The Last Game
The wind it blows cold on the oval, so green,
The rain it pelts down – the weather’s so mean;
So freezing and icy! The last game is here!
For the mighty Maroons – they will give a cheer!
It’s beanies galore – for the noggin you know
And for such a great cause, RCD is the go
For research to start, to explore and to win
The fight against cancer, hence all the din!
On the last July Sunday is the date that it falls,
At Centenary Park Bentleigh, in the rain and the squalls…
The GPS will find it, our worries are nought,
Except the directions direct us right to Edith Court!
A U-turn is critical, will we be late?
We hope it’s not indicative of our looming fate;
And skid to a stop – well, responsibly at least,
To face the wintry breeze – oh what a beast!
The parents do trudge from the car to the game
Up very early – are we all quite insane?
The kids themselves are rigid with cold
With 2 legs like sticks of a red icy pole.
And Sheeds – he is there, with his eyes just so bright,
Gleaming and plotting – he’ll get it right!
With Dimma his sidekick, just over there,
With a mirror and brush, he’s doing his hair.
So relaxed and confident – ol’ Dimma we know;
He’d be happy to play in the sleet or the snow.
And Sheeds, he’s a legend – of that we are sure;
The master, the icon – we all want him more!
The team, the Maroons, they have done oh so well;
The last game is here – are they on? We can’t tell!
Some practice with handball – that’s an interesting thing…
Then kicking in lines – along centre wing.
Then sign in they do – it’s time to get ready,
It’s all they can do to keep their hands steady!
And over to Sheeds for just one last chat,
Then trot onto the ground – and that – it is that….!
The ball – it is wet, with a very small shimmer,
From the showers and rain – is the light getting dimmer? Dimmer? Dimmer?….
“Dimma, Dimma!! Can you please stop looking at the sky and come over here? Goodness man, this is the final game of the year! Put the brush down and stop day dreaming! Give me a hand with those buckets and wristbands, will you?”
“Sure boss, I mean, Sheeds….just a second…..ok – LET’S GET READY TO RUMMMMBLE!!!”
For the final full game (noting the Carnival next week), the Captains were Xavier and Alex. I can tell you all for free – both were pumped and excited to lead the team out onto the ground. Well done Xavier and Alex!!!
And the team kicked off with a bang! The mids were working very hard through Alex, Cate, Bertie and Teddy. They were collectively doing a great job making it very hard for the opposition! St Peter’s kicked a couple of goals with the wind, which brought a small sweat to the brow of the super coach, but he needn’t have worried! The backs were doing a great job, and Angus, Dan, Tim and Niko working as hard as they could!
The second quarter changed the game. Diesel and Sebastian started wreaking havoc in the middle, driving the ball long, where Harry & Angus were up forward with Jacob leading at every opportunity and goals began adding up for the Maroons! Jason was working super hard in support, and Niko was doing his normal thing – getting the ball and finding a teammate at every opportunity. When the ball went down back, Xavier was relishing his leadership captaincy role and was repelling everything that came near him – in particular, finding his teammates, which was terrific! Well done Xavier! Cate continued her great game in and under and Charlie and Sam were doing a great job in the contested ball areas – as usual!
The third quarter was probably the best the Maroons had played all year. St. Peter’s, kicking with the strong icy wind, didn’t kick a goal for the quarter and the Maroons’ back and mids did a magnificent job, manning up and putting pressure on whenever they could. Sebastian and Jack forced the ball near the Maroon’s goal in this quarter, which was a feat in itself – and only just missed a goal! Well done Sebastian and Jack! Dan was taking marks, which was great to see and Lucas was also getting in and under. Cate had her best quarter for the year (well played Cate!) and Arlo was doing a sterling job in the middle as was Tom! Teddy laid probably 3 of the best tackles I have seen him do all year, with one of them seeing the ball spill out, and Teddy picked it up and flicked it out to a teammate! Great stuff Teddy!
The final quarter saw Harry go nuts. I think he knew it was his last game for the year (safe trip to England Harry!) and he continually won the ball forward and kicked a couple of goals. Diesel and Tim found heaps of the ball in the middle, and Jacob was doing some terrific ruck work! Sebastian was a livewire also and Dan was leading hard and continuing to take marks. Jason was giving great drive and Arlo, Alex and Niko were holding things together and pressuring all the time!!
In the end, the Maroons won (but nobody keeps scores, I must emphasise that) and the kids were over the m(ar)oon!!! Sheeds gave Dimma a hug. Dimma gave Sheeds a hug. Bit of a bromance going on there…..and the team got together in a big circle and sang the mighty Rovers’ song!!! A red snake even was gently placed in Dimma’s hand as a reward!!!
Thanks again for all the help on the day – all the volunteer parents were fantastic yet again with medical, running, umpire’s escorts, oranges, snakes, timekeeping and goal umpiring all being operated smoothly. And of course, a big shout out again to Fi and Maria…!
It must be said, that with the regular season over, the team’s development, both in a football sense, and an individual sense, has been marked – and for that fact alone, Sheeds & Dimma are very proud of the Maroon kids. They have done themselves, their families and the football club proud – and the values of Passion, Teamwork, Respect and Fun exhibit themselves within the team at training and on game day.
GO MAROONS!!! #gorovers
