Round 16 Match Reports (2022)

An absolute back against the wall day for our Trobers, with covid running rampant during the week and head coach Ricky Nolan being the main victim in isolation. With six changes and a few sore bodies it was a different looking side that went to battle at the pigsty that Albert Park calls their home. Despite the adversity we weren’t going to give up an opportunity to knock this mob out of finals contention.

It was a fiercely contested game as expected but we were able to get off to a strong start with four unanswered first quarter goals, as Riley Alexander was doing his thing from the get-go with two opening quarter goals. The second quarter saw them pull back the lead slightly, but we continued to fight away through the middle and down back to take a 16-point lead into the half. Paddy McCormack in his new role up forward had a couple of majors to his name in the first half while Andy Castles and Robbie Fawcett had the one-on-one contests down back covered.

With Albert Park’s season in the balance our boys didn’t hesitate to bury them early in the second half with Riley Alexander and then Darcy Thorn kicking consecutive goals in the opening minutes. With our midfield group firing and Matt Ogle being able to give them silver service, we broke the game open. Archie Conboy was a bull at the contest all day and Ben Vicary was finding plenty of it, but it was our wingers in Will Lowry, Darcy Thorn and Tyler Costa who were able to get the ball going forward to deliver a six to one goal third term. Despite some inaccurate kicking in the last term, kicking 4.10, we were able to finish strongly for a terrific all round team performance to maintain Matt Ogle and Josh Rogerson’s undefeated caretaker coaching record and secure ourselves top spot on the ladder with our eighth win in a row.

Next week we take on last placed Box Hill North at Tony Sheehan Oval for our last home game of the season.