November 19, 2024
RALPH'S NEW ROLE
O'Shaughnessy is Xavs' Footy GM
A Century of the Red & Black
Some good, some great. Some bad, too.
Old Scotch has not beaten Old Xaverians in a final since 1959 and that drought will not be disturbed this year. But for all the wrong reasons. The Red 'n' Blacks roadshow took them to TH King for a home clash with the Reds. They won't be hurrying back there after today's result. Old Scotch proved far too strong after the long interval and put the sword to the Rossoneri in the third term.
The early going produced an interesting battle as both teams enjoyed periods of ascendancy without troubling the scorers too much. After half-time, however, the Cardinals clicked and the Xavs just couldn't go with them. Charlie Holmes continued to perform at a high standard, and Oscar Smart was promising on debut.
With four to play, hopes of playing finals have evaporated. The Red 'n' Blacks are three games plus percentage adrift of St Kevin's, who won by 25 goals against Caulfield.
Goal Kickers:C. MacIsaac 2, M. Batten, J. Soccio, A. Spralja, J. Hewitt
Best Players:C. Holmes, O. Smart, J. Hewitt, T. McRae, F. Pearce, J. Gangi
Scotch were the better team early, but the Red 'n' Blacks caught them and finished the stronger. The double chance seems assured.
Goal Kickers:M. Handley 2, H. Bell 2, E. Kennedy 2, P. Cockerill 2, E. Delany, H. Hosking
Best Players:C. Westcott, H. Bell, T. Silvagni, E. Delany, J. Hansen, W. Brusnahan
Old Brighton seized the initiative early and never looked back. Tahryn Mant again stood out for the Xavs, and Isabella Aikman kicked two goals.
Goal Kickers: I. Aikman 2, M. Gaffney
Best Players: T. Mant, B. Crowe, A. Benifer, E. Forrest, M. Kelly, C. Lacey
Inaccuracy dnted the Xavs' chances of winning at Fearon. Last year's finalists shot straighter and took the points. Despite having the best percentage in the comp, the REd 'n' Blacks trail SKOB by two games.
Ed Pick slammed through five and Charlie Christopher three as the Red 'n' Blacks kept pace by beating second-ranked Old Trinity.
Coach Batten reports:
Some may have thought I was crazy when I suggested our performance against Beaumaris last week was one of our best of the season, however knocking off Old Trinity a week later proves there were signs.
Terrific conditions greeted us for the second week in a row as the hint of spring grows larger. We welcomed back some players from Europe and as such were able to field a full 24-person team for the first time in 6 weeks. Our theme for the final stretch of the home & away season is around progress, not perfection. I was adamant we could compete with and beat Old Trinity, however our focus in the rooms prior to the game was around building from last week and taking another step forward in some key areas. We identified some threats from Old Trinity and highlighted where our own strengths would win us the game. To the boy’s credit, they delivered in style.
The first quarter was a high-quality affair. Aided by the dry conditions, both teams looked dangerous transitioning the ball and getting looks at goal, however both teams were also guilty of missing gettable chances. Matt Dahlsen playing in midfield for the first time was giving us good drive. Luke Fares, spending more time forward now, looked dangerous as he drew multiple free kicks with his forward craft. Jacob Sandman was providing a much-needed focal point for our smaller forwards to work off. However, our good start hadn’t been rewarded with a goal. The game needed a moment of clutch. Enter Ed Pick. Pick, fresh from Europe but who had also missed a stack of football with injury, came off the bench, marked strongly and kicked truly… setting a precedent for the rest of the game. The Xavs were up and about, and we took a 7 point lead into the first break.
