Arch returns to lead Lyndale to victory
Lyndale 3.3 8.3 13.4 15.4 (94)
Caulfield 1.2 3.4 7.4 11.4 (70)
AFL legend Glenn Archer came out of retirement to make a triumphant return to AFL when he played for Lyndale Pumas in a memorable four-goal victory over Caulfield on Saturday at the Barry Powell Reserve.
Glenn retired from AFL at the end of last season after playing a club record 311 games for the Kangaroos, but he agreed to play a one-off game for the club where his footy career began more than 30 years ago.
Lyndale Seniors play in the Southern Football League Division Two and had only one win from 10 before Saturday's game and when the two teams last met in April, Caulfield won the game by 90 points.
Glenn's four-goal haul and on-field presence inspired the Pumas to overcome a Caulfield side that included former Fitzroy, Sydney Swans and Hawthorn player Darren Kappler.
Glenn had predicted he would be feeling some pain after the game but was happy to sign autographs for all the Lyndale and Kangaroos fans. "I was struggling towards the end and started to cramp up a little bit but I feel better now," said Glenn.
"I'm absolutely rapt. It was a great result. The boys had a real crack out there. They had lost to Caulfield earlier in the season so it was a good turnaround for them.
When asked if a comeback for North Melbourne was on the cards, Glenn was quick to rule it out, saying: "Not a chance! That's it for me."
Glenn's four goals weren't enough to make him Lyndale's top scorer on the day. Pumas forward Adrian McCracken scored five bringing his season's total to 25 and aknowledged the influence of Kangaroo legend. "When you've got Arch delivering it to you it makes things a bit easier.
"You couldn't asked for more from the team. Everybody played well and came together as a team. If the boys can take something away from how we played today, we can go on and win many more games from here."
Lyndale senior coach Matt Caples was delighted with the victory. "Although we lost to the top team last week, the endeavour has been there and the team have being going about it the right way," said Matt. "With Glenn coming down it obviously gives you a big spur and it's a fantastic result."
Club President Murray Collard admitted he wasn't expecting the win. "It was a fairytale ending. Glenn played inspiring footy and we got a very unlikely victory over a team that had beat us by 90 points earlier this year. We showed today we can play good footy. Hopefully we carry this form on."
The celebrations carried on into the evening with a sportsman’s night with a memorabilia auction and reminiscing on the agenda. The event would help raise funds for the club but Murray was quick to point out this wasn't just about the money.
"Today has been real good for the area and the people around here. We've got a lot of loyal supporters and it's been great for them and great to see some old faces here today. Hopefully they'll get down a lot more often. We're here nine times a year and we're a friendly club. Everybody is welcome at Lyndale."
For full detailed results of the game, visit the Southern Football League website.
Look for a exclusive video report on the game this week on Glenn's mySport website.
Paolo Righetti - Production Editor SportingPulse Pty Ltd
Last Modified on 30/06/2008 19:28