The reserves were at Thunderdome this week where we were being entertained by the VAFA hierarchy under their rotation policy and as such we lost the opportunity to play ladder leader and undefeated Uni Blues at the lovely surrounds of Melbourne Uni with the trees, clock towers, and assorted lovelies going through their paces on the athletic track and in the step classes, rather we were at the cold, windswept tundra that is the self-proclaimed home of Amateur football Elsternwick Park, a cruel situation and one that could only have been designed by the faceless killjoys of the aristocracy that is the Ammo hierarchy. They obviously have not read “the Go-between” and the pure love that exists between the major protagonists, they must think that we cannot have such love, do they think they are purer, do they not see I too am a man with needs and I needs the Uni surrounds to fill me with hope, love and energy, I do not needs the soul less desolate mausoleum of Elsternwick Park. Oh, cruel and baseless men, how you have rendered my countenance distraught.

What the …..
Editor’s note: In future please talk footy less about literature and less Bronte like verbals.

The week the ressies rolled to Elsternwick Park to play Uni Blues, they were on top, we were 3rd and on paper that itself augured that it promised to be a fairly close contest, so the boys were looking forward to it. It offered us a chance to test the mettle of the team as the opposition were on top, undefeated and having cruised through the first half of the home and away it would be a challenge. To be all Dickensian – “it was the best of times and it was the worst of times” for the ressies as we were travelling along in 3rd, having gathered some momentum after the shabby start and yet it was not a great time to cop the Blues as we were down a couple, and as such the task became just that much harder. On a positive note we welcomed back Ro Buckley after yet another ‘string ailment (he has signed an agreement with a medical firm so they can exhibit his tattered strings at a later date) along with Robbie Bonnici, Luke Casey, Al Roberts and “Leroy” “The Pev” Williams, so it would be a good test for the younger blokes but also it was chance to see where were stood in the overall scheme of season 2008.

Even though it was only Rd 10 it seems nearly absurd to think of this game as being season defining, but it could well be, as results in this round in this game and in other fixtures could affect us as we go deeper into the season. It may be that percentage could sort the wheat from the chaff and finals spots could be decided by the lottery of goals and points conceded, so any slip could be dangerous, whereas a win could be the fillip required to provide impetus to the season.

It is important to note that our opponents had recorded the following statistics leading up to this contest and our ability to make a dent in these areas would have a great bearing upon any outcome:
? In 9 rounds Blues had averaged 111 points per game, in we held them to 68,
? In 9 rounds Blues had conceded an average of 37 points per game and we managed to best that – if only minimally

By glancing at the score it can be seen that despite being able to hold the Blues points below their year to date average and forcing them into conceding more points than the average we were still unable to force the result we wanted and as such it leaves us with more head scratching and more work to do.

The game started well enough and we started with a relatively inexperienced on-ball brigade which included Greg Hesse and the Goat starting off and despite Blues getting the 1st clearance we were able to fight back from that and in many ways recover control of the middle and as a result enjoy the lions share of the play and the contest, through the willingness of players to place the opposition under pressure, and as a result force turnovers, create confusion and we profited well from this and established a lead at the first break. Due this pressure the normally free scoring Blues were hurrying their kicks and it was allowing the backline of Chop, Pitch, Booze, Jarvy and the Mole-man to effectively stifle their opponents, and they cleared their lines effectively and fed the ball to the runners of Hessie, Jez, Ro and Bulldog.

More of the same was asked of from the players who were working terrifically hard in all aspects of the game, but maybe the players had been lulled into a false sense of hope and perhaps their efforts were a little less intense and the result was that the forwards of Blues, particularly O’Connell was able to get onto the end of some well delivered footy and they quickly eroded the lead. Perhaps the cockroach left it too late to make the defining move, but after the Blues forward had gotten 4 for the quarter on 2 different opponents we turned to Jarvy and he quelled any further output to the point that the major forward for Blues was shut completely out of the game.

For the 23 minutes of the 2nd Quarter we were outplayed and outrun and where the Blues had an upswing in intensity and willingness to sacrifice individual aspects of the game for the benefit of the team we had a corresponding dip in some of those same areas and it was perhaps horse, bolted, shut. Simple really, for 23 minutes we relaxed, for 23 minutes they lifted and the game was probably won and lost. Consider that the opposition kicked 6 in the 2nd and yet for the other 3 quarters they managed only 4 more it makes the need to concentrate across a whole game even more telling when playing against the top teams.

At the break we regrouped and went out again to re-establish our hard fought and hard won gains of the previous 6 weeks, but also to re-establish a toe hold back in what was probably always going to be a pretty tight contest, when goals were going to be a premium, even more so at Thunderdome with its wide wings and the omnipotent swirling winds which confound all teams.

In the 3rd we kept at the task, and looked to claw back a little of the lead that Blues had established, and in many ways we were relatively successful, part the game is made up of moments where even minor errors come back to haunt you. We look at the cockroach not shifting Jarvy earlier, and then after the half when we enjoyed a good spell of control we had a number of “if only” moments. If only we had converted better, if only Jez had not missed early in the 3rd, and if only Sam had been paid a mark in the last about 5 metres out when he juggled and then flipped it up with his foot to only hear the play on call and they cleared the ball, if only we had delivered the ball with a little more care to Jack and Sam, and if we had not lost Chop, not lost Rob, if only Coons had converted, particularly after he who ran really hard from the back line to a) get involved in clearing our lines, b) kept his run going and then c) ran onto a beautifully weighted handball to then heartbreakingly miss, who knows, Blues would have been on the back foot, and we may have seized the opportunity.

But that is mere conjecture and as such we need to regroup, relearn and return next week more determined to be on our game for the whole contest, not 75% of it, as it is never going to be enough.

Positives were that after being belted by Blues in Rd 3 we have seen and can clearly measure that we have improved upon that and we should look forward to getting back on the horse and re-establishing any post season aspirations and credentials we harbour for we have seen if we play to our optimum we have the ability to match the best, but we need to be at our best.

Next week we have Old Xavs who are always keen for a contest and we need to be at our best to take ‘em on at Toorak Park. We weren’t as good as we could have been last time, and we don’t enjoy a great record over then recently, but like the updating of technology we need to update and redress that record, and next week is no better time, the challenge is on, stay in contact with Blues and Xavs, and if we hold aspirations of being successful we need to over come ‘em both, so no excuses, no “if only’s” so in closing to paraphrase a famous De La man, the legendary Hawthorn coach John Kennedy “don’t think, just do!!”