On arrival at Hughes Park for Rd16 our boys could be forgiven for blinking repeatedly to ensure their eyes were not playing tricks on them as they inspected the playing surface. It was a carbon copy of the surface at Mullum Reserve, heavy as heavy could be, with large patches of mud, some stagnant water, and that familiar unpleasant smell wafting across the ground. Our boys could have felt, perhaps disappointingly, somewhat disoriented - thinking we were at home. We might be very familiar with the conditions, but so would Croydon be, and the heaviness of the ground would certainly act as a 'leveller', meaning the game would be won pretty much on desire and commitment alone, skill, tactics and game plan would play only a minor part in this game.
Croydon won the toss and kicked with a slight breeze to the outer end, but it was our boys who had control early. Clayts was proving himself to be quite a 'mud-lark' in the conditions, his handling of the ball setting him apart from most of the others. We went forward repeatedly, but could score only one goal, a free to Skayve after some nice play in the middle of the ground. We had several other gettable chances, but the conditions made 25m shots at goal more like 55m ones and we could not nail another. Towards the end of the qtr Croydon surged forward for one of the first times and received a free of their own, which was converted, and this nullified much of our dominance. At 1/4 time we led 1.5 - 1.1.
The 2nd quarter saw this game take a dramatic turn. Croydon began dominating the stoppages, getting in first and getting in hard, forcing the ball forward any way they could. It wasn't pretty stuff, that was impossible in these conditions, but it was committed and effective. Croydon were rewarded with their 2nd free in front of goal, from which they scored to hit the front. All the play was in their half, and two brilliant snaps for goal from the pocket saw them out to a 13pt lead, a worrying sign in such bad conditions - would there be a big upset? This was certainly the last thing we needed. Fortunately, we responded as good sides do. A string of 'dry weather' handpasses down the outer wing ended up with us having an extra man roaring forward - Dave Blackie, who got on the end of the chain of passes and scored from point blank range to reduce the deficit. The tide was turning as Matt McCormack led out and marked 25m out. His left foot shot from a tight angle slid through and we had drawn level. Just before half time Tom Marriott put his body on the line at a repeat stoppage on our half forward line and drew a free kick. To their credit the umpires had been very consistent with rewarding the player who was first to the ball and Tom cashed in. His strong 35m kick sailed through post high as we took a welcome - and slightly fortuitous, 6 point lead into the half time break 4.7 - 4.1.
After half time Croydon threw everything at us in an attempt to keep their 1st division hopes alive. Nick Edge drifted deep forward and got on the end of a great solo effort from Skayve. His accurate kick (his first goal for the year!) saw the lead go to 11 points. Shortly after Edgy was involved again. He read the play beautifully, getting to a centred pass from Croydon across their half back line and putting a crucial fist on it. Blackie pounced on the loose ball and converted, stretching the lead out to a more comfortable 17 points. To their eternal credit Croydon would not give in. They forced the ball forward and kept it locked in their forward line for the next 10 minutes. We defended manfully, but could not get the ball outside our own defensive 50. 4 points were scored, but no goals, as Croydon tried in vain to bridge the gap. Finally we broke out of our defensive zone and forced the ball forward where Clayts converted from the pocket - a real back-breaker for Croydon, and at 3/4 time we went in to the huddle with a convincing 21 point lead 7.8 - 4.5.
The last quarter saw us finally pull away from Croydon, whose whole hearted efforts belie their standing at the foot of the 1st division ladder. Our edge in class got the better of them in the end, but only just as Tom Marriott converted for his 2nd in what was probably his best game for the club. Kroousser snapped cleverly to increase the lead and then after Croydon pulled one back "big" John Holmes slotted one late in the quarter to get the lead beyond 30 points, and that's where it stayed. Final scores were 10.9.69 - 5.8.38.
The level of committment of body and mind to this contest from both sides was commendable. For us it was a very tough slog against a desperate opponent and as such stands as a meritorious win for our boys. Our best player was clearly skipper Clayts, a standout B.O.G. (in the BOG...) while Tom Marriott, Brenter, Jesse Newman and Holmes also excelled.
The win ensures that we retain top spot on the ladder for another week, a game ahead of Scoresby (who beat Balwyn) and Vermont. Noble Park dropped one to Blackburn to fall two games behind us, alongside Balwyn. The impact of all these results is that we can secure a guaranteed "top 3" finish and "double chance" with a win against East Ringwood back at home at "the Fortress" next weekend. East managed to beat us at their place earlier in the year so this will be no 'walk in the park'. Our boys should learn the lesson from this game that in any conditions, and certainly in tough, heavy, conditions, any team that turns up with the right attitude can win on the day.
In other games the 2nds kept Croydon goalless in securing a percentage boosting and very valuable 80 point win, a result which will help in their efforts to secure a finals spot, and the U19s went down in their 3rd match up for the year with ladder leader Scoresby, (the record is now 2-1 Scoresby's way) but still hold down 2nd place on the ladder.
Go Wooders
Last Modified on 13/09/2012 11:08