Matt Thompson as the rain continued. Once again the Kangas could not get through our defence and we recorded a clean sheet for the second consecutive term. Billy collected his fourth in the last quarter as he snapped truly after roving the goal line contest from Damian Stark.
Matt Campbell and Justin Doust above.
It was not a pretty display but it was an excellent effort for the conditions. There were many contributors across the ground. The fact that we conceded only one goal for the day was in no small part due to the experience and efforts of Justin Doust and Leighton Ross in defence. With Kris Merz and Lance Baptist also on song, our backline was tougher to crack than a walnut using bum cheeks. Danny Wilson and Damian Stark were terrific in the ruck. Matt Campbell played the conditions superbly, getting first use of the ball and moving it forward. Billy’s four goals on a day not friendly to forwards was also noteworthy.
The reserves also posted a strong win, getting home by 64 points in probably the worst conditions of the day. Matt Pay slotted three majors and reckoned he was best on ground. Lukas Bray showed his class in the wet. Terriffic to see Shannon Brown back and in form.
Last Modified on 27/07/2013 22:41