Meningie V Mypolonga

MOVING DAY AT MENINGIE

The handicapper played his part in the RMFL this week end. Mypolonga went down to meningie without two of their finest in Big Jim Pedler and Scott Menegehetti both on zone duty and they paid the price.  There season is on the line and they just didn’t have the depth to cover these players. Meningie got on top after half time and got up by 24 points. Ryan Mallard, Josh Benbow and Josh Robinson got ten goals between them and the Bears defenders managed to curb the influence of match winner Brad Martin restricting him to three. Meningie are only one win out of the five at the minute and they would be looking back ruing lost opportunities earlier in the season. It was sponsors day at Meningie and they almost completed the clean sweep losing the under 17 ½s by 4 points. The Bears have a tough run home meeting the top three teams in their last six games and they need a miracle but they showed enough that they can’t be taken to lightly especially at home. The next two weeks will decide the fate of the Tigers but there confidence has taken a big hit and if they want to participate in the 2009 finals series they will need to drag something out of the bag in a hurry.

Ramblers V Jervois

 You can’t expect Ramblers to win with two thirds of their coaching staff missing. Mark Dougal was left like a shag on a rock; he didn’t have Mick O’Neil and Cynthia bellowing out instructions from the hill telling the players where to kick and where to run. You can’t blame the Roosters for lacking direction, just blame Mick. It was a pretty depleted Ramblers side that lined up against Jervois at headquarters. In 1933 the Grand Final was played between these two teams with Jervois winning but the League at the time awarded the premiership to Jervois on the grounds that they played an unregistered player. While the old timers of both Clubs were still arguing over the decision Jervois had slipped away to 27 point lead at the last change. The big men of Jervois got them over the line. The marking strength of Trevor Rigney, Sam Braidwood, Shane Sterzl and James Lyon were just too much for the Roosters defenders. They are experienced smart players, they might be slow but they know where to run and they don’t get any smaller as the games wears on. Jervois are bring through a crop of young players with Tyler Robinson, James Cobbledick, Matt Cheso and Peter Zarantanello and they are all benefiting from the extra game they are getting. It’s getting to the business end of the season and Jervois are looming as the big dangers to the top three. Sam Mahony has got them going in the right direction and they are a tough group of players that know how to win finals.

Imperials V Tailem Bend

Imperials showed the rest of the competition why they are red hot favourites for the 2009 premiership. They showed the rest of the league why they are the top side when they demolished Tailem Bend with out six first choice players out with injury. They have more depth than any other Club in the competition and on Saturday brought back champion goal kicker Brad Shiell for his first game of the season through the Reserves and he finished with five goals.  Two young players in Shaun O’Brien and Matt Kowald got five goals each and Daniel Girdham showed his class and with six games to go he is firming by the minute for the 2009 Mail Medal. Tailem Bend are clinging to fifth spot , they are no certainties to play finals There two most experienced players in Brad Bell and Damien Raidis stood up but the Eagles were soundly beaten. Mathew Dent is a very nervous coach at the minute and he must be wondering where his next win is going to come from. They haven’t been out of the five all season and with six games to go they have a shaky hold on a finals berth.

Meningie V Mannum

Mannum march to a different drum.

Mannum coach David Dohleguy fell for the old sucker punch. He woke up Saturday morning and asked the bride who are we are playing. She thought it was someone starting with M but it didn’t matter to the “Dollarman”, he had inked this one in. That’s what happens when you don’t pay teams the respect. How can you go from giving the league leader Imperials a touch up by 50 points last start to crashing against bottom of the ladder Meningie by 19 points? The big issue at Mannum for a number of years has been the mental side of the game. This is an area that they are deficient in and they brush it off by saying there is always next week. Mannum had a 27 point lead before Meningie got mobile so the Meningie Bears not only gave them a start but a beating. Such is the nature of the RMFL at the minute that Meningie are the danger side of the competition; they are the side that everybody is trying to dodge because they are in good form and playing with a bit of confidence. Mannum only just fell over the line in round one against them and it took a whirlwind last term by the Roos to get the money. The “Dollarman” should have been aware of the Bears capabilities and when the coach goes searching for the free kick count the minute the siren goes you know he is looking for excuses. Mannum didn’t score a goal after half time and that’s not good enough. Let’s give Meningie some credit. They are a pretty handy side. Rodney Cunneen and Chris O’Hara are local blokes who lifted against rated opponents. Nothing fancy about these players, they play for the jumper, they play with a bit of heart and if someone buys them a drink after the game they would consider that a just reward. No hanging out the back for the brown envelope for these boys. Meningie had Josh Benbow and Josh Robinson up forward and the managed to stifle Clive Waterhouse. No Quinn no Mannum. If Mannum are going to do something other than cook the chops Grand Final day they had better have a good look in the mirror because come September its what’s between the ears that’s counts.

