Round 1 - Lorne
‘Twas, as always, a lovely vantage point for viewing at the home of the Dolphins. With the blue of Louttit Bay glinting in the background and the gums behind the ‘bank’ swaying gently in the breeze, it was tempting to observe the combatants in the amphitheatre below with what could almost be described as a sense of serenity. Alas, let no such thoughts cloud our perception as the business playing out before us was of the utmost importance. It was Round 1 for Pete’s sake and we had to begin our campaign with gusto. Without further ado season 2011 commenced.
With Skipper Mick on the sidelines due to pesky leg problems, Super Sam, looking eager to strut his stuff in front of his adoring fans, led the boys out. The whistle blew and as quickly as the man in orange could declare, ‘eyes on the ball ruckmen’, it was apparent the Lornites were in no mood for introductory pleasantries. With Coach LeRoy marshalling madly and big Mr. Hermans proving to be more than a handful deep in Dolphin territory, the black and whites had the appearance of a dastardly and dangerous foe. At the saintly end our Super Sam was not to be outdone, no sirree. He flexed and flew, he fought and fired. His deeds together with the stabilizing influence of Cool Hand Luke and Mighty Matty G meant we had matched the Dolphins at the half. Match the opposition you say? Not good enough for this band of merry men. Coach Paul would challenge his engine room. Could we lift? Could we break clear of LeRoy’s boys?
After threatening to do so, the Otways had their way during the main break. Those swaying gums had forewarned us that shorts (even purple ones) were not to be the order of the entire day. Tommy S would surely be a different beast in the second half.
Accordingly, one might have expected the contest to deteriorate into a dull and dour affair. Ha! Not for these Birre boys. As the quarter progressed the proof was in the pudding. The challenge had been met as the Doctor dictated and Perfect Pat pounced and pawed at the shell-shocked Dolphins. The net had been cast but Conspicuous Cam considered the killing incomplete. He corralled and clouted, cleared and conquered. Jim of the fancy feet was inspired. He would ask himself, ‘it’s a short ground, why not just take the ball from a centre bounce (maybe just throw in a tap here and a tap there to taunt the opposition), cruise to striking distance and nail one through the hi diddle diddle? And he did. All the while, Super Sam was ensuring the blitz would be complete.
Yes, there was a fourth quarter, but the damage was done so it’s not really worth further narration. Well done boys. Bring on Round 2.
Final Score
Birregurra 13. 9. 87 defeated Lorne 9. 5. 59.
Till next time,
The Saintly Scribbler.
