Round Robin 2 (15 Aug)
Result: Draw 1-1
Scorers: Ranga
After last weeks great win over the Panthers, we headed to the home of soccer needing a win or a draw to book in a grand final berth next week. The Sharks had gone through the last two seasons with just the one loss, to us in our last encounter. We fancied ourselves to bring away some points, but the game started inauspiciously, with Ranga 2.0 ruled out with a heartlidge tear and Clayts bringing down Gordon during the warmup. But the team was strengthened with Corey returning from a long ankle injury layoff and Clayts back between the sticks. Our defense was at full strength, and it needed to be as the Sharks started well. But they held strong, and when Rang forced a turnover and finished neatly from the top of the box, we were 1-0 up. Another fast break saw Ranga with just the keeper to beat, but he pushed it into the post for a massive fine. An even passage of play followed, with the Sharks controlling the mids but the Pumas controlling either end. Southy copped a hack that had him limping off, and when Clayts went down under a late challenge we cringed remembering Az’s hit and hospital stay. Luckily both were ok, and the ref then decided to make his presence felt, conjuring some bewildering decisions that had both sides smiling with clenched teeth. Oh and Godby racking up a valuable yellow card for the fine jar.
After the break though the Sharkies put away a goal after a handball that wasn’t picked by the ref, and the backs did well to hold off more pressure. But as the game wore on, the heat started to get to the opposition. They became less sharp and allowed us a couple more chances. First Fitzy went agonizingly close to latching onto a Gordon through ball, before Southy racked up a fine of his own spraying a good chance. The Sharks had one last attempt, but it was defeated by an offside call that repaid some karma from their first goal. The spirit of the game is always an active party. A draw ended another good match between us, and with the Lions and their humorous match reports and emotional maturity fighting for the ‘crap cup’, the Pumas have a date with the Panthers to decide who is the top cat of the AA17.
MOTM: Corey, without a doubt. Coming back from a long layoff, he was a tower of strength and directed the backline in defeating every attack. With our midfield struggling to cope with a quality Sharks attack, our defense again proved the difference and sent us into the Grand Final.