Mypolonga V Jervois

The real Mypolonga Tigers turned up at Jervois. Brett White, Josh Coulter and Brad Martin all turned up on the same day ready to play and lifted the Tigers into the five for the first time this year. They opened up well and led by 35 points at the first change but they blew the game apart in the third term when they extended the margin to 63 points and put the game beyond Jervois. Brad Martin had his best haul in a number of weeks finishing with eight goals, Simon Norris and Caine Lynn chipped in with four goals each. Sam Braidwood finished with seven goals for Jervois but it was Brett White the former North Adelaide midfielder that did the damage. White exposed the Jervois midfield and they ran out room on the page for his game day stats but he was the man largely responsible for getting the Tigers back into the five. 44 goals scored for the day, it was a high scoring game but the form guide said Jervois but the return of the spiritual leader “Big Jim” Pedler gave the a bit of spring in there step. When “Big Jim” is out and about the Tigers grow another brain and now they have a sniff of a finals berth they will be hard to beat in the run home.

Ramblers V Tailem Bend

44 shots to 14, luckily Ramblers were off target or the margin would have blown out further than 75 points. For half a game Tailem Bend were in the contest but once Ramblers turned up the after burners Tailem Bend just couldn’t go with them. Tailem Bend was always going to have trouble matching up on the big Rooster forwards Adam Jackson and Clint Girardi. Their size and marking strength stretched the shorter Tailem Bend defenders. Patrick O’Neil, back in the red jumper and with the full coaching staff offering advice chopped up the Eagles with a best on ground performance and in the finish the Roosters did it on the bit. Tailem Bend scored eight goals for the day. It’s been there Achilles heel all season, they haven’t been able to match the top sides because they haven’t been able to put any scoreboard pressure on the. For the first time in 2009 Tailem Bend are out of the five and next week face a season defining game against the Mypolonga Tigers. There fate is in there own hands. The Roosters are coasting along waiting for the warmer weather in September. Its just one big happy family over at the hen house at the minute.

Tailem Bend V Mannum

LONG LIVE LOZZA

“Long live Lozza”, that’s what the punters at Tailem Bend were chanting at the after match presentations when the Eagles caused the boil over of the round by rolling Mannum by 15 points and moved that tad closer to sealing a finals berth. The patience of Mathew Dent, the Eagles coach was rewarded by the performance of Laurie Rankine who was the difference between the between the teams. Its been alleged that “Lozza” was about to axed  after a few indifferent performances but Dent went into bat for him and Rankine rewarded his coach with a match winning nine goals. The game was there to won at the last change but for the third week in a row the Mannum Roos rolled over in the last term and that query about their fitness level is being questioned. The Mannum Roos were disappointing, none more so than Clive Waterhouse. His attempts at the footy were half hearted, he played from behind and he didn’t chase. The three basic fundamentals of the game and he failed miserably in all three. What ever Clive got paid he should donate it back because he didn’t earn his dough. When you come to the RMFL with over a 100 AFL games under your belt we know you can play the game but you still must have pride in your performance no matter what level. The Grand Final is being held at Mannum and I know that the committee is concerned about workers on the day. Don’t be concerned Mannum because you’re Club won’t be playing in it, your players lack mental application, they will be at a loose end on the day so they can park the cars and cook the chops.

