De La Salle vs St Bernards

Match Report

Scrappy and inaccurate, but Blues get the job done.

With the wind forecast to intensify today, our Captain selected wisely after winning the toss. First quarter DeLa were kicking against the northerly, so ball control was going to be crucial. Our mid fielders started well by getting good supply from Hele, who was making the most of his vertical leap at ball ups. A couple of quick goals from our key forwards were more valuable than we anticipated. First gamer Mack Higg (straight into the side from winning DeLa College GF during the week) got into the game early with some impressive hard ball gets and clean disposals. One goal up at the quarter break was not too bad considering the blowy conditions.

DeLa were looking good in the middle with our on ballers battling hard in the centre bog. Anthony was gathering possesions, and our backs were squeezing well with the wind at their backs. As our forward 50 entries continued to climb, the Blues were starting to look dangerous, however the scoreboard did not exactly reflect this. Our shots on goal, which were a combination of set shots and kicks on the run, were somewhat wayward – one goal and eight points was not a good use of our time in the forward 50.

Time to reset, our goal at the halftime break was to play like we did in the first quarter. Into the wind seemed to suit us, our ball movement and ability to maintain posession looked good. As a result Russell kicked two goals and Mitch kicked one of his 3 goals for the day. Whgile it was pleasing that the Blues were winning clearances and slightly winning the forward entry count, St Bernards were not giving up that easy. The visitors piled on 4 quick goals by moving the ball from coast to coast. Three quarter break has us 2 goals up.

The wind had picked up as predicted, so DeLa were in prime position to make the most of the conditions and control the game. Although our ball movement wasn’t pretty, we were able to supply our forwards with enough entries to get the job done. Russell kicked another 2 to take his total to a bag of 5, Muzz and Anthony kicked one each to lock in an important win on our home deck.

Goals: P. Russell 5, M. Wain 3, A, Murray 1, A. Liakakos 1
Best: A. Liakakos, E. Hele, P. Russell, M. Wain, M. Miller, H. Pietsch