SENIORS
A big challenge awaited Powerhouse against St Johns, who were sitting
in 4th spot on the ladder, with only percentage separating both
teams. Out of the side this week were Nathan Hunt with work commitments, Wes
Old (DJ WOLD) with knee soreness after crouching down to pick up firewood, and
Shane Bahr (AKA Neville BAHRos) who was under strict instructions not to play.
Shane obviously does not wear the pants! Inclusions were Glenn
“Extreme” Wilson
after a great game in the reserves after injury, the speedy Matthew
“Wally” Wallis, and the long awaited return of James
“Jimmy” Marshall, equipped with name tag so that the boys knew who
he was. Great to have you back Jimmy!
Although every game is important, this game was significant
as it would decide who ended up in 4th spot, who would keep in touch
with the top 3 sides, who would separate themselves from the approaching pack,
and whether or not Powerhouse could defeat another top 4 side. Heading into the
weeks break, it was a crucial match.
It was not your typical day at the Ross Gregory with the breeze
sweeping across the ground, slightly favouring the Collegians end. St Johns got on the front
foot and attacked vigorously and kicked the 1st major with Powehouse
barely getting a hand on the ball. The House were able to crawl their way back
into the contest with some determined work by our defence led by the reliable
Edwards and Moresi, and some clever finishing by Wally, who provided much
needed pace and spark in the forward line. Going into the break, Powerhouse
were up by 1 point, but had their work cut out against a dogged St Johns
outfit, and being a couple of soldiers down with a shoulder injury to Jimmy
Marshall, and a Hamstring (surprise surprise) to the repeat offender in Disco.
The second term provided a free flowing affair, with the
House piling on 6 majors. Jake and Sos were tackling hard, Benny White was
sweeping across half back and delivering to half forward with ease, Storma
providing many forward 50 entries, giving Wally, Ace and Tayles shots on goal.
The pressure on St Johns
at the stoppages was immense, and we did not allow their runners an opportunity
to get their hands on the ball. A late goal to St Johns kept them in the contest, but the
House thoroughly deserved their 20 point lead.
At the break, we knew that we needed to keep up the
pressure, and really put the foot down and manufacture a big win.
Unfortunately, it was St Johns
who bridged the gap in no time whatsoever, with 3 quick goals. Damian
“Old Mate” Boland was resolute in defence, but the ball was coming
down way too quick. The on ballers battled hard, but St Johns were much sharper
on the flanks and were more hungry for the pill. Ace put through a much needed
running goal, but St Johns
kicked the next 4 to stamp their authority on the game, and turn a 20 point
deficit into a 14 point lead at 3QTR time. The House were well and truly out
played by a determined St Johns
outfit.
Powerhouse needed a big lift in the last, but it was St Johns who got the
first, which dented the House’s confidence. Franky and Richie Benson
tried valiantly as makeshift ruckmen, and did a superb job. Jake, Sos and Bakes
kept running hard in the midfield, and the back 6 kept trying hard led by the
solid Paul Edwards. Wigzy was very tight on his man, and Billy Baxter worked
tirelessly. But the House simply could get enough drive through the corridor
and into their forward 50, and could not score a major for the term. St Johns clearly deserved
their victory as they simply wanted the ball more in the last half than we did.
A big reality check for the House.
Back to the drawing board for Powerhouse. After the break
for Queens Birthday, we have 2 crucial games in old foes Uni High, and our arch
rivals Hawthorn, who after a slow start are starting to hit their straps. It is
imperative that all players get to training. We have 4 training sessions until our next game. In this
time, we need to work on our skills to ensure they are polished enough to
tackle Uni High, and above all else, to get that enjoyment back in the side.
See you on the track!
RESERVES
Round 7 to
conclude the Melbourne autumn was a 2nd home game in a row for Powerhouse with
conditions again ideal for footie, a bit fresher than the week before but
unusually warm for the time of year. A gentle breeze into the lakeside
drive end would give a slight advantage to the team kicking to that end all
afternoon. Round 7 opposition was St. Johns, coming off 2 heavy defeats to
be sitting second bottom on the ladder. (More on that
later).
A number of
changes again this week saw captain Jados return from the US to line up on the
wing. Big target Ronan lined up at centre half forward after impressing
in midweek training and bringing his experience to the side.