Ramblers V Meningie

The Meningie Bears sprang a surprise when the class forward Stuart Ferenci lined up against Ramblers. Ferenci broke his leg at training earlier in the year and we all thought his season was over but he bounced back from injury with six goals and gave the Bears that big attacking forward they have been seeking.. Meningie are a dangerous side and are not far off the pace. They had their chances to roll the Roosters but once again they squandered opportunities. Ramblers with the three big forwards in Adam Jackson, Clint Girardi and Ryan Viney kicked twelve goals between them and they were always going to be a handful for the smaller Meningie defenders. Luke McIntyre, the boy from Corowa/Rutherglen is finding his feet and he is an important late season acquisition for the Roosters and is starting to show his worth. Meningie’s next two weeks at home will tell the tale of their season. They are not out of yet but they need to win their next two games. These are winnable games as they catch Jervois coming off a twenty one day lay off but they need to break a seven year losing streak against them whilst they beat Tailem Bend at home the last time they met.

Bears still in the hunt.

Meningie V Jervois

The Meningie Bears kept their finals chances alive with a stirring victory at home over a faltering Jervois. There was a game to be won at the last change but unlike the previous seven years it was Jervois that caved in as the Meningie ran all over them with a five goal to zip final term to get the money by 32 points. Meningie have won three out of their last five games, their only losses being against the top two teams and at the minute are playing as well as anyone in the competition. Rodney Cunneen is as good a mid fielder as going around and with the return from injury of Stuart Ferenci and the good form of Josh Benbow the Bears have now got a bit of grunt up forward. Three weeks off mid-season is a long time and the gossipers around the traps are telling us that Jervois didn’t work hard enough during that time off. They ran out of gas in that final term. Jervois are a certain finalist but they need to strike some form in the run home. They are a dangerous team when Sam Braidwood and Trevor Rigney are up and firing but that aura of invincibility about them has gone. They are brittle in defence and slow in the midfield and they will need to lift or otherwise it will be out in straight sets. Meningie are within striking distance of a finals berth and it comes down to next week as they host Tailem Bend in a winnable game.

Imperials V Tailem Bend

From this day forth Johnstone Park will be forever known as Sherwood Forest. Allegedly someone from the Council has had a brain fade and planted a forest of Oak trees around the ground trying to change it from a football ground to a village green.. All they have done is reduce the car parking capacity, make it an obstacle course and create business for Wise Crash Repairs by surrounding the oaks with a steel cage. That’s what happens when you get gardeners trying to be footballers. I blame Shane Snell, the President of the Imperial Football Club, everybody else does. Not for the planting of the oaks but for slipping valium into the drink bottles of the Tailem Bend Football Club. He must have slipped a bit of speed into the Blues drink bottles because Imperials flew out of the blocks with a nine goal opening quarter whilst Tailem Bend fell asleep kicking one solitary goal and were effectively out of the contest. The return of “Leo” Seyers after about seven weeks off straightened up Imperials. He had plenty of support with Luke Harrowfield, Boyd Kenny and Chad Wingard all bagging four goals. Jamie Honnor and Tyson Wait showed their class and Ryan Edwards did his job around the ground. Tailem Bend will find some solace in that they were competitive after quarter time and Mervyn Kartinyeri got through his first game since round two. The Wizard is back, he needed the hit out and he was a bit rusty but he showed enough after a light preparation that he is going to be a huge factor in the coming weeks for the Eagles. Both Clubs have different agendas; Imps biggest decision in the coming weeks is whether to order 50 barrels or 80 barrels for the Grand final celebrations. Tailem Bend is still not certain of a finals berth and it will be a very nervous coach Mathew Dent that makes the trip to Meningie next week knowing that last time he went down the Eagles were smashed by 73 points.

Mypolonga V Mannum

You never know which Mannum is going to turn up on match day. The good Mannum rocked up at Mypolonga and proceeded to demolish the Tigers with a blistering eleven goal to one third term and set up their ninth win of the season and sealed the double chance. Sometimes he is hot, sometimes he is cold and sometimes he just looks disinterested but Saturday Clive Waterhouse was back on his game finishing with seven goals. When Clive is firing, Paul Sarno fires and the rest of the team fires. The confidence level of the players around them lift and when you give the class players in Mark Mueller, Andrew Warnest and Ben Quinn a sniff they can rip you apart. The Tigers have hit rock bottom, it’s been a sudden fall from grace from being the 2008 Grand finalist to be favourites for the wooden spoon. The Tigers have tough run home and one can almost accuse them of tanking in an effort to gain more points for their recruiting in 2010. Mathematically they can still play finals football but at the minute they are a Club just going through the motions and are a fair way off the pace.

