C Grades Round 17 - Match Report
14-Aug-2009SHOC 16.10-106 defeated North Pines 9.9-63
Best Players: Henry Spurling, Nick Hurley, Matt Nobes, Jim Donnell, Cam Carroll,
Goals: 6 Carroll, 6 Welsby, 2 Wilkosz, 1 Gordon, Penny
After our narrow loss to Athelstone last week the C grade were left needing a win against North Pines to keep our finals chances alive. Having drawn with North Pines earlier in the season in controversial circumstances this was to be a bit of grudge match.
In the pre-spring sunshine and with the smell of snags and onions on the barby as we watched the D grade demolish North Pines by 25 goals, it was hard not to get caught up in the country atmosphere at Parafield Gardens pre-match. However things took a turn for the worse. I bumped into the umpire for our game coming out of the umpires rooms (aka the toilet) looking for our team sheet, and it hit me…….Graeme from Angle Vale….Oh sh*t. Now Malcolm is a lovely man, but I swear a
We began to move into the change rooms only to realize they were full, yet half of us were still outside…… I thought we had been directed to the umpire’s room initially but then remembered they had been assigned the toilet – not joking. We forced ourselves into the change rooms, using the single shower recess as a medical room, however then someone let fluffy off the chain we all had a deeper appreciation of what the 2 trapped Beaconsfield miners endured down in Tassie. We quickly decided to gather outside for our warm up and pre match address, very reminiscent of those all day football carnivals we attended as children, sitting on the grass, squinting in the sun and listening to every word our yr 5 coach spoke…..yeah right!
As the team went through its pre-match warm up I chased down Greame to hand him our team sheet, I called to him from about 10 metres away but he kept walking, I called out again as he was 15m away, still no response…I thought to myself he really does hate us. As I yelled at him a third time from about 25m away a not so polite voice away to my left said “mate….don’t you know he’s deaf”. If I had been quick enough I would have said…… “Do you think I would be yelling at him if I knew he was deaf?” Instead I retreated sheepishly to the luxurious but smelly change rooms and contemplated the joys of Div 7 football.
It was not a day to waste on the highlights reel, we got the job done and now have a simple scenario of having to beat top of the table Henley this week to ensure we play in the elimination final the week after. Simple on paper……but a challenge I’m sure we will relish….......
All played well
Special thanks to Ben Catlin and Shannon Leach (broken rib) for sitting on the pine for me as we were 2 players short.
Scott Collins
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