It promised to be an epic battle and that is exactly how it played out. The Aussie Hotel Yass Roos worked hard to get a satisfying victory over the Goulburn Swans last Saturday in cold and windy conditions. Goodhew Park in Goulburn turned on some challenging weather for all concerned.
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Goulburn opened the scoring in a nervous start for both sides. Each team was trying to size up the opposition and get to grips with the tricky conditions. Goulburn won the scoring chances but the wind played havoc with accuracy and they only held a slender lead at quarter time; 3-5-23 to 3-2-20. Marc Brooks was an early casualty for the Roos; sidelined with a calf injury and took no further part in the game.
A bizarre incident at quarter time had many players and spectators scratching their heads. Instead of the usual argy-bargy between teams, it seemed the umpires were having a major disagreement in the middle of the field. Captains of both sides were called to a mid-field conference and after some heated exchanges things calmed down enough for the game to continue. Tempers simmered among the officials for the rest of the game but thankfully it did not overshadow the spectacle of two teams giving their all to register a win.
The second quarter was a carbon copy of the first with Yass managing to get their noses in front at halftime. For Yass, six players had scored the six goals that made up their score 6-5-41 and they led the Swans on 5-8-38.
It was the third quarter that separated the teams as the Roos came out and executed to perfection a planned directive from the coach Terry Lemon. Three quick centre clearances and three goals to Ben Serafin were the result. A late goal to Dave Willersdorf added to Goulburn's woes as they were temporarily stunned into inaction in this quarter. The Roos made the most of the wind advantage and held Goulburn goalless to lead into the last quarter 10-8-68 to 5-10-40.
The match was by no means over however as Goulburn set about pegging back the Roos in the last quarter. The Yass backline was soaking up plenty of pressure and doing a sterling job but the Swans managed to kick three un-answered goals and all eyes were turning to the clock to see if the Roos could hang on. Seven minutes before the siren the Roos managed to work it forward from deep in the Swans forward line through a series of good marks. The move finished with Jak Willcox who kicked truly to register a goal for the Roos and secure the victory. Despite the Swans out-scoring Yass in the last, it was the Roos who sang the victory song winning an enthralling match 11-11-77 to 8-15-63. A better conversion rate gave the Roos the advantage in a tough, close match.
Best players for Yass were Jimmy Kelly and Tom Hanson in the backline, Brad Porter and Dave Willersdorf across the centre and Ben Serafin and Aaron Wilson at half-forward. Ben's four goals topped the score sheet; Jak Willcox got two while Aaron Wilson, Dave Willersdorf, Daniel Smith, Marc Brooks and Paul Wasley all contributed with singles.
Despite the win, the Roos have slipped to second place on percentage behind Cootamundra who notched a big win over Molonglo. Goulburn stay in third while Cooma narrowly beat South Coast to take over fourth place. Ainslie holds fifth as South Coast have slipped to sixth.
As finals loom, every game is important and the Roos face three of the top five teams in the run home. This Saturday July 12 it is Cooma at Football Park in Phillip. The Roos took the spoils in the early season encounter between these two sides but Cooma have shown they can mix it with the best so this game will be another stern test for the Roos. The match gets underway at 2pm so make sure you get there to support the locals.
I'll see you at the Footy.
The Fox Terrier.