SUMMARY
DLS just failed in its valiant but vain attempt to open its 2008 account at the Waverley oval. After a promising 1st quarter the young DLS team wilted in the face of a devastating 2nd term in which OS scored 7 goals to DLS 1 blew the match open by half time with a lead of 31 points. Undeterred DLS came out fighting but a miserable return of 3 goals from 10 attempts while OS scored 1 left the home side adrift by 13 points at ¾ time. It was a term where the genius of Aaron Shields was on display with clearances both from the centre and around the ground being rounded off with a clever snapped goal. DLS had plenty of run and despite their height advantage, OS seemed unable to cope with the DLS runners. Only chronic inaccuracy not only in front of gaol robbed the home team of the lead.

When OS scored the opening goal early in the final quarter DLS players responded gamely and when Matt Moore soared over a tight pack to mark and convert DLS were back in the game. Sam Pickett living up to his name picked off a kick in and the margin was back to 4 points. OS were not to be denied and Houlihan marked strongly restore a the 10 point margin. Superb work by captain Ben Corin tapped to Jacob Gotch, then put on a strong shepherd to allow the youngster clear passage and the resultant goal had the margin back to 4 with 10 minutes to play. DLS with Matt Moore unstoppable had 4 more shots on goal but to their dismay only points resulted. A wayward cross goal attempt landed in the safe hands on OS’s Thompson and his goal sealed the game.
           
QTR 1
 In a tense opening DLS started well with the maligned (by Jon Horne) ruck division doing fine supplying Aaron Shields & David Lowe with clearance opportunities which they grabbed. OS were 1st to gaol followed by a series of forward DLS thrusts resulted only in behinds. Jarrod Moloney doing well in close delivered to Ryan Sherman and to the relief of all Shermo’s many fans his pass hit the Mike Dundon target and he goaled from CHF. DLS defence clearly stretched by the height of  the OS forwards were under pressure. No surprise when Houlihan marked deep in pocket and scored. Clever boundary clearance by James Lamb got the ball to Shields whose kick was roved expertly off the pack contest by Lowe who ran into the open goal to give DLS the lead for the 1st time 10 minutes in.
           
Matt Moore was prominent with strong tackles. When he marked the OS kick in with one of his trademark leaps his long goal from the flank increased the DLS margin. Ben Corin whose strong physical play was giving the smaller forwards space to work in shepherded for Moore whose pass found Dundon for his 2nd and the DLS was quickly out to 15. Lamb given plenty of latitude by OS cleverly got the ball to Corin on the lead and his conversion had DLS up by 21. OS looked flat footed but when they went forward their forward pack always looked dangerous. 1st gamer Jarrod Young fitted in nicely to the CHB role and he was combining well with Jeff Morel and Josh Oakley. Late in the Qtr OS goaled twice to take the gloss off a fine 1st quarter by the young DLS team.
           
QTR 2
Leading by 10 DLS attacked but Michael Duggan’s long shot missed. OS seemed to slip into another gear and scored the next four goals, 2 each to their big forwards. It was readily apparent that if it was to win DLS had to restrict both the flow and the quality of delivery to the OS forwards. DLS was not helped by poor clearances from defence and also into the forward line where it went far too wide. When DLS went direct it looked good. An effective centre take away by Shields to Lowe to Moore on the lead gave DLS its only score for the period. 3 unanswered goals by OS sent them to the break with a significant 31 point lead.
           
QTR 3
Despite OS securing the 1st goal which extended their lead to 6 goals DLS still looked threatening but only 1 goal from 5 attempts took the pressure off OS. The goal coming from the brilliant snap from Shields benefiting from good play by promoted Sam Pickett and Mike Dundon who is getting better with every senior game. With the margin at negative 26 DLS tried desperately to assert control but poor decision making was depriving them of momentum. Almost 15 minutes of play elapsed before Nick Roberts broke the stalemate with play starting with a good switch by Tom Moloney found youngster Sam Nethersole. He found Lowe whose smooth transition to Roberts was in sharp contrast. Margin back to 20. Jeff Morel with a timely intercept and even better pass to Moore on the lead and the margin was down to negative 13 at ¾ time. Was 3 goals from 12 attempts going to prove costly? DLS had dominated the term with 16:7 entries. Ben Corin was inspirational with long leads and equally strong marking.
           
QTR 4

With 15 of the 21 goals scored at the end to which OS was kicking, despite there being little wind advantage, DLS had sent themselves a difficult task. Made much harder when OS got the 1st of the term while DLS missed at the other end!  Ryan Sherman although having a quiet day, gathered a loose ball ran, passed to  Shields who marked brilliantly against 2 taller opponents (thanks Shermo he said under his breath). Shields recovered the quicker and his kick to a big pack at CHF was marked equally brilliantly by Moore. He converted and the margin was back to 2 goals after only 8 minutes. Moore was unstoppable but this time he could manage a behind from a superb mark on the lead. 2 more missed chances brought the margin to10 points when conceivably DLS should have led.   

OS had become scrappy and indecisive out of defence. Sam Pickett intercepted a kick in and goaled from close in to reduce the margin to 4points. Game on with only 13 minutes played. DLS was playing with confidence & flair belying its ladder position against a top 4 opponent! Houlihan got his 5th but all the momentum was with DLS and they attacked constantly before Corin cleared a path for Jacob Gotch whose running goal was the culmination of excellent team footy. Margin 4 again, Gotch marked the clearance 25 out on a 45 degree angle. Behind. Corin with a superb HBG outmanoeuvred his opponent, broke clear but his long shot: behind. 2 points the diff. Plenty of packs. Plenty of aggression. Ball deep in DLS defence. Ball out deliberately. Free to Tom Moloney taken by Will Fenton. Kick across goal in an attempt to create run from deep in defence goes wrong. Desperate times require desperate measures to bypass the “wall” set up by OS. Thomson OS intercepts. Goal.
           
From half time DLS 6 goals 14 behinds and approximately 4 shots which either missed or failed to make the distance tells the story. OS end up on top of ladder but reckon DLS won everywhere except quarter 2 and of course the scoreboard and that is all that matters!