On a perfect Autumn Mothers Day at our favourite home ground Castlefield, our boys were pumped to play. With only 18 lining up to play Mordialloc Braeside, everyone had a full game ahead of them. Tom Westerbeek and Orlando Lynch captained the game and lead by example from the first bounce.
The first quarter was a bit of an arm wrestle, with quite an even competition between the two teams. It took us a while to get going, and it wasn’t til the second quarter til we started gaining momentum. The boys were asked to lift the tempo, and dig deeper. We knew we had a lot more to offer. And respond they did.
The second half was an outstanding performance by each and every boy. Everyone knew their role and stood up with confidence. Our tackling was again relentless. Teamwork was extraordinary, and particularly the use of effective shepherding was seen time and time again. Efficient ball use created magnificent strings of play from the backline, all the way to our goals. Jacob Cassidy had a 3 goal haul in the third quarter to see our lead unfold. A perfect rove off a pack saw Dion Gavnoudias kick his first goal of the season. Joseph Webber played a strong role in the ruck and was instrumental in creating inside 50s. Taj Hotton and Jem Thomas had stellar performances and were tireless sweeping in from from the wings. Max Alpar set the bar for taking the game on with a courageous effort. Mitch Tuffley was also a driving force down the corridor and his bother Harry, even with a limp, proved dangerous in front of goals.
With such a unified effort, it made awards very hard to select. There were so many deserving, and every boy walked away from the huge win holding their heads very high.
