On Sunday morning I watched a depleted Div 2 team battle valiantly against a powerful Ormond outfit. It was inspiring to see the boys give their all and not give up right until the final siren.
When I left E.E.Gunn Reserve to travel to Hurlingham, it was 6 degrees and it was raining solidly. The Div 2 boys were shivering and their hands were numb.
However, Per Bellarts, Beau Harrison, Liam O’Driscoll and Marcus White put their cold & numb hands up and travelled to Hurlingham to join the 15 we had available to face the might of East Brighton (top of the ladder) at full strength.
Brighton Grammar Year 10 Camp had decimated us.
Luckily, when we arrived, the rain stopped, the sun came out and we were blessed with a pleasant afternoon.
The pleasant afternoon sunshine clearly agreed with our boys because the performance was sensational. Every player gave their all in every contest and the Vampires had to work for every possession. There were spot kicks to running targets; linking up handballs; running to space; switching play; gang tackles…it was terrific to watch.
An 8 goal third quarter to the Vampires showed their class, otherwise we were right with them for the rest of the match. The opposition coaching staff were lavish in their praise for our boys’ performance and I let it be known how proud I was of these fantastic boys.
Outclassed, outnumbered, exhausted…our boys never gave up and played some exciting footy.
Three weeks in a row we have been horribly undermanned playing against the top three teams but I have been thrilled with the EFFORT…as I’ve said before, that is all we ask for…EFFORT.
Awards:
Per Bellarts – 2 great games on the one day…never stopped running, attacking, tackling
Lachie Fraser – incredibly courageous attempt to mark running with the flight of the ball…inspirational
Michael Garbelotto – outstanding game at full-back on the leading goal-kicker
Ben Marron – his best game for the year, including a freakish goal, bringing praise from the opposition bench
Marcus White – magnificent 2nd game for the day keeping a super player nearly possession-less
Special Mentions: Belly – terrific game all over the ground after having played seniors at school the previous day; Beau Harrison – defied his bruised ribs by playing 2 games for the day and never giving in; Liam O’Driscoll – another who played 2 games for the day and took a great mark after a great lead and very nearly had a goal in 2 different games on the one day; Spaz – fantastic spoil, tackle, chase, attack on the footy…sensational; Perko – tough job at CHB (2 weeks in a row) but took it on the chin like a true leader; Hardy – continual drive out of the centre; Harry Neave – hit the ball running at full pace…a joy to watch; Jacko – 9 tackles…again!
Thanks for an enjoyable day boys…it could have been very ugly, but it was great to watch.
Only one training session to go…Wednesday at Castlefield at 6pm – 7.30pm…before our final match of the season…a Double Header at Boss James.
Wouldn’t it be fantastic to finish the season with a win or two?!
Cheers,
Ralph Bergman