Numbers don’t lie and it was easy to see why we were winning. We were up in all of our KPIs and as such the scoreboard was taking care of itself. However, we couldn’t keep the momentum going as Old Trinity started the second quarter hot. We lost the first clearance and Ed Chard for OT started demonstrating his excellent strength and power up front. He kicked the first goal and all of sudden it was back again. Our defenders were under siege. One of the silver linings to a player being injured is that we get an extra set of eyes on the bench, and it was Jackson Gomezel who alerted me to some key numbers that had dropped right off since the first quarter as he was counting stats. This allowed us to make some subtle changes around the ball and wrestle back control. This kind of insight is invaluable and ordinarily something we may not have picked up on until too late, and whilst I’m sure Jackson wishes he was playing, this contribution was just as important. OT had scored 3 goals with Chard the main protagonist, but it was coming down too frequently. We stabilised around the ball and ground out the rest of the quarter. The final 2 minutes of the quarter would be the most critical 2 minutes of the game. It often feels like we control a lot of the play but get unlucky in and around goal. I had made peace with the fact we would be behind at the half, however some plucky forward entries right at the death saw us get two critical goals. Pick, who had the best of the match-ups forward of the ball, got the first, and Charlie Cristopher’s rushed snap with 30 seconds to go got us back within 4 points as the siren sounded.
The boys were right in the contest, and it was clear to see the hunger and desire to make this one count. We had some small areas to tidy up to ensure we stopped OT’s strengths, but largely the result was going to hinge on how well we executed with ball in the second half. The third quarter was a tight affair, a real arm wrestle. Both teams were desperate to break the game open in their favour, but it was the Xavs who started looking more likely. Dahlsen, Fares, Tom Egan and Will Troy took control of the game around stoppages. Will Beattie was an unwavering presence behind the ball, intercepting everything Trinity had. And James Spiridonos was now getting the better of Chard, with Nicky Tyrell and Jasper Peppard zoning off to help out. We started moving the ball with ease out of the backline, as Paddy Gilmour and Dante Reid looked to switch every time. Sandman took a number of marks on long searching leads to get us playing forward of the ball. And when Harry Bird and Tom Curtain goaled, it was beginning to look like our day. We took a 6 points lead going into the last quarter.
A huge effort was required to finish off the game and a huge effort was delivered. Our game management was superior as our interchange played a vital role in keeping players fresh. Ed Pick couldn’t be stopped up forward, putting through his 5th for game. OT were getting frustrated and turned to dirty tactics with several late bumps and hits their only answer to our pressure. To our credit, we answered in footballing terms. Getting on with the job and slotting four last quarter goals to clinch a stunning victory against the team second on the ladder. A thoroughly deserved result after months of improvement.
Always celebrate your wins, but we just as quickly turn to our next challenge, Hampton Rovers.
Next week we play Hampton Rovers away in the unusual time slot of 4:45PM. We are playing directly after the Hampton seniors, so they will have many supporters stick around to watch. It’s important we feed off this energy and ensure we bring an intense focus to mitigate their support. It would be great if we could get a big crowd of Xavs supporters down too, so spread the word. It will be easy for those watching the seniors to come across from Elsternwick to Hampton.
Please keep putting your hand up to help out if you can – we are almost there folks.
Goal Kickers: E. Pick 5, C. Christopher 3, J. Sandman, W. Troy, H. Bird, T. Curtain, M. Dahlsen
Best Players: E. Pick, M. Dahlsen, J. Spiridonos, P. Gilmour, L. Fares, W. Beattie
Billy Curtis was outstanding as the X-Men torched Uni Blacks.
Goal Kickers:D. Nash 6, J. Whitehead 5, S. Knox 5, M. Tempone 3, X. Romanin-Green 2, O. Silk 2, W. Mantesso 2, J. Buffon, B. Curtis, J. Hanger
Best Players:B. Curtis, X. Romanin-Green, D. Nash, J. Whitehead, J. Buffon, T. Wynne
Josh Lyon booted another eight in the Crocs' big win over Willy.
Goal Kickers:J. Lyon 8, A. MacIsaac 3, T. O''Brien 2, G. Lachal, M. Perrett, H. Vanderkley, H. Ralph
Best Players:C. Kim, J. Lyon, S. Stanley, A. MacIsaac, D. O''Shannassy, M. Speakman
