Press Releases - Archive News

OMs win Australian Rules Cup

09, Sunday, May, 2010

OLD MELBURNIANS
Goal Kickers: C. Beck 3, M. Davis 2, J. Beaumont 2, T. Paule 2, A. Morgan , J. Miller , J. Beaumont , W. Panton , B. Irving , C. Wilmoth
Best Players: C. Beck, J. Miller, J. Ray, A. Prowse, W. Panton, W. Lewis
OLD SCOTCH
Goal Kickers: G. Dick 2, A. Walsh 2, M. Passador , T. Widmer
Best Players: G. Dick, T. Campbell, R. Ferraro, L. Hill, R. Eva, A. Walsh

Old Scotch hadn't met Old Melburnians since their old rival was in A section back in 2006. To have another chance to knock off our navy foes for 4 points was an opportunity that had been sorely missed by those at the club around long enough to miss their absence.
With Old Melburnians' inclusion back in Premier grade came the fortunate opportunity to play on the expansive Junction Oval, an exquisitely kept ground tucked in next to Albert Park.
With the Reserves having kicked off any dew residing from the cold Friday night, the conditions were magnificent, and all things pointed to a fast and skilful contest. Into the team for their first games were young backman Josh Strachan and under 19 monster MAXXY VAN DEN BROEK (if you see this giant, you will realise his name must be written in capitals). A shopping list of regular names were running water or doing jobs on the sidelines, but going on present form, the new faces were more than capable of holding their own.
Now I mentioned earlier that in perfect conditions on a perfect deck, all indicators suggested a fast and skilful contest. Well, the first half of the match was most likely the antithesis of these words; a clumsy two quarters played between the arcs with forward entry from both teams stifled by poor entry and numbers behind the ball. Old Melburnians had 5 behinds on the scoreboard before Ash Walsh skipped free of his opponent to slam the first home for the Scotchies. Lachie Hill and George Dick were busy early, the extra space on the big ground a perfect fit for their hard running, explosive game styles. At quarter-time Scotch trailed by 2 goals.
The second quarter certainly wasn't the spectacle that the crowd were expecting, as the ball continued to rebound from flank to flank with neither team really dominating. Old Melburnians made better use of the ball in the forward line, adding 3 goals to their tally, while up the other end Ash Walsh pounced on another to make him Old Scotch's only goalkicker at half-time. Ruckman Tom Campbell was fighting hard in the air and chasing hard on the ground, while Rich Eva was making the game look easy as usual; the right decisions and neat disposal are standard practice when he comes to play. At half-time, Old Scotch trailed by 23 points.
It was clear after half-time that Old Scotch had lifted, dominating play early in the third quarter. A goal to Passador stirred the boys, and then George Dick slammed home one from 40 on the run for the CANNON TOYOTA GOAL OF THE DAY. Rob Ferraro was battling strongly at the clearances, with Old Melburnians struggling for a match-up on the redhead with the dancing hips. The margin was cut to 9 points early in the third as Scotch looked to be coming home strongly.
Unfortunately, while those players I have mentioned were lifting, there were another 5-10 who sat back and watched, expecting them to take us over the line. From the middle of the 3rd quarter on it was a whitewash. A sea of navy jumpers ran all over Scotch as the margin continued to rise through 3 quarter time and towards the end of the game. By full-time, the margin was an unflattering 58 points. There were too many passengers again, with the same few expected to bear the brunt of the workload. The bottom 6 players in this team, however inexperienced they are, need to step up to the next level, or Old Scotch will continue to lose winnable games - a worry as we sit perilously close to relegation territory. The team is too talented to be flirting with relegation, so a four-quarter effort against Marcellin next week is a demand.