Home of the Central Blues Australian Football Club

Bruce Parker flies high for a contest

The opening quarter saw a tight contest as both teams applied intense defensive pressure against the ball players. The defensive start saw both sides make plenty of handling errors early on - however it was the Blues who got a handle on it sooner. Mark "Knackers" Dobson - in scintillating form since his return from the UK controlled the Blues forward 50 - snacking on disposals like a Jenny Craig reject. With Knackers making life hell for the Hawks defenders - Daniel "Junior" Anderson was at his usual best in the midfield wreaking havoc. It was Junior who set up Blues coach and leading goal kicker Jaye Macumber to opened the Blues account for their first goal with a pin point pass. But the Hawks Nick Shuttleworth was not to be outdone - kicking a goal himself to give his side something to cheer about. Chris "Lefty" Liefting played his best game since joining the Blues covering the Hawks Dan Walker with plenty of courage. Lefty took a cracker of a mark on the last line of defense - stopping a sure-goal. He must have annoyed his Hawks opponents - as he later had his head slammed into the ground by an unknown assailant. As usual he took it in his stride - claiming it would help him pick up chicks later in the evening. Meanwhile, Kyle "KP" Pinto was let loose midway through the first term for an instant impact - snaring a sensational goal on the run for the Blues. With KP running loose - the Blues midfield started to really dominate proceedings - and it was not long before the Blues landed their 3rd goal coming from Denton Levy - who has been a revelation as a big marking forward. Levy finished the game with 2 goals, as the Blues finished the 1st quarter with a 2 goal lead.

Junior gets off another kick

The second quarter continued to see both sides playing very disciplined football. But the Blues midfield of rotation of Junior, KP, Daniel "DTrain" Zimmerman, Chris Staples and Darren Bridgewater was too much for the Hawks to cover. KP in particular was relishing the fact that the Hawks had no answer to his speed and agility - as he bothered the scorers kicking 2 goals in quick succession. Levy joined the feeding frenzy with his second for the day - before yet another Blues rookie debutant - Steve Rowley took to the field to score his first ever goal with his first ever kick in the OAFL. Rowley is one of a group of Irish players that the Blues have recently acquired that have meant that competition for the 8 non-Canadian match day positions is at an all-time high. Rowley's selection may surprise some outside the club - since one of the Blues many Australian players would required to make way for his debut. However the rookie's impressive goal quickly answered the doubters. Bursting out of the centre square, he was hit with a pin point hand pass from fellow speedster KP - before kicking the sensational goal from just outside 50m. The goal set the Blues players alight! And although the Hawks managed to get a goal back - the 4 goal burst from the Blues in the second term had the big birds on the ropes. The Blues enjoying a 5 goal advantage at the long break.

Just when you thought the two sides defensive output could get any higher - both sides piled it on. And with that meant a very scrappy period. The Hawks defense got a little annoyed with some of the antics of one of the Blues big forwards. While on the other end of the ground - Bruce Parker was enjoying his best game of 2009 - providing plenty of run and carry from the half back flank. In fact the entire Blues backline was tremendous. Skipper Jacob Sone who was instructed to control the half back line of the Blues was at his usual best. The Blues skipper building a near indestructible wall which forced the Hawks to kick to contests only - as there was no space for their big forwards to lead into. Aside from the Hawks Shuttleworth and Danny Walker - the rest of the Hawks forwards were non-factors in this match - thanks to the hard work of Bridle, Jason "Chief" Caissie, Steve Mackey and Derek "George" MacDonald. The amount of work these players put in shutting down their man along with assisting other teammates with their opponents will not make the highlight reel - but was all invaluable towards achieving a successful Blues result. Further up the ground, was KP who continued to run around loose as he pleased to hurt the Hawks kicking his 4th major for the day. One of the highlights of the game was Irishman Steve Rowley rewarded for a free kick at the top of the Blues 50m arc - and lining up for his kick with the traditional Gaelic football side-step kick. Off just 3 steps Rowney launched the sherrin over 55m only for it to fade late for a behind. Despite the miss the crowd still loved it for the novelty of the moment.

Denton Levy lays a tackle

But that was far from the end of the show. In fact it was only just getting started - as the Hawks rallied for a sensational final quarter. With Shuttleworth and his cohorts running rampant - the Hawks mounted an unlikely come back. With Junior, Richo and the rest of the midfield beginning to run out of gas, the Hawks midfield began to win some contests in the middle. Suddenly the Blues were under siege as the Hawks managed to pile on 4 goals in the final quarter to have the Blues on the back foot. The Blues backline had been strong all day - but the constant pressure applied by the Hawks - along with a tiring Blues midfield meant the Hawks attacks were unrelenting. With the Hawks within 2 goals, it was with great relief that the Blues players found the poise to hold off the Hawks attacks - with Knackers moved into the backline, along with Keno and D-Train - the Blues bagan to take some crtitical marks in the Blues defensive half. Keno nearly took one of the marks of the year - only to have his effort penalised for high contact as he was 6ft off the ground - contentious, given he only fumbled the ball due to altitude sickness. But it was Lefty's efforts to stop the Hawks dangerous Danny Walker that should be noted. Lefty's efforts could well have been the difference in the Blues win - as he arguably stopped 2-3 goals with his courageous play. 

Jmac has a snap for goal

Round 9 sees the Blues line up against a revved up Toronto Dingos team - who has been on fire this season. With both clubs pushing for a top 4 finish this game will not be an easy assignment as both sides are usually very evenly matched. The Blues will need to continue with their commitment to playing accountable footy if they are to push this winning streak out to 4 games.

Preceding the game will the Blues first ever Big Brothers Big Sisters Footy Clinic - sponsored by Re/Max All-Stars (Rachel O'Hearn) and Cobs Bread the event will include a free BBQ for the participants of the clinic.