Round 4 – Collingwood v Hawthorn: Belated birthday, pastitsio for dinner and game Hawks

I wouldn’t say we’re the laziest parents going round but we aint gunna win a medal for diligence.

 

We hosted a family dinner for our daughter, Maddy’s 26^th birthday on Sunday evening. Only two months after her actual birthday. She arrived with Joey, her Pies loving boyfriend at 5pm, just before kick-off of the last game of the AFL Gather Round.

 

This concept which sees all AFL games played in and around Adelaide, is in its second year and has again captured the hearts of footy loving fans. It’s about being part of a big old community. Or as a mad Pies friend texted me an hour before the game, “hey Rick we need to catch up mate but for today, you can get fucked”.

 

Vicki had made Pastitsio for dinner and if you are unfamiliar with this very yummy dish you need to get a jog on and try it. Legendary early 20^th century Greek Chef, Nikólaos Tselementés invented the modern version of this pasta type dish, by introducing the French béchamel sauce, which makes it what it is – Yummy.

 

Being a caring mob, we timed things so Maddy’s birthday dinner could be had at half time in the Pies v Hawks clash. When the siren sounded to end the Second, after the Pies had kicked 5 unanswered goals and surged to a 38-point lead, I was ready to Elvis the telly. This was going to be a long dinner.

 

The only positive was that Pa Pou had pulled out of dinner at the last moment citing tiredness. Ninety-year-olds will make up any excuse to stay rugged up at their home. Of course, we wanted him to share Maddy’s birthday. But … he is a Pies supporter, and I did not need any more chack, chack, chacking from that lot, especially with the impending disaster I could saw a’comin.

 

Dinner was excellent and Maddy enjoyed the fuss. And the presents. Yes, alright, they were also belated.

 

What, with all the commotion, I mean joy of our celebratory family dinner I had taken my eye off the ball. I thought we were dead and buried and not even, to quote Dave Warner, in our own backyard. I didn’t know Mitch had made the switch. The script was flipped. Only 20 minutes ago a massacre was on the cards. Now, could it be possible, that redemption, wearing the number 15, was in store for my cellar dwelling hawkettes.

 

We came storming home. Pies could only muster 2 goals after half time. Hardwick, our hard-arsed tough as nails no surrender resolute defender wearing the prized number 15, playing up forward, kicked 4 of our 8 goals in that same time. He gave his all, strong overhead, finding valuable space, assisting and never saying die. Newcombe was impressive all day, with shoutouts to Amon, Ramsden, Scrimshaw, Meek and Moore and notably, admirably, Pies reject Ginnivan, who stepped up with a great game.

 

The game went down to the wire. Nervous wrecks, we were. Talking in tongues, questioning the umpire credentials, less than discreetly I should add, raging on random players and hating on the Kayo wi-fi feed.

 

With less than a goal in it, the clock racing, Maddy’s boyfriend (top bloke even for a Pies lifer) became engulfed with the fear. Oh, you know the fear. It resides deep down in our soul, kinda dormant, but not really, waiting to remind us just who is the boss. Yeah, that fear.

 

So, with less than two minutes remaining, as the Hawks tried desperately to claim a most beautiful reward, Maddy’s boyfriend, Joey, who is the loveliest, politest guest declared and not with his inside voice, “I am never coming back to the Kane’s!”

 

The Pies held off the rampaging Hawks and won by four. Joey’s blood pressure eventually returned to quasi-normal. The Pies deserved the win. Good on ‘em. I have no insights to share as to how the Hawks are going other than to say, we aint dead yet.

 

The family enjoyed Vicki’s scrumptious home-made birthday sponge cake with strawberries, cream and lemon curd and wished Maddy all the best for the next 10 months of her twenty sixth trip around the Sun.

 

 

COLLINGWOOD   4.1    9.4    11.6    11.11 (77)
HAWTHORN         1.1    3.2     7.5     11.6 (72)

 

GOALS
Collingwood:   Schultz 2, Mihocek 2, Pendlebury, McInnes, Hoskin-Elliott, Elliott, De Goey, N. Daicos, Crisp
Hawthorn: Hardwick 4, Moore 3, Ginnivan 2, Ramsden, Newcombe

 

BEST
Collingwood: De Goey, J. Daicos, Mitchell, Frampton, Noble
Hawthorn: Hardwick, Newcombe, Amon, Moore, Impey 

 

INJURIES
Collingwood:  Pendlebury (ribs)
Hawthorn:  

 

SUBSTITUTES
Collingwood:  Steele Sidebottom replaced Scott Pendlebury at half-time
Hawthorn: Henry Hustwaite replaced Sam Butler in the fourth quarter

 

Crowd: 43,198 at Adelaide Oval

 

 

More from Rick Kane (Trucker Slim) Here.

 

 

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