Grand Final (22 Aug)
RESULT: Win 1-0
SCORERS: Alex Genovese 1
We drew the first game with West Ryde Rovers (WRR), lost the second 2 – 1, won the round robin game 2 – 1, we knew this was going to be a tough game against the minor premiers.
And so it was, on what could only be described as a dust bowl of a pitch and a ball as hard as a rock the boys set out to claim their first grand final and as per usual the opposition had something to say about it. WRR started the game well in attack and pushed our defenses to the limit early in the game. A penalty shot to WRR just outside the box had the nerves on high alert and the relief when it went wide could be felt all the way down the sideline. This seemed to wake the boys up and for the rest of the half it was a scramble in the middle to try and get the ball going forward. This was becoming increasingly hard with Marshall being marked out of the game and our midfield slotting into the defence.
At half time the boys were pumped and the confidence sky high (for those that know our team this means they were picking up grass asking silly questions and basically ignoring Mic and myself) and yet again this seemed to work as the struggle for the next 25 minutes was intense with a couple of opportunities for both sides but no reward for either team.
When the whistle went for the end of the second half the seriousness of the occasion and what could be their first grand final win seemed to sink as they lifted to a point where they were able to clear the ball out of our half and start to apply pressure on the WRR defence.
At around the 3rd minute of extra time the ball was stuck in the WRR box going absolutely nowhere and then the ball materialized out of the mass of players and straight to Alex who was just hanging around outside the box and this is what it all came down to, all he had to do was control the ball steady himself and put it back over the keepers head which is exactly what he did, WE WON 1 – 0 3rd minute extra time, what a relief, what rush what a season.
Mic and I would like to congratulate and thank the boys, parents, family and friends for such a wonderful season and we should all be very proud of what they have achieved this year (and they had all better be back next season).
This week’s player of the match went to all the players, parents and friends who have had a great season.