2009 Club XVIII Second Semi Final v Marcellin OC

13 August 2009

Due to an inconvenient quirk of the Club XVIII draw the same two sides lined up at Alec Gillon Oval in a rematch for a Grand Final berth. After a very disappointing loss at the hands of the Marcellin boys that occurred in an outer paddock of the eastern suburbs the previous weekend, the Blackmen were anxious to make amends.

Thursday night training was a solid team effort with a focus on accountability, running to support and hitting targets. There was much running, puffing and resting of hands on knees that indicated great commitment and superior Club XVIII fitness in one of the toughest training nights of year. Dinner at The Clyde was a sombre affair as the team was read out and assignments allocated. Targeted tagging of key players and individual accountability were discussed as the keys to overcoming the ‘eagles’.

Taking away a ‘win’ in the final quarter of the last round match gave some momentum to the beginning of the rematch. Making a good start to the game, the backline held strong and resisted several attacks. With a couple of good runs through the middle the game was evenly balanced at the first change despite being a couple of goals behind. Wood, Merls and Ash all made good starts.

With a variable wind it was hard to see which end had the advantage at the beginning of the second quarter. A couple of handy goals including a beautiful tight-angled bullet from Stringer kept the Blacks in touch. Although again outscored 3 goals to 2 it was not over yet.

At half time Merls stepped up to the challenge of re-inspiring the troops. In a passionate and heart wrenching speech the team was asked to rise to the challenge and play a ‘Black’ brand of footy for the remaining half. Unfortunately the arm chairs provided in the rooms must have been too comfortable as the third quarter was scoreless and Marcellin piled on five goals. This was despite the best efforts of the team engine room with good performances by Aggs, Boog and Swift.

The final term was all about pride. In a spirited conclusion to the ‘eight quarter’ match the Blacks kept running as Marcellin cruised resulting in a two goal all term. Highlights of this final quarter included a Dunn goal from a hundred yard dash from the forward flank to the goal square and some physical retribution handed out by ‘Tough-guy Bruce’ and Wood with encouragement of the crowd that ensured that the Marcellin boys would go home feeling sore.

In a disappointing day for the true believers, the performances of Richard ‘sheriff’ Wood, Ash ‘shiny’ Groves, Tom ‘swifter, higher, stronger’ McFarlane, James ‘bolt’ Dunn, Scott ‘friends’ Chandler and Chris ‘who is this guy?’ Mackinnon provide hope for the preliminary final this week. With Monash now out of the finals, now is the opportunity for the Club XVIII Blackmen to take the next step to a Grand Final!