- Joined
- Mar 16, 2001
- Posts
- 1,960
- Reaction score
- 6
- Location
- Snout's Bar, Glenelg Oval
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- GLENELG
Some observations on the weekend's match:
So that's who Brad Smith is. I swear I've never seen - or heard of - the bugger before. I hardly learned much about him in the game either. He didn't get much of a sniff. I wouldn't like to judge him as a player based on 1 match, but I can see where Macca was coming from - his ruckwork looks more like defensive spoiling than ruck taps; he packs a pretty good punch. Nevertheless he didn't have a good game. I grumbled about him, but the bloke I was with pointed out that "at least he's given them a target". Fair enough, and I guess Glenelg didn't play any worse for his presence.
After the match the players let Smith lead the team from the field, to much applause. Good on 'em - I'm glad to see the lads have a good sense of team spirit, if nothing else. Back in the clubrooms, during the presentations Smith was called upon by Honor to receive a footy for playing his first league match for the club (as is the custom). Honor said a few words before calling him up, basically stated how the club was right behind him, etc. He also noted that although Smith had been at the club for only a few days, he knew every word of the club song! Then Smith came up and said a few words. He was the epitome of humility. Grateful that the club had given him the chance.
Whether or not he is a good player is a matter for argument. Whether or not he turns out to be good for the Bays also remains to be seen. But from where I sit, some good has come from the matter: It has been a good exercise in spirit building for the club. To see the players, coaching staff and supporters get behind the bloke like they have done is A Good Thing and Healthy For The Club. To do it in the context of a gutsy win will only amplify the effect. If only one positive comes out of the whole affair, then that will be it.
As for the game itself:
Right from the bounce the Bays were having a crack - and the crowd got right behind them. Not once in the first 3 quarters did the Tigers drop their workrate. Golding was well on top in ruck. Ottens was taking telling marks. Sherwood put in a top-notch effort on Pascoe. Jonny Vlatko had a lot of crucial touches. The skills were still not quite there, particularly in the marking department - I counted no less than 9 dropped marks (with no competition) in the first half alone. But the Bays' endeavour could not be faulted. For the first time this season they put in a 100% effort.
2 goals up at 3/4 time, and I couldn't resist going out to the huddle. The atmosphere was electric. The Bays had a sniff of victory and the fans could smell it too. The crowd at the huddle was the most vocal I've heard for a good 2 years.
The final quarter was very tense, both teams going in hammer and tongs at the ball. Not terribly pretty to watch but the tension was superb. Golding was superb in this quarter, marking strongly all over the ground - I'd have given him BOG for this quarter alone. The crowd went berserk when Sudjai Cook goaled late to put the Bays 4 goals up - but it was disallowed 'coz of a push in the back (fair call - but oh the agony...). The crowd went ape**** a minute later when Pascoe was mistakenly awarded a holding the ball directly in front of goals. It was a rotten decision, especially for the dying stages of a close match (add this to the "worst decisions in a regional league" thread). The entire crowd (well the Bays half at least) was booing at the top of it's lungs as Pascoe dobbed it.
Shortly after the siren went, again with the play in Norwood's forward lines - and the Bays players went mental. The crowd was at it's feet clapping until the boys left the ground, Smithy leading the way.
It's games like that which make footy worthwhile. Nothing is more rewarding than watching your team, which has been under the pump for a long time, gel together and put in a 4-quarter effort to beat a more-fancied opponent. Nothing beats the atmosphere of being on the hill with the faithful, the dyed-in-the-wool fans who come week-in week-out, unified as one, cheering the lads to a hard-fought win. I don't care who you go for - if you don't live for these moments then you have no place going to the SANFL.
As a footnote, one of my sources reports that some Norwood fans gathered by the tunnel to boo their team from the oval. I think that's a bit harsh. Norwood were certainly far from their best, but in the last quarter they gave as much as the Bays. Rocky Roberts was obviously furious for he kept his team in a huddle for a few minutes after the siren - but for a fan to actively boo their team from the oval is a worry.
