Week 5 (16 May)
Result: Loss 1-2
Scorers: Stathis
Our first loss of the season was a bitter pill to swallow after we dominated the majority of the game. We started minus Southy and Cam, who actually organized his 21st party for the same time as the match. A big fine and a boycott of his party by the team till after the game was his punishment, while Southy was in Bathurst for some reason after hanging around for the traditional photo, which also included Big Keegs, a mobile phone, Corey sunglasses and a lack of pants. Can’t wait to put that baby online. Anyway we started with only the 1 reserve, and our entire regular backline on the rocks. Corey & Skip were complaining of a flu, while Priddy wasn’t entirely recovered from his knee injury. Nevertheless, the Pumas were the first on the board with a well worked wing attack from Fitzy and Erik resulting in a bullet cross that Stathis artfully kneed into the goal. However the Lions roared back with an easy goal a couple minutes later. Some ah, creative, decisions by the ref saw us lose focus, and apparently commit handballs while the ball was at our feet. The Lions were fortunate to score again midway through the second half, with a corner going in courtesy of the ‘double hand of god’ rule the ref invented on the spot. Some frantic and excellent defense kept out more goals, and we started to swing the game our way for the rest of the match. However, our numerous corners generated by the wing play of Windy, Rang, Godders and Fitz just wasn’t enough to push us over the line. Our forwards and mids were guilty of trying to be too fancy, either with flick turns or long, long, long range shots. We again lost our focus, with several, ah, creative, decisions by the ref resulting in a few soft yellows for backchat. The game ended with Pumas still clawing for an equalizer, before brain explosions from Sloth and Erik earned them a romantic date at the judiciary, and possibly new nick names. ‘(Gordon) Ramsey’ and ‘Angry Angry Hippo’ are the frontrunners. All the cards meant a big week for fines and with none of the Pumas really earning the coveted MOTM. We’ll have to play much better than that to challenge for the top for the rest of the season.