SUMMARY
After a very forgettable 1st half in which Old Trinity, fighting to avoid decisive, DLS blew the match away with 10 minutes of dynamic football in the 3rd term. Trailing by 5 points and with OT’s Ramsden goaling shortly after the recommencement, DLS fate was looking grim. Michael Duggan reduced the margin with a fine running goal but it was much later that the Ben Mannix show began.
DLS scored 6 unanswered goals (Mannix 3) in the next 10 minutes to ¾ time. Matt Moore, who had been unsighted up forward, move into the ruck by coach David Madigan coincided with the DLS revival.
Whereas DLS had been indecisive and stagnant, players now ran to create position, played on at every opportunity and importantly disposed accurately to the correct option.
Trailing by 30 into the last term OT goaled again through Ramsden but the opposition, playing on and goaling with a reverse punt. Jarrod Moloney playing his 100th game for DLS marked superbly and goaled to put the match beyond OT reach and secure “A” grade for DLS in season 2009.
Jacob Gotch had a fine match winning many possessions from adverse great form. Allan Greenhalgh played a decisive part in the win despite Ramsden’s 4 goals. David Lowe was inspirational particularly when the game had to be won. Michael Duggan gradually returning to his running best kicked 3 important goals exploiting that attribute.

QTR1
OT started well into the breeze with a spring heeled ruck giving them first possession. Attacking constantly they goaled twice with only the strong defence led by Tom Moloney restricting them. Around the ground Jacob Gotch was very active. His cross to Matt Fieldsend who passed to Ben Mannix in the forward pocket gave DLS its 1st major. But it had taken 24 minutes of play with the 2-3 goal wind. Things were looking bleak as DLS players seemed strangely inactive and slow to react.

QTR2
Trailing by 1 goal DLS still lacked determination and without the ball winning / clearance capacity of Aaron Shields, DLS was being soundly beaten at the centre contests. Ben Corin now in defence marshalled the defence effectively although OT’s Walsh was proving a handful. Thankfully he was inaccurate. Twice. Play appeared to be constantly in the OT forward half. Josh Oakley, Dan Close and Allan Greenhalgh were handling the pressure well but eventually & inevitably OT goaled and the deficit was now a disquieting 12 points. When Will Fenton under extreme pressure kicked out on the full, the free was taken by of all people Cultrera. He calmly goaled from the severe angle and now real concern was evident with the deficit 18. Ben Mannix, known to readers of the Old Xav’s web site as The Archbishop, was doing his superb best to lift the ailing spirits. His clean gather and pass to Josh Oakley onto Jeff Morel was excellent footy capped off by Joffa running into the open goal. It had been the best part of a quarter for DLS to register their 2nd goal!
DLS was starting to play with more confidence and run. Sam Williams cleverly out marking his opponent played on to Duggan to David Lowe and its 3rd looked imminent. However he was legged, an infringement which escaped the officials and the ball spilled to Morel who cleverly evaded the swarming OT’s and goaled again running into the open goal.

QTR3
Margin was back to negative 5 but quickly Ramsden who was being closely marked by Greenhalgh goaled and the margin extended to 12. DLS again with its turn with the wind was playing much better. Players were quickly making position allowing the defence to easily discern the best clearing option. Corin won a decisive contest. Long disposal to Sam Pickett quickly onto to Oakley to Williams to Duggan running to the top of the arc and his long goal lifted everyone. Terrific footy!
An arm wrestle developed for the next 14 minutes. Gotch and Lowe were clearly on top around the packs. Luke Jarvis was doing a superb job on the dangerous Cultrera whose only goal to date was from that free. Matt Moore who had been virtually unsighted up forward was moved into the ruck. His influence around the ground was immediate! His rugged tackle was rewarded and he passed to Mannix who marked, played on to slot his 2nd and DLS the lead by 1 point. From a fierce scrum Fieldsend and Oakley combined to extract the footy which somehow landed with Dan Close and his long shot bounced favourably for DLS’s 6th

The Dees were now full of run and confidence. Moore nullified the OT ruck ascendancy! Lowe, Pickett and Duggan gained many centre clearances. This combination extracted the footy from the glue pot and found The Archbishop who in trademark fashion marked what he had no right to mark. He nonchalantly placed the ball on the outside of the boot and his 3rd and DLS’s 7th was registered. Lead now 12 and building! Not sure how the ball next got to Duggan from a scrimmage out on the pavilion wing. With his confidence high Duggo ran to the top of the arc and his trusty (now) left foot slotted his 2nd.
The irrepressible Mannix got on the end of a Corin / Oakley string and with his now “banana” kick perfected, The Archbishop fired in his 4th!
Tim Kovess whose run and tackling upset the OT ball carriers won possession and passed to the everywhere man Duggan who in turn found Williams who slotted DLS’s 7th for the quarter!
The quarter ended at the 30 minute mark and DLS had scored 6 goals in 9 minutes of exhilarating football.
Anyone who had witnessed the 1st half would have assumed that a totally different 22 emerged after half time!

QTR4
Needing to score quickly and often OT struggled forward but the Dees defence was now well on top. Playing fine possession football DLS travelled the ball forward with precision. Promising moves were chopped off close to goal. From a ruck contest Ramsden goaled but a valuable 7 minutes had elapsed and relegation loomed and with that their desperation increased. The centre clearance contests were particularly tough. DLS hard man Michael Nankervis was prominent in this stanza as was Will Fenton. Fenton did a superb job on containing the Ireland bound Iezzi.
Kovess emerged with footy from the glue pot, onto Duggan to Morel to Mannix for his 5th. The ¾ time lead of 30 had advanced by 1 but more importantly 9 minutes had elapsed. DLS were playing confidently finding targets with precision which had eluded the tem for much of 2008. But the behinds which resulted to Duggan, Pickett and Sam Nethersole was poor reward for this good play. The missed opportunities were emphasised when OT against the run of play got their 7th and reduce the margin to 28.
Jarrod Moloney in his 100th was being the link man in the chain of passes around the outer flank. But from a ball up in the opposite forward pocket he somehow emerged from the flaying scrum to snap a brilliant goal. DLS had weathered the OT lunge as 15 minutes had now elapsed and play seemed to open up. Moore freed after being caught high passes to Corin to Mannix whose centring pass is cut off but Lowe roves the spoil and goals off the ground.
Play is now free flowing as teams realise the result is beyond doubt. Ramsden, getting away at last from Greenhalgh, marks and kicks a beauty from a long way out. OT get their 4th for the quarter in a spirited display. Matt Fieldsend who has to be high on the list of “assists” passes to BC, enjoying his run in the forward half. His long accurate kick to Duggan who marks for a set shot which has been his bugbear this season. However he gets his 3rd. Ramsden aptly rounds out the game with his 4th but DLS is home by 27 to secure their position in “A” grade in 2009.

Well done boys, coaching staff and training staff EJC, Steph & LC.

Special thanks to long time timekeeper Kenny Binns whose joy at this outcome was great to see in the rooms after the game!


Colin Glover
Secretary De La Salle OCA FC Inc