SUMMARY
This week’s match report is brought to you by the dictionary, as it contains a few of my favourite words and one’s that are not too often associated with footy, but I like it, so you may all go forth and … whatever.

After a week off which was spent hibernating under the doona all the while prognosticating* about the vagaries* of the draw in the Ammo’s fixture it occurred to me that if we played St. Bede’s at the start of the season in Rd 1 why do we have to wait until Round 16 to repay their hospitality? How does that work? Who has done this work? This can not be good for me to reflect upon this type of stuff as it will only serve to confuse me, or to be right Cockney about it “It will do me ‘ead in,” and it has. What has this to do with De La versus Old Trinity, nothing at all, and that is why the Ammo’s should not have a break, for to do so only makes me worry about the trivialities in life and I already have enough of them.

The opponents for this weeks clash as stated were Old Trinity who have a home base in Bulleen, a school in Kew and we were playing them at East Malvern, and given the uncertainty surrounding petrol prices a man could be confused at the travel involved in that little suburban travelogue.

In many ways the break arrived at an interesting time for ressies as we were travelling along at 5 and 3, perched a little less precariously at 3rd position on the ladder, with the 5 wins being consecutive, and were a little like the metaphorical steam train – building momentum to only come to a screeching halt due to a stray yak wandering onto the rail line. What this would mean for the team was anyone’s guess and we would need to be aware that the visitors would be ready to upset any ill-conceived notions that we may have held, they had the potential to be the yak on the railway line.

After a night of rain and wild winds the ground had been slightly softened and rather surprisingly looked green, apart from the sandpit at the playground end of the arena which just looked like a sloppy kindergarten sandpit.

By looking at the result and undertaking a quarter by quarter analysis it can be seen that the team built upon the lead established early and steadily extended it throughout the game to record a very solid win.

To record a win as solid is not to denigrate the result, but rather it was a game where players worked very hard on all aspects of the game whether that be in communicating with their team mates, tackling, running to receive the footy, looking to protect their team mates, all which are the more prosaic aspects of footy that never form the basis of any highlights package, but are fundamental to footy. By eschewing* those flashy elements we were able to gather momentum and build upon the lead to a point where it increased at every break – 19 points at the 1st quarter break, 31 at the half, 64 at the orange break and 75 at the conclusion of hostilities.

Such was the nature of the win it was almost as if the 6 goals kicked by Sam Morwood were a little surprising as there was nothing to suggest that he had a day out, rather it was a solid effort and one he should look to build upon and develop this on more consistency. In addition, the efforts of the backs led by the indefatigable Sauce and his offsiders in Chopper, Luke Jarvis, Trent Anderson, Booze and Pitch in repelling the thrusts of the Trinity players were not highlighted by overlapping runs or extravagant displays of skills rather it was more about being aware of the need to meet the challenge and see off the opposition to establish and retain our hard fought and won position in the 4.

On a day when Trinity could have been a potential banana skin to slip up on it was great that the team were able to get the 4 points and get to the turn at 6 and 3.

Better aspects and highlights were:

• the work rate of players like Greg Hesse, Jez La Ragy, Lamb Chop and Tim Kovess to provide us with enough opportunities to kick a score,'
• the game of Sauce who established the standard expected and respected by all when early on in the 1st he stood in the path of the on-coming attackers to take a courageous mark,
• the continued good form of The Boof (you can call me Mr. Boof),
• the continued improvement in the cameo’s of the Goat – he should now look to build upon this effort and challenge himself to continue the upward trajectory of his form from last year to this,
• the midfielders led by Towie, Ding and Georgie in getting the ball into the front half quickly to allow both Jack Jarvis and Daisy to get their Dooks on the aggot
• the work of both Trent (in his best game for the year) and Jarvie to get the timely fist onto the ball when they looked to find their taller marking forwards

Overall a really good win, which sets the team up for next weeks game against the table topping Blues at Thunderdome which will allow us to see where we stand in the overall scheme of things.

As said this game against Trinity was the 1st in what the cockroach termed a 3 week cycle (rather like the Tour de France) of Trinity, Blues and Xavs, and we have taken the 1st step, now we see how we go on the 2nd step, so this week the bandwagon will be rolling into Thunderdome where the ressies play Blues in a 1st V 3rd clash worthy in itself of the entrance fee (which is ridiculously high), so let’s get there and let’s get ready to rumble!!

It is the simple things in life that are the best and being anal enough to write something like that leaves me feeling quite self-satisfied, some would say smug, but I don’t care. I hereby pronounce “Gotta love the dictionary!”

The End

* Prognosticating – signing toward or indicating to some future event
* vagaries – the ramblings or wanderings
* eschewing – avoiding and shunning