After recovering from injuries sustained during the recent trip to New Zealand (not from the rugby game, from the swift and brutal treatment by the Black Bearess), the Black Bear returned to beautiful Melbourne to watch his beloved Black Men take on the Ladder Leaders in both grades in the final game for the 2009 home and away season.

2s

There’s nothing like a dead-rubber against the top side on a cold, rainy morning the week before finals to get in the way of form. There was nothing to be won or lost for either side, with the respective spots in the finals settled, but the boys all went out and had a crack regardless.

 

He’s Mr…..Mr Battista, and he’s quite good at football, bagging one of our rare goals and racking up plenty of kicks in a best-on performance. Nate O’Brien has settled into the side well and is really playing some very good football. Looking forward to him settling into a pre-season and ripping it up in the one’s next year. Andrew “I’ll park my ute wherever I want” Jesse bagged two in another performance that was a very good impersonation of a forward. Don’t worry Andrew, I know you’re a backman at heart, you’ll get back there soon and all this playing forward flank stuff will just seem like a crazy dream.

 

 Jimmy “I’m one of the Black Bear’s favourites” Fuller was his usual wrecking-ball-with-ears, while Evan “My nickname is not Evo” Scantleton was taller than most people, quite a handsome chap and also able to kick a ball around.

 

Ed Hardy has been building houses with his bare hands for most of this year, and is now using that experience to lay the foundations of another crack at the premiership. Time for the roof to go on, Ed, we need to paint the plaster before the carpet gets laid and the bloody electricians still haven’t put in the in-floor heating!

 

Drysdale also deserves a mention for being named after a small Victorian town, much like our little-known back-flanker Underbool and his girlfriend Walpeeup. Leggers almost made up for playing the worst game of the year last week, out of anyone at the club, including Marto, by bagging two and getting a few other kicks. I’m not sure if Kizza played or not, I was only watching for the last 80 minutes (just kidding Kiz. I watched the whole game).

 

Let’s all make sure we get out to Box Hill this Sunday at 11.30 to watch Bazzle’s magoos take on St Bernards in the second-semi final. It’s amazing how much difference it makes to have a big Blacks contingent around the ground, behind the goals, cheering the boys on. The forecast is for a lovely day, so get down there in your Sunday-best and cheer them on.

 

On a sober note, our thoughts are with Clint Hare, who seriously injured himself last week in a skiing accident in New Zealand. We all hope you recover well, Clint, and we see you back around the club soon.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1s

The calculators were out on Saturday, with several text messages flying between the Blacks game and the game between Trinity and Carey, with the Blacks needing a 15-goal and 4 premiership-point turnaround between ourselves and Old Trinity for a finals berth. It was a mathematical possibility Kevin Sheedy could only dream about, and the boys were ready to have a crack.

 

The rain had cleared by the start of play and the first quarter started off with the Blacks kicking 3 goals to one, before OM’s showed why they are on top of the ladder and flag favourites by responding with 5 to one to go into the first break two goals up. Accurate kicking was the order of the day, leading to a good old-fashioned shoot-out with 12 goals apiece at the main break, and an aggregate of 26 goals 6 at one stage early in the 3^rd. The sort of accuracy that had many on the sidelines reminiscing on the stellar kicking career of the Black Bear (2 goals 19 in 2006, plus several out on the full).

 

Aaron Rau was very good, hinting that all we need to do is play finals and we will see what the big man is really made of. When I say hinting, that’s actually exactly what he said to anyone that would listen on Thursday night at training. As he said, he’s a fair-weather player. See you in the gym, Mr Rau, it’s time for Operation: Build the Bear.

 

With a few late goals in the 3^rd, the Blacks went into the last break with a 3-goal lead, and the texting hit fever-pitch. The news came through that Carey was winning at home against Trinity, but only by a few goals, we needed more.

 

The last quarter was some of the best footy the Main has seen all year (including the Blues) with OM’s coming back hard with a slight breeze, but the Black Men able to hold them off, with Beef Vindaloo finishing with 6, including the sealer, which came from a perfectly reasonable free-kick, which just happened to be given in the goal-square in the dying seconds of a close game. It doesn’t matter, we would have won anyway. By that time the result of the Carey game was well-known to not be a 100-point drubbing, although Carey did get up to keep themselves in B-grade next year.

 

Matty (Oh?) finished the year off strongly, putting his hand up for a few votes by racking up plenty of kicks, including two of the best goals of the year, one from each pocket. The first was unbelievable, the second had people laughing it was so good. Boltron stood tall all day while playing rover, Cadd-face was getting all aggressive and shirty and Rusty (or Else) Nail plucked his fair share of grabs to finish off his best year at the club (it’s not over yet, Rust, you still need to get us all up to Darwin and back in one piece). Personally I would have had Rob Scarlett in the best, not just because he gets heaps of kicks (some higher than necessary) and stops his opponent from ever getting any, but also because Rhonda Scarlett is such a sweet chick. If I was 20 years older….

 

In the wash-up at the end of the day the senior team won’t be playing finals, and the year will be remembered as one where we beat the top team three times (St Bernards by 23 goals, in case you forgot), but lost games we should have won and didn’t play finals.

 

Stay tuned next week for the match-report from the two’s finals, along with a round-up of the Black Bear’s favourite players of 2009.

 

 

 

 

Congratulations to former Blacks Champion, Under 19’s coach, Clubbies Coach, Super-boot and “best underage player never to play AFL” Charles Beaton, who asked his beautiful girlfriend, Deb, to marry him. Luckily she said yes, which is great, because otherwise the rest of their week-long holiday in Greece would have been very awkward. Apparently Chas took her to Greece so they could see where Homer came from, as he is a big Simpson’s fan.