My Aussie Rules Rd #4 2008 Match Report - Part 1

Round 4 saw the Devils 3rds playing Aspley @ home on a Friday night. I love and hate Friday night footy. I love it because it's night time, the lights are on and it's just that little bit more special. I hate it because it's Friday night and most times I struggle to not be tired by the time it rocks around.

But Friday night it was and the boys were ready for a match. A couple of our Ressies players from last year who have been MIA were filling in for us this night as one of them's brother was the Aspley coach. The other was the Ressies captain and ruckman last year.... the 3rds finally had a ruckman!!!

Being named @ Full Forward was again interesting and exciting at the same time. I was picturing bags of goals with my name on it but knew from previous experience some midfield stuff would have to change for it to be on.

Also was named Captain just before the match as our usual Captain had been selected in the Ressies that week. Was a bit of an honour and enjoyed the chance to try and fire the boys up on a few ocassions.

The first quarter was a great quarter for the Devils. Ended up in the lead @ quarter time with 1.3(9) v 0.3(3) and could have been much more. Got involved personally with some scraps down forward after enjoying some scraps the week before.

Couple of those behinds could have easily been goals and would both have been direct assists from yours truly. One stands clear in my mind. The ball entered our forward 50 and it became a good scrap for a minute or more. Play was locked in and there was tussle after tussle and just as it would break free we'd wrap it up again. It ended when I went in, scooped the ball and out of the corner of my eye spotted a loose man just off the goal square. I had barely nabbed the ball when I realised I was being slung, but managed to squeeze off a side of the boot special towards him through the pack around me. As I banged into the turf I heard the claps from my team mates indicating he'd marked the ball. Was stoked as I'd seen him free just before entering the pack and it was good awareness otherwise I wouldn't have known what to do with the ball when I got it. Unfortunately he missed a somewhat straight forward shot.

The other I had drifted up to half forward. I presented and managed to produce some crumbs, then managed to get the ball back somehow just as the Ressies player mentioned earlier was sprinting past me calling for it. A deft, and reactionary, little handball off to him as he flew past saw him run into the forward 50 at pace with noone in front of him. He ran in about another 10 steps, put it on the boot... and missed.

So it could have been a much better start to the match with a bigger lead. We kicked 3 goals to 2.3 in the 2nd and 3.1 to 1.6 in the 3rd to maintain, and increase, our lead at every change. They had had their chances but were still down. We led by 16 at 3/4 time.

Spent the last quarter down in the goal square and it was one of the most frustrating I could remember. The ball only came in a handful of times as it was constantly going the other way. As Captain I was yelling encouragement and stuff but I was so far from the action I'm not sure it did much good. They kicked 3.5 to our 1 goal to win by a single point. Their last goal coming a mere minute or two before the final siren.

Was heartbreaking stuff. I was gutted. Also spent the first 10 minutes after the final siren searching for a lost tooth from one of our players. He'd been hit in the jaw after tackling someone, as he stood from the tackle the guy swung at him and knocked his tooth out. This is the same bloke that dislocated his finger the week before. So 4 games into his footy "career" and two bad injuries in two weeks.

As I said a heartbreaking game. The highlight for me apart from some of my work early was my first goal of the season. On the back of a 50m penalty in our defence the ball came to the edge of the square just outside our forward 50. Standing at full forward I watched the player march forward with the ump and, as he approached his mark, pushed off my opponent and led out. At first I wasn't sure he was going to kick it to me as he was looking at another lead, but in the end it was kicked out in front of me. I didn't think I was going to make it but busted my arse to get there and lunged at it grabbing it in my outstretched arms and pulling it in. From about 40 out on a reasonable angle, I went back and slotted the goal.

A reasonable game for me personally but a cracker from the boys. A damn fine effort and a disappointing result.