Another experienced campaigner in Drew Ashworth finally shook
off frustrating groin/hip injuries to make his debut for the club after
being there from the start of preseason. Russ McCumber also slotted in
after a few weeks away and an outstanding last game vs. St. Francis Xaviers to
team up with ball magnet Micheal Lynch on ball. Other than that, the
backline is becoming settled again after a number of weeks losing players to
senior selection, Ryan continued in the ruck and Marty presented the
main threat up front.
Warde asked for a big effort for big Jimmy
Macken's final game for the club as he heads back to the Emerald Isle. That this
was a recurring theme throughout the game shows the impression his football
has made on all at the club and he'll be sorely missed. Most
observers had been saying he was a chance for senior selection had he
stayed in Melbourne. However, the effort required to win any game of footie was
not present in the 1st quarter as St. Johns tackled and pressured 'House with
great conviction and forced the home side into many turnovers. Only great
defence by the home side kept St. John's at bay, perhaps the lack of a taller
forward limiting their ability to turn superior possession into scoreboard
pressure. The importance of a tall target in reserves footie was highlighted by
the 'House with Drew and Marty outmarking their opponents several times
inside 50 to create goals with far less possession. It left the scores 3-2 to
1-2 in favour of the home side very much against the run of
play.
The flatness
of the home side continued after the break kicking against the breeze. St
Johns continued to do all the things that Powerhouse prides itself on and the
boys seemed to be waiting for their team mates to lift the intensity without it
every happening. There were a handful of exceptions with Scratcher running
freely off the half backline and delivering some good kicks to midfield and
up forward. Lynchy was again dominating round the ball and getting kick after
kick into the forward line. St. John's continued to have more of the footie but
the boys were beginning to dig deep with Drew showing clean hands to
chip in with his 2nd of the day and goal sneak Stevie Batten adding a good
goal from play to cancel out their scores and head in at the long break with a
slender 2 goal advantage.
Warde didn't
mince his words at half time and pointed out the obvious, that we were lucky we
were playing St. Johns. There would be a ban on analysing the ladder position of
the opposition from now on as it was clear the boys thought it would be a
handy afternoon kick about. It's not the attitude to have going into a footie
match and it can be difficult to snap out of it during a game. Warde himself
lead by example in the 3rd quarter, dominating the stoppages and booting the 1st
major of the term. Marty showed great use of the body in the goal square to
mark, play on and goal to get the home side going. But 'House continued to
struggle and St. Johns kicked a fantastic goal from the centre to show they can
play. Some wayward shooting was also contributing to Powerhouse's woes and
the 3/4 time siren sounded with a scoreline of 7.11 to
4.5.
A clinical
final quarter was needed to demonstrate why Powerhouse are a top four side and
it duly arrived after 3 forgettable quarters of footie. A committed St. John's
unit had given their all and 'House finally started to dominate. A long
committed preseason appears to be paying dividends and the boys ran over the top
of a tiring opposition. Drew continued to be a thorn in the opposition side
kicking one and creating another for Aaron when he could have kicked it himself.
Lynchy was getting plenty of the pill and the defence was rebounding well from
the half back line. Rocket kicked the goal of the day after winning the ball in
the centre, breaking 2 tackles before steadying and kicking truly from the
'dead' pocket. Ryan capped off a good quarter with a fantastic 2nd effort to win
the footie and kick a goal. Marty and Stevie rounded off the scoring to leave a
rather flattering scoreboard at the final siren.
As the song
was sung, all knew that the performance was not up to the standard required and
a loss would have been a certainty against most other team in the
league. Jimmy Macken got the showering and the pats on the back for his final
game (for now). We wish him the best as best, he might be back! 6 top class
games from the Irishman. The positives were that the finish was strong and the
winning margin was 61 points. However, there is work to be done if 3rd spot on
the ladder is to be maintained and improved upon as we enter the
break.
| |
Q1 |
Q2 |
Q3 |
Q4 |
| ST
JOHNS |
1.2 |
3.3 |
4.5 |
4.6-30 |
| POWER
HOUSE |
3.2 |
5.7 |
7.11 |
13.13-9 |
macca
