By Mick Ramsdale
It was meant to be a dark and stormy night. It didn’t happen, and the lid was on anyway.
For the second time in five days a Blockbuster at the Dome.
History has taught some of us to dread playing certain teams, especially in big games.
The Doggies are not one of those teams.
Bruce tells us the Doggies have won the last three against Collingwood. But you feel the Pies are up 90-10 up over the long journey.
The big concern is what Aker will do to us. Who will get the job on Aker, then who after him?
Harry lines up on Aker, The Sack picks up Cooney.
Big crowd, Collingwood well represented for a Doggies home game, the tension builds and it’s on.
Bruce sees irony in an early turnover, Picken to Shaw.
O’Bree gathers kicks to the pocket, Daisy marks and goals. Two minutes in Pies go one up.
Pendlebury held and converts, four minutes in two goals up.
Just like last week’s start. Doggies goal then Toovey marks and goals, Leon and Ben Johnson goal, they’re queuing up. Seven inside 50s for 5 goals, Bucks is impressed.
Medhurst a low down mark, Aker holds on and gives us a soft 50-metre, Medi converts.
Then Fraser on the end of a chain of handballs goals on the run, a seven-goal quarter.
Harry forgets to jump, Higgins a great mark and goal.
Higgins, went pick 10 in the ’05 draft, Thomas went 2, Pendlebury 5. The’05 draft has kicked a lot of goals tonight. Thanks Bruce.
Cooney converts from the pocket and the Doggies get the last two goals, staying in touch.
Aker finds space inside 50 and squeezes one through.
Didak to Swanny, gives a 1-inch handball to Tarks, who nearly drops it out of sheer surprise, goal.
Pendles hands it to Didak, needed a 1-inch handball.
Presti spoils a certain goal standing on the mark.
What did Jack Dyer say about tentacles?
The ball cleared out to the boundary sees Toovey run onto it, Aker is in hot pursuit.
At home they can’t hear you scream.
Toovey backs himself bounces and runs away from the serial pest. Only one bounce but it says a lot about both players.
Anthony to Medhurst Goal. Thomas long handball to Beams goal.
Swanny snaps from the square. The Pies lead by 5 at half-time.
Anthony Rocca would like to think there’s a spot for him.
A brilliant clearance by Maxwell to Didak, a 6-bounce run and a brilliant kick under the circumstances finds Leon, over the top and only slightly out of bounds, run around and a goal. Put that up there with Phil Manassa’s run.
A couple more would be nice.
The Pies get to 7 goals up but are pegged back to 34 points at the break
The Doggies aren’t third for nothing. Higgins goals, Hahn goals.
Trav misses a SITTER.
Fraser off with a knee problem , Leigh Brown into the ruck!
Picken goal, Hahn again, Gilbee goals.
A 34-point lead has been slashed to two points in a mad rush.
The spectre of famous September games past looms in the minds of Baby Boomer pie fans.
But the players aren’t scarred like us; they fight on. Beams finds a way to get it to Daisy in the hole at 2.03 to go. Daisy marks. A nerve tingling moment; surely he won’t miss this. At 1.22 to go, Daisy converts. Five seconds gets wiped off the clock.
Seven points up with 1.17 to go, straight back to the Doggies forward pocket. A high cross and Griffen goals with 34 seconds to go.
Back down to our backmen one last time. Medhurst clears, Beams in a pack demands it right on the siren.
A great fighting win over the Doggies
Save that one, lock it in for September.
I think there’s a spot for Anthony if he gets fit.
Votes for the Michael Horsborugh Medal: Didak 3, Swan 2, Maxwell 1.
Floreat Pica
Good work.
I think there’s always room for Jack Anthony, he just had a bad day!
Rocca on the other hand is no chance, im dying for Mick to put Rusling back in the team. Anthony & Rusling, what a beautiful forward line!! :)