7 days before Tour and it seems that our minds are already focused on the glorious fields of Hasslt rather than in the pool. Last Monday saw a disappointing 4th quarter capitulation against Avondale 2’s – where being 10-8 down in the 3rd we fell to a 17-10 defeat… Here are the stats:
The first quarter started well, finishing at 2-2 despite our inability to follow the game plan and front mark the pit. Rob and Phil provided the goals whilst Shute, Bowen and Gamble provide the majors. The 2nd quarter wasn’t too bad either, ending 6-5, but we were still struggling to employ our desired front mark tactic and slowly our defense began to break down. We were also let down by some wayward shooting and some suspicious refereeing that left us 5-2 up on exclusions at half-time.
We began to lose our way in the third. We conceded too many goals from counter attacks and we made far too many mistakes that allowed the game to get away from us. Despite Bedford picking up a brace and Shute finally scoring a one on one (I know I can’t talk) we found ourselves two down going into the 4th but the game still felt eminently winnable… then the 4th quarter happened…
We lost the 4th 7-2. We suddenly decided we didn’t want to defend or win the game and we did not help ourselves or each other to try and put things right. Loose shots, not watching for counters and not picking up players all contributed to a sloppy defeat. We need to stop having these 4th quarter melt-downs and try to stay focused for the full game… I’m sure we will be able to show our worth on Tour…
Man of the Match this week went to Dan “pit man” Bedford who also managed to pick up Moment of the Match for a glorious combination of a few of his goals. The highlight being his combination with Finchy for a route 1 goal, but also a superb goal where he linked up with Gary. It must also be mentioned that Finchy made a great save with his face which led to not one, but two stoppages in play!!
Fluffer this week was highly competitive and we have actually ended up with a 3-way tie (with 2 votes each). First we have Tadija “ball drop” Popovic for his shot/pass/drop that didn’t go very far. Second we have Gary “stay with your man” Bowen for too many swims that left an Avondale player free. Finally we have Rob “wayward” Loveless for too many shots that weren’t on target. That being said dishonourable mentions need to go to Ed “missing a 1:1” Gamble and Nick “please try and score more push-shots” Shute who both got one vote each. We also had a vote for “Everyone”… it was close – I nearly did it…
Still be investigated by the Portuguese police this week is Mr. Young, but he is also joined by Chris Mann and Luke Penfold for match day infringements. We are all disgusted by their behaviour…
As we approach Tour, it is important to start practising your lobs, headers and over-head kicks… not to mention your pinting techniques!!
Until next time – Forza Narwhali!!