Bad day at the Beach (...and everywhere else)

Reigning premier Old Brighton put SKOB Seniors to the sword early in their match of the day at a sunny Brighton Beach Oval on ANZAC Day. The tonners are a formidable outfit at home and boy do they know how to play the conditions there well. Opening with aid of the breeze in quarter 1, they piled on 8 goals to SKOBs single six pointer, and when the visitors went two down on the bench for the remainder of the game, it was always going to be a struggle to reel in the deficit. To their credit, SKOB Seniors lifted and kicked 13 goals to 9 from the first break onwards, but the premiership favourites were too good. It capped off a pretty dirty day for SKOB at the end of South Rd, with first the Stingers getting swiped and then the Ressies - who beat their hosts by over 100 in last year's prelim final - succumbing by 10 points to the ton's. It wasn't much better elsewhere for SKOB. The Saints went 0 for 3 with the Golds and the Blues reigned in by the Roys at Rigret, and the Greens - despite the dream start - being overrun by Bullants on the road. The bright spot came at TH King where our 1st and 2nd under 19 teams booted 38 goals between them in big wins at home. That was all she wrote for SKOB though, who suffered defeats for the Academy, SKOB Dogs and 19 3s. A return of 2 out of 11 wasn't a happy dividend - BUT - it's still very early...

Alas no scribe on hand for the Senior game to report on the match, but "Scoop" Yanni was on the spot at the beach for his twos report

SKOBs’ Fighting Spirit Shines in Brighton Beach Showdown 

The SKOBs arrived at Brighton Beach on a fantastic sunny day. It was a perfect day for football and a fitting occasion to celebrate one of Australia’s most important days of the year, honouring the ANZAC spirit. The boys arrived eager to square the ledger from the previous week.

The game began as a fierce contest, with both teams keen to get on the front foot and seize the early momentum that is so vital in first quarters. The SKOBs boys came out with ball movement that was pleasing on the eye, but it quickly became evident that the wind would be very difficult to play into. The SKOBs boys struggled to adapt to the conditions, which put them on the back foot early in the game. Despite the disadvantage, the boys still took plenty of positives, knowing they would have their scoring opportunity in the next quarter.

The second quarter began with the boys showing their grit and determination around the ball. The contest really stood up, and the boys did not take this opportunity for granted, capitalising on kicking with the wind at their backs. Exerting dominance in the midfield and keeping Old Brighton goalless, the boys created ample forward-half entries, with goals from Jack Luscombe and Ollie Gill bringing the margin back to a tight ten-point difference.

Coming out into the premiership quarter, the game turned into a scrap. The wind was playing havoc for the defensive line, but despite the conditions, the defence stood tall. Under constant pressure, the SKOBs boys still managed to keep the contest alive, kicking a late goal and giving themselves a red-hot chance to win the game heading into the final quarter.

The fourth quarter began with the boys piling on pressure in the forward half. Now having the wind at their tails, the ball seemed to live in the SKOBs boys’ forward line. The boys managed to convert that pressure, kicking the opening two goals of the quarter and reducing the margin once again to ten points with five minutes to play. It seemed as though the momentum could be swinging towards a SKOBs comeback, but sadly it was not to be, with the ten-point margin ultimately proving too great.

Coach Long was proud of his team’s fighting spirit, which was symbolic of the day. The boys should be proud of the effort they produced and can look forward to their next game against St Bernard’s at the King.

Roys Rule at Old Rigret

Fitzroy proved too strong in both the Women's Premier and Premier Reserves at a sundrenched Righetti Oval on Saturday. Sez Withers was there to snap the action.