With Seaman Oval a quagmire and not conducive to large scores, it was little surprise that all three matches were close affairs and could have gone either way. The ground was boggy and heavy and made for ugly footy.
The under 18's did it tough in the heavy conditions for a hard fought win. There was only one point between the sides at the main break. Our boys put it together in the second half outscoring their opponents by six goals to one to win by the biggest margin of the day in the difficult conditions - 69-34. Standout players were Dale Reader, Aaron Pisani and Matthew Wehl.
It was a nail-biting finish in the First Division match which went right down to the wire. The boys withstood a late onslaught but held it together in the dying moments to post a 48-44 victory over the home side. Again it was the second half of the match where the game was won with our boys kicking 3.4 to 1.2. Kris Clouten had something to prove and was strong all day. Others deserving of a mention are Geoff Fletcher, Paul Jarrett and Jim Pinner.
First Grade followed the scoring pattern of the first two games and was contested strongly throughout. It was a disappointing result for us having led the match for all but the last five minutes. It was a game that in some ways we let the opposition win. The team gave one hundred percent but the heavy ground took it's toll with plenty of players cramping up in the final quarter.
The game was not without controversy as a seemingly incorrect umpiring decision in the final quarter, where play was allowed to continue following an incident where a Warners Bay player was red carded, changed the momentum of the match. The result was a possible 12 point turnaround - co-incidently the difference in the final scoreline. The standard of umpiring throughout the game was disappointing and a many decisions left players and spectators baffled. All the boys can hold their heads high and a win is not far away.
Those to standout were Tim Hillman who did what he was asked, sacrificing his own game to tag and shut down one of Warners Bay's key players. Dale Reader playing in his maiden 1st grade match showed his increasing confidence, having already played a leading hand in our under 18's victory, and Nick Greentree, playing his first game of the season following illness, showed his class all day.
Sean Horswell
Last Modified on 30/10/2005 13:29