Epic comeback in Round 3 Premier League

SCHOOL SPORT VICTORIA – PREMIER LEAGUE FOOTBALL

Round 3 CMCB vs Western Heights

On Wednesday 25 June, on a cold, windy day, the Catherine McAuley College Bendigo Premier League Football team travelled to Geelong to play their Round 3 match against Western Heights College. A lot was riding on this match as this was the first game in the top pool of the competition, and a win here would secure a playoff against Emmanuel College in the Grand Final.

The start of the game was a real grind in wet conditions, the pressure was high from both sides, and it was hard to win clean possession. Gus Hay was excellent on the inside, winning the contested possession and moving the ball forward through his clean hands and effective kicking. Hugh Behrens was solid at the back, mopping up everything that came his way with solid support from Oliver Stewart and Ben Miller. It was however Hugh’s intercept marking and decision-making with ball in hand that was a highlight. Xavier Grant was causing Western Heights some headaches up forward with his strength at the contest, and was our only goalkicker for the quarter with a set-shot from inside the 50m arc. At quarter time, the scoreline reflected the scrappy game that was unfolding – CMCB 1-2-8 to Western Heights 0-1-1

In the second quarter, CMCB dominated the first 10 minutes of play. They controlled the ball, but just couldn’t capitalise on the scoreboard, kicking just 2 behinds. Tom Davie was providing the mid-fielders with first use of the ball through his willingness to compete hard in the ruck, but Western Heights were the ones who began to transition the ball effectively and kicked 4 goals in the latter part of the quarter. These goals deflated the CMCB boys a bit as they struggled to control the match, so the halftime siren was a welcome relief as Western Heights went into the long break with a 16-point lead.

The third quarter could not have started any better as young gun Tyce Griffin got the team off to the perfect start, kicking a goal within the first minute. However, Western Heights were not deterred and got a quick reply after another costly turnover in the middle of the ground. Oscar Cail then replied quickly with a fantastic goal from the boundary line, but from then on, Western Heights went on to dominate the rest of the quarter, kicking 4 goals in quick succession. They were outnumbering the boys across the ground as they spread hard to create loose players, and their run was causing many issues. All these factors saw the CMCB team go into the three-quarter time huddle 35 points in arrears.

The final quarter saw the boys once again get off to the perfect start by rebounding the ball off half-back, taking it through the corridor and finding Tyce Griffin deep in the forward line. Tyce successfully converted, marking the start of a comeback. The midfield group of Max Thompson, Gus Hay and Oscar Cail started to dominate around the clearances and Tom Davie was brilliant in his ability to ruck to their advantage. The boys were able to run through the front of the stoppages and hit our forwards, which led to Xav Grant kicking 2 goals in quick succession.

As the quarter went on, our backline was well set up behind the footy, which nullified any potential Western Heights forward entries. This was led by Zane Connick, Harvey White and Hugh Behrens, who were all displaying terrific on-field leadership. The boys were able to transition the ball from our defensive 50 to our forward line to find Tyce Griffin 10m out from goal. Tyce quickly converted the goal and shortly after was able to kick another brilliant snap from 50m out. This goal saw the boys just 3 points down with 5 minutes to play. They continued to apply intense pressure on Western Heights as they once again turned the ball over through the middle of the ground, and capitalised as Shannon Tardrew took an uncontested mark 40m out from our goal. Shannon kicked truly to put the boys in the lead. Oscar Cail then kicked another goal late in the term to seal the game. It was a stunning quarter as the boys kicked 7 goals 5 and kept Western Heights scoreless in what was a remarkable comeback and victory.

Final Score: CMCB 10-10-70 def. Western Heights 9-4-58

BEST: Gus Hay (Best on Ground & AFL Medallist), Max Thompson, Tyce Griffin, Oscar Cail, Thomas Davie, Hugh Behrens, Xavier Grant, Joshua Kelly

This epic win puts the boys through to the last match of the competition – for the SSV Premier League title, to be played at the QEO against Emmanuel College, Warrnambool, on Wednesday 2 July.

TEAM: Mr Leigh Millard (Co-Coach), Nicholas Harvey, Jaidi Jackson-Leahy, Joshua Kelly, Kade Hutchinson, Llogan Mayman, Miller Nihill, Ben Miller, Zane Connick, Thomas Davie, Riley Travaglia, Jack Nuttall, Jimmy Mathews, Xavier Grant, Bailey Warfe, Charlie King, Mr Xavier Walsh (Co-Coach), Mack Skinner, Max Thompson, Harvey White, Oscar Cail, Shannon Tardrew, Kobi MacDonald, Hugh Behrens, Gus Hay, Carter Reid, Tyce Griffin, Darby Whatley, Oliver Stewart, Lenny McNamara