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| Windy City Matches Offer Encouragement |
By Chet Ridenour
August 24, 2008
Chicago, IL – Over a month ago, Columbus had the chance to replace Seattle in a three-way round-robin footy festival. Drawing
inspiration from the timeless classic Braveheart, as Malcom Wallace declared “We don’t have to beat them. Just fight them. Now
who’s with me?” – the Jackaroos answered with a resounding “Ay!” And when that day finally came, these lads made the most of
their opportunity. Despite driving over 6 hours for the contests, (with three key players driving back after game play), they showed
few symptoms of their sedentary travels.
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Chicago, IL – Over a month ago, Columbus had the chance to replace Seattle in a three-way round-robin footy festival. Drawing
inspiration from the timeless classic Braveheart, as Malcom Wallace declared “We don’t have to beat them. Just fight them. Now
who’s with me?” – the Jackaroos answered with a resounding “Ay!” And when that day finally came, these lads made the most of
their opportunity. Despite driving over 6 hours for the contests, (with three key players driving back after game play), they showed
few symptoms of their sedentary travels.
Sitting out the first game, the Jackaroos watched attentively as the MAAFL’s two top-ranked teams squared off. It offered many
newcomers their first view at the level of play they’d need to emulate to compete with the best teams in the country. Chicago, littered
with experienced Australians and physical American veterans, showcased why they’re ranked higher nationally, despite being behind
Milwaukee in the MAAFL ladder.
After a brief sideline warm-up, and some kicks on goal, the Jacks were as ready as they’d ever be – and they would waste no time
establishing a presence on the field against Milwaukee. Led by the dedicated trio of last minute additions Adam “Big Foot-y”
Peterson, Chris “Lighthorse” Lytle and Joe Herrbach that would make the round-trip and play in the same day, Columbus built a lead
they would never relinquish. Peterson and Lytle’s physical size in the forward lines proved strong assets (despite their wives’ likely
arguments) as they were able to easily shrug off defenders to combine for 20 of their team’s 33 points.
In the air, altitude-blessed Evan Gardiner and Chet Ridenour would take marks, as Rob “Air Force” Ward dominated the ruck.
Roaming midfielder Phil Sisia played aggressively to win loose balls before relaying them up the field. Joe “Kamikaze” Herrbach
darted into high traffic areas and aerial contests with a fearless & reckless abandon rarely seen in this sport, let alone from a young
rookie. On defense, Ryan “Scrapyard” Gross’s scrappy play on the ground – fighting for and winning balls alongside Alan Gardner
and the rock-solid ‘Bama’ (playing with a 4-day old digit dislocation) proved an impenetrable Iron-Curtain for the Bombers, literally,
as Columbus would record their club’s first shut-out in its’ young existence.
Against Chicago, the Jackaroos lack of conditioning was more obvious as exhausted players rotated constantly. Sideline General,
Coach Matt Reiss, worked hard strategizing to give the team the best lineup on the pitch, while letting players rotate to get that
valuable position experience. The home team again defended their home turf with a ceaseless offensive attack. With a red beard and
a brave heart, Scotland native David Lang would kick for Columbus’ only goal, as Nate Jordan and Adam Cletzer limited the damage
with their hard-nosed play on defense.
These games were the first tournament-style matches the three clubs had played this year, and were valuable practice for the
upcoming National Finals in Colorado Springs, CO. With only two stanzas of 20-min play, players went hard from the beginning,
leaving little in their tanks at the end. Logically, it would be tough to discount fatigue as a factor in these matchups, as each team to
play back to back games would lose their second game decisively.
On the whole, the weekend was an overwhelming success. Columbus traveled well with 19 enthusiastic players, while drawing
games at 1-1. Staying overnight, they were taken in by Chicagoans Scotty Coren and Drew Bennett while the home team threw a
festive function at Paddy Long’s - upholding their reputation as good hosts, on the field and in the bar. United players served drinks
hand-in-hand with compliments for the young bucks, as Columbus realized, even more so, just how special this sport and the bonds
between players, teammates and opponents alike, can be. Chicago, ‘Good on ya.’ We’ll see you blokes in Columbus next year.
GAME STATS:
CHICAGO vs. MILWAUKEE FINAL SCORE
Chicago 11-4 (70) def Milwaukee 1-1 (7)
COLUMBUS vs. MILWAUKEE FINAL SCORE
Columbus 5-3 (33) def Milwaukee 0-0 (0)
Columbus Best on Ground: Sisia, Gross, Herrbach, Peterson, Sparks
Columbus Goals: Peterson(2), Lytle, Ridenour, Sisia
Columbus Behinds: Peterson, Ridenour, McCorkle
COLUMBUS vs. CHICAGO FINAL SCORE
Chicago 6-11 (47) def Columbus 1-1 (7)
Columbus Best on Ground: Ward, Jordan, Cletzer, Herrbach, Gardner
Columbus Goals: Lang
Columbus Behinds: Peterson
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Posted on Aug 31, 2008 03:53am by admin
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