Roosters lost in the trees.

The only excuse ramblers can come up is that they couldn’t see the forest for the trees. One prominent Rambler punter was heard muttering as he drove away in his four wheel drive that the only trees at Johnstone Park should be lavatories. It was the most insipid performance that Ramblers have produced in a number of years. I asked a mate from the city to come up and have a look at a good game of country football. A game with a bit of atmosphere and a bit of passion and I was that embarrassed that my face was redder than the Rambler jumper. The Roosters were blown out of the water very early on and to trail by over twenty goals at the half way mark was indicative of there performance. They chucked the towel in as Imperials were clinical in there approach. Luke Harrowfield carved up the Rambler defence finishing with ten goals. He got some lovely clean delivery from his midfielders and he made the most of it and the Blues had plenty of options available if he was covered. Imperials never had a passenger, Ramblers had a bus load and when asked to pick a best player for the Roosters I picked Paul Vanson and he was the message boy. It was a deplorable effort on the eve of a finals campaign. They were expected to be competitive and to be around the mark but they looked dis-interested. Their number one supporter Mick O’Neil turned his jumper inside out to hide the colors so instead of red and white it showed red and silver. They are very innovative at Imperials as they can sense a business opportunity as in the future when the oaks grow they can sell tree house apartments but I wouldn’t want to buy them off the plan just yet.

We are all playing for second and Saturday only convinced me more.

 Jervois V Mypolonga

The big forwards of Jervois came to the party against the Mypolonga Tigers. Shane Sterzl

and Sam Braidwood don’t get any smaller as the game wears on and they bagged twelve goals between them to stitch up the Tigers by 36 points and send the Tigers plummeting  to the bottom of the ladder. It was a high scoring game with Jervois always in control. The Tigers had Brad Martin kicking eight goals for the day but they couldn’t bridge that six goal gap that had opened up at half time and it’s Jervois that head into another finals campaign with the match winning forwards that are going to be hard to shut down. Their weakness is in there defence and if they allowed Mypolonga to kick seventeen goals heaven help them when they play the top sides. Michael Tomlinson and Sam Mahony are experienced smart players who have played plenty of finals experience and they know how to win games. The Mypolonga Tigers have to win there last two games of the season to play finals football and against Imperials and Ramblers its mission impossible.

 Meningie V Mannum

Its Sydney or the bush for the Meningie Bears.. They are still in the hunt for a finals berth and they head to Mannum with a full head of steam next Saturday knowing that the last time they ventured there they came away with the points. Apart from Imperials they are the form side of the competition winning four out of there last six games failing only against the top two teams. They got away to nice start against Tailem Bend and the Eagles couldn’t peg them back resulting in 21 point win on there home deck. The Bears can sniff finals football. Josh Benbow picked another bag of six goals and with Brad Biddle alongside of him they have a couple of big blokes that give them a target. Rodney Cunneen has hit a purple patch of form and he is going as well as any midfielder in the competition. This is a Club that is having a genuine crack at the game, their Reserves are traveling well and while the lake may be disappearing before our eyes the Football Club is on the rise and the trip to Mannum won’t worry them. Tailem Bend have got the bye next week and with Jervois in the last minor round game it will be a very anxious Tailem Bend Coach Mathew Dent as he awaits next weeks episode of RMFL football. Dent has requested a calculator for the up coming Fathers day, I can only suggest he pick up one this week as come Saturday he will be working it overtime.

