A-Reserve Premiers

VAFA Grand Final Day finally dawned and it looked a beauty. Not a cloud in the sky with a perfect temperature and a nice breeze. A great day to play football! But the Elsternwick Gods always have a different outlook to the city, so it was with some trepidation that we arrived at the ground. And with good reason, that light breeze was rivalling Hurricane Ike with its intensity. It was obvious that the game was going to be reliant on who could handle the tricky conditions and capitalise when they had the benefit of the wind.

Old Xaverians can never be written off in a Grand Final and they won the toss to kick south with the wind. Xavier confidence was high and they peppered the goals from all angles. Fortunately, pressure from the stoic Blues’ defence was enough to limit the damage. David ‘Phil Waugh’ Brady and Alex ‘Rocco Safridi’ Suvoltos showed their experience and lead by example. At the other end, the forwards were starting quietly but big things were expected in Term Two. The teams went into the orange break with Xavier leading Blues by 3 goals.

After some insightful thoughts from Coach Guengerich about the tricky wind, the Blues responded by gradually building the pressure. How long could Xavier stand the heat in the kitchen? Only about 10 minutes. Goals from James Van de Pol and Bennett ‘Two Surnames’ Merriman sparked a surge of scoring from the Blues. Similar to Xavier in the first quarter, a number of misses could have proved costly. Blues Twos are made from stern stuff and they maintained their composure to head into the main break a goal to the good.

The talk during half-time was focussed on limiting damage against the wind. Surely Xavier were speaking of getting out to a good lead that they could defend during the final stanza. It was the might of the Blues Twos that dictated early. Pressure on Xavier was intense and a turnover midfield resulted in an early goal to Pat ‘Jackie O’Connell to extend the lead. It was only a matter of time before Xavier responded. Despite immense pressure they were able to get one back. Things looked ominous. Xavier had the breeze and were growing in confidence. A 25m from Andrew ‘Red Rooster’ Lowcock and they then got a second for the quarter. There was something Xavier didn’t count on however, the run from Blues Twos. Every time the ball spilled, every time the ball was loose, a legion of runners in blue and black broke free to pounce. They continued mounting the pressure on Xavier. Time was running out in the third. Brady, Brant ‘Soup’ Laidlaw, Ben ‘Millsy’ Millard, and Suvoltos all stood tall in defence and continually repelled Xavier attacks. The siren went for the final lemon break of the year. Only 3 points separated the teams. Xavier held the edge, but Blues had the wind in the last.

The mood at ¾ time was buoyant, with coach Gunga giving an impassioned speech and instructing his charges to run, run, run. It was now out of his hands. It was obvious from the sidelines that these words were heeded as the Blues’ midfield set about deconstructing Xavier’s best efforts with run. Evan ‘Bay Ray’ Wilkinson, Ben ‘Twinkles’ Mugavin, Matthew ‘Superstar’ Maltman, Merriman, and Van de Pol all lifted and started running rings around their opponents. The tide was quickly turning, then BANG, a goal and the Blues Twos were up! Could this be the start of a torrent? No is the short answer. The Blues crowd was quickly silenced as Xavier responded with a 6-pointer immediately. An arm-wrestle ensued. But this arm-wrestle didn’t need to be a test of strength, it turned out to be a test of gut-busting run. Every opposition player who had the ball felt the heat as Blues’ players kept on running to tackle, to put pressure on, to bump, to shepherd, to ultimately win the ball and move it forward. Goals to Van de Pol and Andrew ‘Old Man River’ Henderson had the Blues back in front with their tails up. An avalanche of goals started. Maltman and O’Connell were on top of their opponents and letting them know who were going to be Premiers. It looked like junk-time was starting but Xavier pride got back two late ones to maintain respectability. It was too little, too late, Gunga’s Uni Blues Twos were in front when the siren went! Premiers 2008!

Final Score:

University Blues 9.18 72

Old Xaverians 7.11 53

Best Players: Wilkinson, Merriman, Brady, Millard, Maltman, B.Mugavin

Goals: O’Connell 3, Maltman 2, Van de Pol 2, Henderson, Wilkinson