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Bazzle’s Magoos Juggernaught kept rolling along on the weekend, albeit with a less than flattering scoreboard, accuracy-wise.

 

Andrew Jesse completed his six-year reinvention as a forward, finally being named as the top goal-scorer in a game. A testament to his determination and sheer hours spent on the track on frosty Tuesday evenings, practicing his goal kicking when all others are home enjoying their first Merlot for the evening. “No!” says Andrew, “The Merlot can wait.” Also impressive is Jesso’s determination to keep a straight face while wearing a pink polo with the collar popped and still talk with the country drawl usually heard from a drover from Oodnadatta… or Sam Price.

 

Shaef shaef, shaef shaef-a Shaefer was good again, bagging a couple of his usual sausages. Perhaps over the summer he could swap them for some real sausages, a bit of protein powder and some pushed tin, and come back next year as a weapon. On a side note, The Black Bear will be attending a regular session at the Fitzroy boxing gym with Dan Costello and a few other soon-to-be-massive men. All welcome.

 

Good to see John Kosch being named in the best again, although the physio’s have complained that every time they enquire as to how he is, he turns the question back on them, followed by a quizzical look, then another question. Another of the Black Bear’s favourites, not least due to the white-line fever that sees him crashing through packs like a poorly controlled rollerblader.

 

A well-deserved best-afield went to Mick “don’t google-images my nickname at work” Battista, followed by Woody Guthrie, the Blacks version of John Anthony, just a better bloke. The Trestle Table (Fortress) made his case as a possible tagger coming into the finals, with one of the great go-with roles of the year performed during the seniors, absolutely blanketing a certain off-duty trainer, showing the sort of relentlessness needed to win in September.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Wow. What can you say to that? With 14 goal scorers, and four players kicking 3, it was one of the great team efforts seen in my ten years at the club. Perhaps it was the weather, perhaps it was retaliation from the previous week, perhaps it was the Human Growth Hormones Spud has started putting in the beer at the Clyde, perhaps it was a group realisation of the ability and potential contained within. I would like to think it had something to do with the presence of the 1974, 1984 and 2004 Premiership teams, each attending their reunion lunch. The palpable feeling of a shared history, built on blood, sweat and tears (The tears of the opposition. Men don’t cry.). A reminder that ultimate success lies within the grasp of those taking part, and when they grab it with both hands, it stays with them forever.

 

As Caddy said at the Clyde later that night “I’m going to make my own history.”

 

The game was quite extraordinary. Aaron Rau played like a man possessed, crashing through packs and emerging with the ball, delivering into the forward line and kicking goals himself, with Big Sav also back to his best, providing some smiles for the crowd.

 

Levi Kalms played his best game for the club, at one stage over-kicking a 65m pass from the back flank into the forward pocket. Matty (Oh?) stirred memories of Peter Matera in his early days, covering more ground than a vacuum cleaner salesman, with the stride of Usain Bolt in full flight (probably enough synonyms for one man), kicking one of the goals of the year from 50 out on the boundary in front of the opposition coaches box after entering a pack misty, optically, and coming out optimistically¹.

 

Nick “The Ninja” Batten was at his best when the game was there to be won, showing that with a little extra strength, some more pace and a bit more skill, he could model his game on that of The Black Bear and really step up to the big time, while Smooth Kempton, The Nail, Beef Vindaloo and the Pitt Monster all deserve a mention for their efforts.

 

The bench during the last quarter could have been mistaken for Club-Med, with a who’s who of Blacks champions, Bolton, Kempton, Savige and Vanderloo kicking back with their boots off, enjoying the sunshine.

 

Let’s ensure complacency has no place at the Blacks from here on. With only a few weeks left, we need to win both games to play finals, starting this week against Old Trinity. Get on the track. Prepare well. Do what you need to do to give yourself every chance of grabbing success with both hands, because once you have it, it’s yours forever.

 

 

 

1. Credit must go to Dennis Cometti for this Comettiism.