Round 14: Div2 v Barwon The sun was shining, the birds were singing and the ducks were preparing for a battle of Deakin-bobble proportions. Head coach Jonno summed up exactly what he wanted from his troops before the game. ‘It’s not a must win game, but we can’t lose’. The mind games had started already, but no one was wiser from it. The stakes were higher than Blakk’s 25-yard bombs; a win against the local rivals Barwon would see the Ducks waddle into fourth spot. It would have to be a waddle, as there was a few ginger bodies from the previous nights before which included the club’s trivia night that saw (in a completely unbiased opinion) a well deserved win to Obi-wan Kenobi-nil. But it was never that simple. This was a local derby; a bigger clash than Luke Skywalker and his old man, with more history than the Jedi’s themselves. The Ducks knew where the goals could be found, having put six past their opponents the previous week, but would find Barwon Red tough to break down with a defensive record that justifies their place in the top four. So in keeping with the trivia theme, let’s test everyone’s knowledge. What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object? a) The force is stopped. b) A black hole appears. c) Nothing, it’s a paradox. d) Cush dances past Barwon’s flailing defense and finds the top corner. If you answered d, give yourself a pat on the back, because that is exactly what happened. Kyle was relishing the chance to play in temperatures over -10 degrees that he is used to in his hometown in Ballarat and it showed with an absolute masterclass from centre-back. It would be another defender to double the Duck’s lead in the first half, as Tim showed he was reliable from the spot. Just as reliable were the chances that the right-back would get involved in a bit of a discussion with the travelling supporters. Both parties were more than happy to continue the conversation. The Duck’s trudged into the rooms at half time with probably the worst score line to have at half time. 2-0 ahead. Perhaps the sun setting on Nichols Oval (Y’all should know that is the name now!) was foreshadowing what was to come. ‘It’s just a scoreline!’ I can here you say. But the Ducks were haunted by the ghosts of this reverse fixture, and were determined to bury the demons of the 3-2 defeat at Reserve Road. When is a goalkeeper not permitted to handle the ball? a) From a back pass. b) From a defensive header. c) From a corner. Dave may have the trivia crown to rest on his head, but a slip in concentration allowed one of football’s novelties. A freekick inside the box. My personal favourite after the ball hitting the corner flag and remaining in play. The Ducks survived the ordeal after implementing the 10 man-wall tactic. Sam Phillips was the solitary Duck who didn’t want to join in, opting to do the sensible thing and cut out the short pass. Lame. Dave may have turned heads at Trivia Night, but there was nothing trivial about the shots he turned around the post with the custodian producing countless of monstor saves, showing what the Ducks had being missed while he was absent through injury. Alas, Barwon managed to peg one back with an impressive opening 20 minutes from the away side. What is Sunday’s referee’s favourite song? a) Stevie Wonder b) Ray Charles c) Eh, you get the idea. Some questionable decisions from the whistle blower were made throughout the game, the highlight being an advantage call after a turnover to defenders. I’m not one to pay attention to stereotypes, but this guy wasn’t helping. The sense of ‘Oh shit, not again’ began to creep in as Barwon netted an equaliser, but neither side could find a decisive goal. Not many could argue with the result as the table shows how closely the two sides are matched. No winners in this clash for the ages. Final score Deakin 2 – Barwon 2. The Ducks look ahead to hosting North Geelong Croatia (I’m not referring to them as Cardinals. Not happening. AMF and all that.) on Sunday. Smrt u Hrvatsku. By Beau Bardenhagen
Posted on: Thu, 07 Aug 2014 02:26:00 +0000
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