Match reports: Montmorency
19s
Pending other results, a win would see our 19s scrape into the finals and they were more than up for the fight in the first quarter. We put the second placed Montmorency under huge pressure and, but for poor kicking in front of goal, may have led at the first change.
A 10 point deficit at half time was far from a disaster but momentum was well and truly with the hosts; until the third. When many may have thought our 19s would drop off, they lifted and cut the margin to just two.
We kicked the first goal of the last and held that four-point lead for almost half of the quarter. Two quick goals to Montmorency still couldn’t sink our inexorable 19s. Tyson Old kicked a goal to bring us within a kick, and if his quick floating kick out of a pack in the forward 50 with a couple minutes to go had have travelled a mere five extra metres, we may well have fallen into fifth spot on the ladder.
The 52-56 loss was arguably our best effort for the year.
Tyson Old and Cam Simpson were good as always, and Michael Amad was dangerous up forward.
Reserves
With a win guaranteeing us a double chance at Cramer Street, our reserves were desperate for some momentum going into the month that matters.
An even first half on the scoreboard was far from a perfect reflection of our performance in the first 40 minutes. It would have been fair to expect our reserves to outclass the eighth placed Monty, but with poor decisions in the back half and stagnant ball movement it was anything but.
Daniel Chadwick stood tall, but they made us look second rate in a third quarter which saw us concede nine scoring shots to our one.
A late lift wasn’t enough to bring our reserves any closer than a goal by the final siren in our second straight loss.
Chaddy, Josh Whelan and Sean O’Neill fought hard and Sim Andrews kicked another three goals.
Seniors
A strong crowd turned out for effectively the first elimination final. Neither side could afford to lose and the contest lived up to expectation early.
Monty were wasteful in front of the sticks in the first but our nine point lead at quarter time was by no means fortuitous.
An almost three goal lead mid-way through the second was reeled in by half time at which point just a single behind separated the two sides.
Ash Close was plucking marks almost every time it went near him in a third quarter that clearly shifted the momentum our way.
Everyone at the ground would have expected Monty to rally after we took a 13 point lead into the last change, and they by no means threw in the towel, but a huge last quarter from our seniors shut the gate on any of Monty’s finals hopes.
You won’t see many games decided by almost five goals as close as this really was.
Gerard Sutton had a big day, and Jordan Perry, Luke Svarc and Ash Close were all important.