Meningie crash at final hurdle

Meningie V Mannum

For three quarters the Meningie Bears gave it there best shot. They were gallant in defeat, they tried hard but they just couldn’t bridge that three goal gap. You always felt that the dam was about to burst and when it did Mannum finished all over the top them to grab a 63 point win. Meningie had nothing left to give, there was no petrol left in the tank. They had a crack but the finishing skills of Mark Mueller and “Shovel” Maloney and with Clive Waterhouse and Paul Sarno combining for ten goals the Bears were stretched in their back half. Meningie need a miracle to participate in this year’s final series but its now out of their control as Tailem Bend need to get beaten by a massive margin. Mannum are getting game time into Justin Hentschke. He is going to be a key defender come finals, Aaron Hockey is back from injury and allegedly they will play Michael O’Malley next week in a bid to qualify him. Mannum are on track for the finals but they can be brittle, they run hot and cold but Coach Dave Dohleguy has a pretty handy list to pick from. He just has to make sure they don’t get ahead of themselves as they wanted to bring out the banjos once the siren went on Saturday. He is a pretty smart coach and he is trying to keep a lid on it.

Jervois V Ramblers

It was a bit of an arm wrestle at Jervois. In a low scoring game Ramblers looked to have stole a break at half time. Twenty three points up and the Rooster were in control but Jervois came out in the third term and got back into the game and headed for home with a narrow three point advantage. There was nothing at stake with this game as both Clubs are firmly entrenched in the five but Jervois to the delight of there supporters did enough to take the points. Ramblers did a very silly thing on Saturday. They ran Trevor Rigney into form on the eve of the finals. Rigney who hit the post four times on Saturday is the most explosive player in the competition and if he fires up in the finals he has that freakish ability to destroy teams. Ramblers without the brick Daniel Zadow are a bit fragile in their back half and they are missing Clint Girardi as part of their three pronged attack. They just haven’t been able to kick enough of late. The Roosters can tune up for the finals against the Mypolonga Tigers next week. Jervois did the job and they are gaining some traction in the run to the finals but they wouldn’t want to stumble next week against Tailem Bend there likely opponent in the up coming knock out final.

Mypolonga V Imperials

The Mypolonga Tigers have chucked in the towel. Imperials got away to their customary start slipping away to a 59 point lead at the first change. The Tigers were never going to catch them with the margin blowing out to 126 points in the finish. Mypolonga President James Zadow sent the message out to Coach Damien Cross that they were looking for volunteers to peel the spuds and prepare the lamb roast for the upcoming festivities that evening. The players responded accordingly and knocked one another over in attempt to be first there; Imperials just concentrated on the game and demolished them. If Mypolonga appointed Gordon Ramsey as Coach he could introduce a cooking and food handling course over summer because a lot of their players are very good at it. Luke Harrowfield picked up six goals; the swing man Jamie Honnor helped himself to another six. It’s a pretty powerful forward line with Harrowfield, Honnor and “Leo” Seyers and with Chad Wingard and Shaun O’Brien they give it a bit of freshness and vitality. These two young players play the game with instinct, they haven’t been around long enough to learn the tricks but they are goal kicking small forwards who can read the footy and you would expect them to be a big part of the Imperials finals campaign. Daniel Girdham continues to tighten for favoritism for the Mail Medal and he did his chances no harm with another big game. The Tigers had no answers. Brett White has had a good last six weeks, “Big Jim” Pedler worked hard, Scott Meneghetti never gave up but the rest kept looking at their watches waiting for five o’clock.

Onwards and upwards for the Blues, five more sleeps for the Tigers and she is all over for 2009.

Tailem Bend breaks the drought

You could be forgiven for thinking tanking was the big issue at Tailem Bend. Both teams were unrecognizable with the the Clubs resting players knowing that they shape up in an Elimination final next Sunday. Saturdays result didn’t matter but try telling that to Eagles coach Mathew Dent. It was the first time in his three year stint as senior coach he has beaten Jervois and he heads into a knockout final with a psychological edge knowing that he has broken the drought. Dent changed the structure of the side with Laurie Rankine as the lead up forward and the incredible bulk Simon Wanganeen as his stay at home man in the square. It worked with Rankine kicking a couple of freakish goals. Dent introduced another young indigenous player in Simon Newchurch. Newchurch doesn’t look the fittest bloke going around but he has silky skills and he is a very good finisher and his four goals caught the Jervois defence napping. That angry young man Dylan Hogarth fired up the Eagles with his attack on the football. He was at the bottom of the packs and his endeavor and his commitment are second to none in the competition. Jervois came off the ground looking as though they didn’t have a care in the world. They might have had a truckload missing but I don’t know if Coach Sam Mahony has heard that old saying of never giving a sucker an even break. The opening term of ten goals was allegedly the best opening term by Tailem Bend since they played MB Redlegs in 1983 some 26 years ago. This set the win up for them but it was the only quarter that they won and with Jervois winning the remaining three quarters it’s a timely reminder that they live to fight another day.

