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Blues Fall Prey to Wildcats

Tuesday, 09 June 2009

Declan Harvey runs it out of defense

The Central Blues have lost their second game in a row - after going down to the vastly improved 09 model of the Hamilton Wildcats. Despite starting the game off well and finding themselves with a 4 point lead at the long break the Blues became the hunted as the Wildcats blew the game apart in the second half - starting with a 5 goal 3rd quarter.

The Blues without their captain Jacob Sone and big man Mark "Knackers" Dobson - were still able to bring out a very strong side. The club also welcomed in a guest player in Declan Harvey who at 17 years and 67 days became the youngest player to have represented the Central Blues Australian Football Club. The game was played in tribute to Declan's great mate Jack Klemich who tragically passed away on the 26th of May with a meningococcal infection. All Blues players wore black armbands as a mark of respect. Declan who has been in Canada for the last 3 months on school exchange at Trinity College out at Pt Hope will be returning to Australia later this month. It is hoped the club will see him return to complete a full season with the Blues someday.

The first quarter saw the momentum see-saw as both sides fought hard to gain the upper hand. 09 recruit Daniel "Jnr" Anderson continued to lead the way as he has from day one at the club scoring the Blues first goal 45m from goal - as the Wildcats struggled to match up against the hard running midfielder. Coach Jaye Macumber, not one to be outdone by Junior followed up with one of his own. The Wildcats managed a goal of their own to stay in touch. Daniel Zimmerman playing on the Cats full forward Daniel Crouch, who scored 9 goals in round 2, did a tremendous job keeping to the task at hand and limiting opportunities for the on-fire forward. Jared Postance, playing in his first game for the season had an incredible first quarter laying some serious bumps through the midfield to clear some space for his teammates and saw the Wildcats looking over their shoulder.

Wildcats Daniel Crouch outmarks 3 Blues defenders on his way to 8 goals

The second quarter was much of the same - as the defensive pressure from both sides were outstanding. Once again Macumber and Anderson snared a goal each - but inaccuracy in front of goals wasted the midfield efforts of the Blues with 4 behinds. The Wildcats on the other hand were far more efficient scoring 2.1 to ensure the game was still alive going into the long break. The half-time score saw the Blues holding a slender lead 31-27 - and rueing their disappointing efforts in front of goal - as the margin could have been much greater. Stand in Captain Kien La was a solid contributor in the midfield winning the ball at will - however his poor disposals let his hard work down. But throughout the game he continued to work hard and his ability to read the play and get back quickly on defense saved the Blues on numerous occasions. Anderson was suffering a case of leather poisoning racking up possessions like he was at an all you can eat football buffet.

The second half saw the Wildcats wake up with a vengeance - while the Blues went into the second half seemingly unable to stand up to the Wildcat pressure. The Wildcats Daniel Crouch let loose - outmarking double sometimes even triple teams by the Blues and was rewarded with 4 goals in the 3rd. Crouch would end up with 8 goals to his name by the end of the game. Macumber continued on to be the Blues lone hand in the forward pocket kicked his third goal for the day. Unfortunately that would be the end of the Blues fight back as the homeside applied enormous pressure forcing the Blues players into fumbling the ball, missing targets with their disposals and generally being outplayed all over the ground. Mercifully the siren went after the Cats scored their 5th goal for the quarter and by then the game was over with the sides going into the final break with the Cats grinning with a 59-38 lead. Jared Postance after having a cracker of a first quarter was unable to maintain his usual intensity and came off with a slight quad strain.

Jaye Macumber takes a mark in his goal square

There were not many positives for the Blues coach to highlight in the three quarter time huddle - as the coach implored his troupes to stick to their game plan and be accountable for their opponents. An early goal to Adam "Hollywood" Martin gave the Blues a little glimmer of hope before the Wildcats turned on the after-burners to finish off a disappointing Blues outfit - kicking 3 more goals to put the game to bed. The Blues went with a smaller side - in a bid to negate the hard running of the Wildcats brigade - however too many Wildcats players managed to give their Blues counterparts the slip enjoying plenty of free possessions and in the end the lack of defensive accountability gave the Blues no chance of beating their harder working opponents. Ewan Williams competed hard throughout the game and provided the Blues with plenty of run and carry out of their defense. Carl Hastrich battled gamely as he was swtiched into the ruck to relieve Evan Moses who strained his knee late in the 3rd quarter. Chris Leifting making his debut in the Blues jumper showed he will be able to give some much needed experience in the Blues backline. While the return of Shane "Buzz" Buzza was a good one - as the small backman showed glimpses of his ability to run and carry the ball out of defense.

Next week, the Blues will play the Demons who have shown their season is not over yet with a resounding win over the Toronto Rebels. So the Blues simply cannot expect a win in this match which is vital for the Blues if they want to stay in touch with the top half of the standings. The return of some key players will certainly go a long way to helping the Blues cause - but don't be surprise if the coaching staff make some serious changes as they look to find the right combination on the field.

Hamilton Wildcats