If you missed this you missed out
March 02, 2010
By
Steve Healy
North Melbourne vs Fremantle...
I’M on my way to the footy again, for the second week in a row. Last week it was Geelong vs North Melbourne, this week, the Roos are up against the Dockers. Both twilight games at Etihad Stadium. Does it matter? I think not. I’m meeting up with Almanacker and friend Damian Watson. I get off the train at Southern Cross station, hoping that this game would display some good footy from two young and exciting teams.
Five minutes pass and Damo arrives, donning an Australian cricket team t-shirt, which is fine. I’m not even wearing my Dees jumper. We pay our $5 each to get into the ground, not bad, considering it’s the second week of the NAB Cup, and you can sit almost anywhere besides AFL members. We settle down in the front row of the Coventry end pocket, right next to the Fremantle players’ race. There’s 40 minutes before the match starts. The stadium is almost empty, top level closed. Damo and I talk about a range of things: school, family, old footy games, the Almanac, footy, footy and footy, which suited me perfectly. I put my legs up on the signage as the umpire holds the ball up for the game’s start. I decided to bring a camera for Roo Josh’s sake, but not take too many photos or I’d miss some of the action.
The Dockers combine superbly as the game gets underway. They are technically playing keepings off, the Roos look slow. Ballantyne combines with Mayne for the opening goal of the match, an outright example of the Dockers’ future. Damo points out: “We analyse the game so well, Steve”. “Yeah, that’s what happens when you get two guys who love footy as much as we do together”. The game goes on, Harvey and Harding both kick crumbing goals for the Roos, and it looks as though they’ve got the attacking power. They are taking an open forward line to advantage, since the Dockers are always looking to attack the space and take risks. Ibbotson kicks a super goal on the run for Freo, and a collection of behinds follow for the Dockers. “They should be three or four goals in front”, I explain to Damo. Its quarter time and the score is 0.2.2 (14) to an inaccurate 1.1.7 (22).
The second quarter starts, Ben Warren kicks a goal for the Roos. I use my now-famous line: “See, I told you the Lockett end is the scoring end now”, oblivious to the fact that the Coventry end turf had now been re-laid. Ballantyne kicks one for the Dockers, Hale replies for the Roos, which is important, he needs to get in some form if he wants to cement his spot as the second key forward for the Roos. The game turns up a notch as Leigh Adams puts the Roos in front with a snap goal. Johnson kicks a goal on the run for the Dockers immediately, and Nathan Fyfe gets into the action in his first game with a goal. Mayne kicks his second, and the Dockers lead by a couple. Swallow kicks a stupid behind for the Roos, and the siren sounds. The Roos trail, 0.6.5 (41) to 1.6.7 (52). I explain to Damo: “It’s hard to pick a winner, but I’m sticking with the Dockers since they’re counter-attacking every time the Roos get close.” We go and get a pie for a half time snack. Damo admits that he’s never had a pie at the footy. Unbelievable. We arrive back to our seats and watch the AusKick game in front of us. The umpire is barely older than the players. Damo tells me that he has played a few times on the ground in his career; one was in Melbourne vs Port Adelaide in 2004, in Port colours.
The second half begins. Liam Anthony, who picked up 38 possessions last week, crumbs a goal for the Roos. Morabito kicks a behind, but he is really impressing me with his over head marking at the start of this second half. Michael Barlow is stamping an influence again for the Dockers, as is Clancee Pearce. But Lower kicks a goal to level the scores, and the Roos hit the lead with a rushed behind. Mayne steers his third through for the Dockers, while Robbie Tarrant just misses his first attempt at goal in the AFL. Goals from Johnson and Murphy (who seems to think the Shaun McManus look actually suits him) put the Dockers up by three goals, and the Roos are in dangerous waters. The rain starts falling down, which is a real surprise at this stadium. Petrie takes a strong mark in the wet and the siren sounds. Petrie goals, which brings the margin back to 12 points – 0.9.8 (62) to 1.9.11 (74) at three quarter time. All looks set for an exciting last quarter in the wet.
Mayne kicks his fourth and fifth goals, both showcasing his potential. Between the two, Hale kicks his second. Mayne lines up for his sixth, but handballs it into Scott Thompson, which could be game turning. The Dockers miss a couple of opportunities, before Hale takes a great mark for the Roos, and pops his third through the goals. Anything’s possible now. It doesn’t stop there. The Roos get the clearance, and Goldstein kicks a goal from 49 out on the run. The 7,877 strong crowd sounds more like 40,000. It’s the second week in a row Goldstein has kicked a pivotal goal. Petrie kicks his second, and the Roos are looking too strong even though they’re still one point behind. Damo and I are strongly barracking for a draw. Lower kicks a point and the scores are level. With 24 minutes gone and six goals for the quarter, there would still seem to be a couple of minutes left. The Dockers look fumbly. They can’t clear their defence. Two more behinds from the Roos come in the next two minutes. It’s make or break for the Dockers from the kick out. Chris Tarrant holds the damp Sherrin aloft. He bangs it down the middle; Sandilands taps it backwards instead of going for a mark. Hills gathers, on to Mayne, Ballantyne receives, gives off to Murphy who kicks it through the middle. I celebrate, the whole crowd is shocked. It has the atmosphere of a home and away season match. The ball is bounced. Siren sounds. What a brilliant game to attend.
We leave the ground, with the clouds dotting the sky overhead. We have a short kick of the footy on the concourse. On the train home, I show Damo my toy footy that I kick around my house. I rest it on my legs; it leaves my legs and goes a few rows back. We laugh at this incident, we recall the game, but I’m just happy that I didn’t lose something that I keep close to my heart.
North Melbourne 0.2.2 0.6.5 0.9.8 0.13.12 (90)
Fremantle 1.1.7 1.6.7 1.9.11 1.12.13 (94)
SUPER GOALS – North Melbourne: None. Fremantle: Ibbotson
GOALS – North Melbourne: Hale 3, Petrie 2, Goldstein, Adams, Anthony, McIntosh, Lower, Harvey, Harding, Warren. Fremantle: Mayne 5, Murphy 2, Johnson 2, Ballantyne, Fyfe, Grover.
BEST – North Melbourne: Harvey, Petrie, Hale, Greenwood, Harding.
Fremantle: Ballantyne, Johnson, Barlow, Mayne, Murphy, Tarrant, Pearce, Morabito, Sandilands.
My Votes: 3. Hayden Ballantyne (FRE), 2. Michael Johnson (FRE), 1. Michael Barlow (FRE).
Umpires: Vozzo, Margetts, McInerney, B.Ryan.
Crowd: 7,877 at Etihad Stadium.
• Michael Barlow of Fremantle is pursued by Jack Ziebell of North Melbourne at Etihad Stadium. Photo by Lachlan Cunningham. Provider: The Slattery Media Group
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