Ramblers V Mypolonga

Ramblers head into the 2009 finals series in shocking form. They have lost there last three games and with no form on the board they have got two weeks to turn things around. The lack of player depth at Ramblers is starting to hurt them. No Zadow, no Girardi, no Jackson and it’s no hope. You can lose games but sometimes it’s how you lose them that matters. The Roosters slipped out to a five goal lead and they looked set to continue there good run against the Mypolonga Tigers but the Tigers had other ideas. Mypolonga knew it was there last game of the season; they had six months to get over the bumps and bruises. It was a bit like Custers last stand, they had nothing to lose and with Brad Martin their go to forward firing and finishing with seven goals Mypolonga got the money by 12 points. Mypolonga have promised the world for much of the season and Saturday was typical. Too little to late but it has kept their players and supporters interested for 2010. The Tigers midfielder Brett White has finished off the season with a flurry. His last 6/7 weeks has been outstanding and I would expect him to be polling votes in the Mail Medal. Liam O’Neil with five goals kept the Roosters in the game but unless they can turn things around very quickly they will go out in straight sets

Mannum V Imperials

Imperials showed why they are raging red hot favourites for the 2009 premiership. At the start of the season it was obvious to even the village idiot that every one else is playing for second. Imperials have got player depth, they have class players on every line, they are in form and they demolished Mannum without their gun player Tyson Wait. It became a boat race in the finish with the Blues coasting home by 86 points. 14 players kicked goals, Mannum extended their sympathy at the after match presentation for the seven who didn’t score. Zeb and Boyd Kenny are in pretty good form heading into a finals series, Jamie Honnor can play a defensive role and he can go forward with telling effect while Daniel Girdham who is having a cracker of a season is getting shorter by the minute for the Leagues highest individual honor, the 2009 Mail Medal. Tony Fielke has all bases covered and four weeks out from the big one he knows it’s the unloseable Grand Final. Mannum run a bit hot and cold, they have the second best playing list in the competition, they have earned the double chance but can they find fifteen goals if and when they face Imperials again or are they psychologically shot.

Winner of the 2009 Bryan Medal

Sam Carter (Ramblers) - 30 Votes

Runner - Up

Harley Richards & Kyle Duell (Tailem Bend) - 25 Votes

Monday Night 24th August 2009 saw the annual junior football presentation dinner held at the Mypolonga Football Club.