And that's how I saw the game.
So that's who Brad Smith is. I swear I've never seen - or heard of - the bugger before. I hardly learned much about him in the game either. He didn't get much of a sniff. I wouldn't like to judge him as a player based on 1 match, but I can see where Macca was coming from - his ruckwork looks more like defensive spoiling than ruck taps; he packs a pretty good punch. Nevertheless he didn't have a good game. I grumbled about him, but the bloke I was with pointed out that "at least he's given them a target". Fair enough, and I guess Glenelg didn't play any worse for his presence.
After the match the players let Smith lead the team from the field, to much applause. Good on 'em - I'm glad to see the lads have a good sense of team spirit, if nothing else. Back in the clubrooms, during the presentations Smith was called upon by Honor to receive a footy for playing his first league match for the club (as is the custom). Honor said a few words before calling him up, basically stated how the club was right behind him, etc. He also noted that although Smith had been at the club for only a few days, he knew every word of the club song! Then Smith came up and said a few words. He was the epitome of humility. Grateful that the club had given him the chance.
Whether or not he is a good player is a matter for argument. Whether or not he turns out to be good for the Bays also remains to be seen. But from where I sit, some good has come from the matter: It has been a good exercise in spirit building for the club. To see the players, coaching staff and supporters get behind the bloke like they have done is A Good Thing and Healthy For The Club. To do it in the context of a gutsy win will only amplify the effect. If only one positive comes out of the whole affair, then that will be it.
As for the game itself:
Right from the bounce the Bays were having a crack - and the crowd got right behind them. Not once in the first 3 quarters did the Tigers drop their workrate. Golding was well on top in ruck. Ottens was taking telling marks. Sherwood put in a top-notch effort on Pascoe. Jonny Vlatko had a lot of crucial touches. The skills were still not quite there, particularly in the marking department - I counted no less than 9 dropped marks (with no competition) in the first half alone. But the Bays' endeavour could not be faulted. For the first time this season they put in a 100% effort.
2 goals up at 3/4 time, and I couldn't resist going out to the huddle. The atmosphere was electric. The Bays had a sniff of victory and the fans could smell it too. The crowd at the huddle was the most vocal I've heard for a good 2 years.
The final quarter was very tense, both teams going in hammer and tongs at the ball. Not terribly pretty to watch but the tension was superb. Golding was superb in this quarter, marking strongly all over the ground - I'd have given him BOG for this quarter alone. The crowd went berserk when Sudjai Cook goaled late to put the Bays 4 goals up - but it was disallowed 'coz of a push in the back (fair call - but oh the agony...). The crowd went ape**** a minute later when Pascoe was mistakenly awarded a holding the ball directly in front of goals. It was a rotten decision, especially for the dying stages of a close match (add this to the "worst decisions in a regional league" thread). The entire crowd (well the Bays half at least) was booing at the top of it's lungs as Pascoe dobbed it.
Shortly after the siren went, again with the play in Norwood's forward lines - and the Bays players went mental. The crowd was at it's feet clapping until the boys left the ground, Smithy leading the way.
It's games like that which make footy worthwhile. Nothing is more rewarding than watching your team, which has been under the pump for a long time, gel together and put in a 4-quarter effort to beat a more-fancied opponent. Nothing beats the atmosphere of being on the hill with the faithful, the dyed-in-the-wool fans who come week-in week-out, unified as one, cheering the lads to a hard-fought win. I don't care who you go for - if you don't live for these moments then you have no place going to the SANFL.
As a footnote, one of my sources reports that some Norwood fans gathered by the tunnel to boo their team from the oval. I think that's a bit harsh. Norwood were certainly far from their best, but in the last quarter they gave as much as the Bays. Rocky Roberts was obviously furious for he kept his team in a huddle for a few minutes after the siren - but for a fan to actively boo their team from the oval is a worry.
And that's how I saw the game.
