The Dingos took to the field in round 5 action on Friday night against old rivals the Toronto Rebels. In what was a battle of 2nd and 3rd on the OAFL ladder, the Dingos were eager to make up for a sub-par performance in the nation’s capital, while the Rebels were on the rebound from their first defeat of the season.
From the first bounce, it was clear that the match was going to be a hard fought affair. It wasn’t until about the halfway mark of the first quarter that the Rebels broke through with the first goal of the match. Dingos’ ruckman Tom Bell, in his first game back after his honeymoon, won almost every ruck contest throughout the first quarter and gave the Dingos’ midfielders plenty of opportunities to move the ball forward. Despite Tommy’s great work in the ruck, the Dingos were only able to score once for the quarter, with the Rebels leading at quarter time by 15 points.
To begin the second quarter, Dingos’ veteran Craig Stewart was thrown into the midfield to replace Shaun McKay, who had left the match with a hip injury. Stewy hit the first few contests hard and caused plenty of headaches for the Rebels’ midfield. The Dingos peppered the goals for the first half of the quarter, and were rewarded with majors to Mal Brady and Max Parish. The Rebels began to regain control around the ground, however the Dingos’ backline held firm and only conceded one goal for the quarter. Yoni Moussadji, Anthony O’Brien and Pat Bossey worked hard to intercept and rebound the ball back out to the wings, while Ramsey Blacklock again seemed to have the upper hand on his opponent. With half time inching closer, the Dingos linked up for their best team goal of the season, with Denis Cormier finishing off a coast-to-coast play that sent the Dingos into the major break trailing by only three points.
The Rebels came out firing in the third quarter, kicking the first three goals to extend their lead to over twenty points. In what is becoming a common occurrence, Dingos’ “Latino Sensation” Camilo Serpa slotted through a goal after being on the receiving end of a high tackle inside fifty. With the quarter winding down, tempers began to flare around the ground, and both teams gave away their fair share of free kicks.
Heading into the final quarter, the red and black faced an uphill battle, trailing by 25 points. Club founder Paul Tinkler was thrown into the forward line, and had an immediate impact by slotting through the quarter’s first goal. Mal Brady followed this up by kicking his second for the match, and all of a sudden the Dingos were within striking distance. Unfortunately, the Rebels responded quickly by kicking two goals of their own and restoring their four goal lead. With the clock winding down, Mal Brady slotted through his third goal for the match after taking a courageous mark. The Dingos continued to fight right until the final siren, but conceded their first defeat of 2013 to a very strong Rebels outfit.
Final scores: Toronto Rebels 11.7.73 def Toronto Dingos 8.9.57
Dingos’ goals: M. Brady 3, P. Tinkler, E. Wells, D. Cormier, C. Serpa, M. Parish
Dingos’ best: A. O’Brien, Y. Moussadji, M. Brady, T. Bell, J. Duggan
The Dingos now have a week off before facing the league leading Toronto Eagles in another important match on July 6th.
Last Modified on 25/06/2013 05:26