Winner of the 2009 Connolly Medal

Gene Robinson (Mannum) - 21 Votes

Runner - Up

Matthew Lord (Tailem Bend) - 20 Votes

Third Place

Jackson Koch (Ramblers) & Rhys Bullard (Mannum) - 18 Votes

MANNUM RAN OUT OF GAS

When Imperials snatched victory from the jaws of defeat it was daylight robbery at its best. Imperials coach Tony Fielke is a good decent Christian human being with high principals but before he left home on Saturday he sent a small prayer to the football Gods who control the game and asked that Imperials be given a wake up call. It was only three weeks ago that Imperials hammered Mannum by nearly 15 goals and for most of the season the Blues have been cruising along blitzing sides in the opening quarter and coasting home. Imperials captain Luke Harrowfield won the toss and kicked into a five goal breeze and before Fielke had sat down in his chair Mannum were seven goals up. Imperials came at them but every time they crept close Mannum answered the challenge. With a 28 point lead at the last change Mannum were nearly home and hosed but Imperials then started to gain some traction. With ten minutes left on the clock Mannum were still four goals up but the Blues were gaining momentum when they took advantage of a lapse of concentration from Mannum to score a decisive goal and by then it was game over. In the last ten minutes Mannum stopped, they ran out of gas, they had no petrol left in the tank and despite Clive Waterhouse kicking five goals, he should have had seven the Blues had slipped into the Grand Final in two weeks, the Mannum Roos have still got to get there. Michael Rander dominated the rucking contests and was clearly best on ground and the move of Andrew Warnest onto the dangerous “Leo” Seyers was a good one with Warnest winning the contest. Imperials conditioning held up, they have a high level of fitness but it was the wakeup call they needed and with Grand Final day over at Mannum expect them to resume there normal fifteen goal supremacy. Let’s not kid ourselves, remember where you read this first, we are all still playing for second. This was a high class final with 12 goals scored in the last quarter resulted in 34 minutes of play. The pressure exerted on the ball carrier was enormous; players had to work hard to gain a clear possession. The biggest job for the Mannum coach David Dohleguy is yet to come. Mannum were gutted by the defeat but that’s why Club President Jock Krause said he is paid the big dollars to get them up for the Preliminary final.

In contrast to Saturdays final the first semi-final on Sunday was a lack lustre affair. Ramblers led from start to finish and the Jervois players and supporters were grateful when the final siren sounded to put them out of their misery. The Roosters had the edge in pace and Jervois just couldn’t go with them. Liam and Patrck O’Neil chopped up the Jervois defence and Coach Mark Dougal gave a sigh of relief when his gun forward Clint Girardi and his tough defender Daniel Zadow got through the game. Both players have been off the park in the last six weeks and there absence has coincided with the Rambler form slump. Ramblers would be pleased to get Darren Hein through unscathed, he misses more than he plays but he gives them some rebound coming out of defence along with the last of the straight backs in Greg Stevens. There is a question mark hovering over Jervois with Sam Mahony stepping down as Coach but they certainly need an injection of pace. Sam Braidwood had no influence on the game what so ever, Shane Sterzl had a race with his shadow and his shadow passed him and big James Lyons is a good honest player who gives his best shot every time but he is no Hussein Bolt. Ramblers are a big chance next week as Mannum are still in a state of shock. Give the Rooster a sniff and they can carve you up.

Bobby Lightfoot the Meningie would be dissecting the DVD as we speak. Meningie lost the battle but they haven’t lost the war. It was a pretty tight contest in the reserves 2^nd semi-final with the Bears just falling short. There is a ton of experience in this Imperials team. Brad Shiell picked up three goals but never forget his record. He has kicked 711 goals in 118 games averaging over 6 goals per game and is probably the most prolific full forward in the history of the RMFL based on statistical evidence. Bobby, this boy could play and you’re probably lucky you won’t have to face him again. Jack Daniels is another, he might be old and slow but he has got a brain like a steel trap and he knows where to go. Meningie are not out of the finals race just yet. Paul McNicol and Shaun Ridley are going along nicely but the killer B’s Bettinishi and Biddle have to get you home, they are going to have to kick you a score. There are two sets of bees, there are drones and there are queen bees. You’re the coach Bobby; it’s up to you to decide which category you are they are in.

Steven Wakefield, the Mannum coach looked like a rat with a gold tooth after the game. Mannum grabbed the initiative after half time and strode out to a 17 point lead and they managed to hold on to record an 11 point win over the Tailem Bend Eagles. Jarrad Woodward and Dwayne Krollig did the job in front of goal and likewise the heavy weight full forward for the Eagles Simon Wanganeen. Tailem Bend had all the play in the final term but they just couldn’t put it on the scoreboard. Chris Rudiger, Brett Klose, David Mullins and Travis Gladigau are all handy players and they stood up and delivered for the Coach. Beau Miller and Rick Berling had a crack for the Eagles but the smell of mothballs was just too strong in the finish. Steven Wakefield is a very smart coach who has been to the big dance plenty of times. His opponent next Saturday Bobby Lightfoot has never been to the big dance in his life. Bobby is that nervous at the minute he started to do the jitterbug just watching Mannum do the warm ups on Sunday prior to the start of the game. It’s hard to tell if it was the jitterbug or early signs rigor mortis settling in.