Round 5 – Hawthorn v West Coast Eagles: Cyril’s Bag of Tricks

 

Round 5: Hawthorn v West Coast Eagles – Cyril’s Bag of Tricks
24 April 2017

 

Cliché or not, commentators often argue that total possessions are an unreliable indicator of Cyril Rioli’s on-field value. Last Sunday at the MCG, the little magician proved this point in spades with the following special tricks:

 

1.The screamer, and the missed (realistic attempt) screamer

 

Off half a step and with eyes determinedly fixed on the contest, Cyril springs metres above the pack. His fluorescent green boots gain a valuable foothold as his flailing arms coax the footy down from the skies. On one occasion Cyril protects the Sherrin as he crashes suddenly to the deck.  On another he comes down empty-handed, but who else does missed attempts this well!

 

2.The magic tap

 

Cyril springs skyward again in front of a contest just outside fifty. At full stretch, he elects to forego the mark, instead directing the ball with his palm as if a tap ruckman into the path of Burgoyne who is heading full steam towards goal.

 

3.The one-man-chain

 

In heavy traffic in the centre square, Cyril executes a jumping intercept, shrugs a tackle, twists, and finally hands off to Mitchell who pumps the ball high into the forward line. Gunston punches the ball to ground from the back of the pack, by which time Cyril arrives at the contest. He crumbs the front-and-centre possession, sending a slick handball through to Sicily in the goal square.

 

4.The tunnel ball

 

In a move of purely aesthetic value (thanks umpires!), Cyril streams from centre half-forward towards the boundary inside fifty. Swooping on the ball, Cyril pivots and tunnel-balls the sherrin through his opponents legs.

 

5.Being there

 

An errant mid-air kick from an Eagle defender finds Cyril’s outstretched arm inside the fifty.  Cyril goes back and methodically nails the goal, breaking the back of the eagles early in the final terms.

 

 

HAWTHORN         3.4   9.8   12.9  19.11 (125)
WEST COAST       2.2   5.5   7.8     11.9 (75)

 

GOALS

 

Hawthorn: O’Brien 3, Breust 3, Roughead 3, Gunston 3, Sicily 2, Shiels, Puopolo, Burgoyne, McEvoy, Rioli

West Coast: Darling 4, Shuey 2, Hill 2, Cripps, Kennedy, Redden

 

BEST

 

Hawthorn: Mitchell, O’Brien, Rioli, Burgoyne, McEvoy, Breust, Gibson

West Coast: Shuey, Priddis, Darling, Barrass, Gaff

 

VOTES: Rioli, Mitchell, McEvoy

 

UMPIRES: Foot, Fleer, Pannell

 

OFFICIAL CROWD:28,997 at the MCG