May 2, 2017
Stories that Barambah have solved the player shortage that bedevilled their men’s side in 2016 have turned out to be only partially true.
Last year the Bears had just 15 male players, which forced the squad to play in both the 2nd Division and 1st Division matches.
This year the situation has improved slightly – the Bears now have 20 male players.
But since not all the newcomers will be able to turn up for all matches, most of the Barambah side will still have to front up for both games on Saturdays.
This gruelling AFL-like regimen may help improve the team’s skills and fitness level, but it is also guaranteed to leave them exhausted by the end of the day, and likely to leave spectators a bit deflated as well.
The proof of this was clear to see on Saturday when the Bears faced Gunners in 2nd and 1st Division to play a “catch up” match to make up for the Round 2 clash originally set down for April 1, which had to be cancelled at the last minute due to ex-Cyclone Debbie.
The Bears enjoyed success when they were fresh on the park, but went on to suffer a bitter defeat as the long day wore on.
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In the 2nd Division game that kicked off the day, Bears and Gunners seemed to be closely matched to judge by each team’s form to date.
Gunners have enjoyed a good start to this year’s competition, going down only narrowly to Wests 4-3 in the first game of the season, and following it up with a solid 5-nil drubbing of the Panthers last weekend.
Barambah, for their part, enjoyed an equally convincing 5-nil win over the Panthers in the first round, and only suffered a slim 2-1 loss to Wests in Round 3.
But as Saturday’s match unfolded, the Bears’ dominance of the smaller and generally younger Gunners side soon became evident.
The Bears enjoyed the lion’s share of possession, and their tight teamwork left few opportunities for the purple-and-golds to find the back of their net.
Instead, it was the Bears’ Jackson Kelly who opened the scorecard for the northerners in the 28th minute, shooting a rocket past Gunners’ goalkeeper Pete Collins to take his side into the half-time break with a 1-nil lead.
This dominance continued into the second half, with the Bears’ much tighter defence – a lot of it forged in the boiler room of last year’s competition – frustrating Gunners at almost every turn.
Gunners’ fate was probably sealed in the 53rd minute when the Bears’ Gabby Cantillana sunk another rocket past the defenders to take his side to a 2-nil lead.
But Gunners refused to let their heads drop, and battled on valiantly until the final whistle sounded.
However, the Bears declined to let their opponents enjoy a face-saver, and walked away with the points.
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It was a completely different story half an hour later, though, when a fresh and sprightly Gunners 1st Division side faced off against the by-now-stale Bears.
Pete Collins opened the account for the purple-and-golds barely 8 minutes into the match, and he was followed by Du Pham just five minutes later.
This quick succession of strikes seemed to galvanize the Bears, and they tightened their defences accordingly.
But a catastrophic own goal in the 32nd minute, a rocket from Dale Lenkeit in the 34th minute and a second strike into the back of the Bears’ net by Pete Collins in the 42nd minute saw Gunners go into the half-time break with a near-unbeatable 5-nil lead.
This time around, it was the Bears who refused to let their heads drop.
The plucky, tough-as-tungsten northerners tightened their defensive line again, and managed to give Gunners several heart-stopping moments as they launched one charge after another at the purple-and-golds’ nets.
The result of the Bears’ repeated onslaughts was a string of injuries on both sides, with several players being benched as the afternoon wore on.
But the team’s bone-weary exhaustion was clearly visible to spectators, and Bears’ goalkeeper Brock Kingston was limping so badly mid-way through the half that his kicks had to be taken by a team-mate.
Gunners’ second half drought was finally broken by Luke Holland in the 70th minute, followed by Dale Lenkeit’s second of the day a minute later.
Joseph Copas also found the back of the Bears’ net eleven minutes further in, and Dale Lenkeit delivered the coup de gras right on the final whistle with his third of the day, allowing Gunners to claim a 9-nil victory.
The result has left Barambah with no points on the board in the 1st Division competition for the first three rounds of this season – a result that seems unlikely to change unless the side can find some additional players.
But as compensation, the Bears are shaping up as as team to watch in 2nd Division, and it will be very interesting to see how the side’s fortunes unfold in the months ahead.
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Results (Round 2 Catch Up):
- 2nd Division: Barambah 2 (Jackson Kelly 28th, Gabby Cantillana 53rd) – Gunners 0
- 1st Division: Gunners 9 (Peter Collins 8th, 42nd, Luke Holland 70th, Dale Lenkeit 34th, 71st, 90th, Joseph Copas 82nd, Du Pham 13th, Own Goal 32nd) – Barambah 0
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The other catch-up round played last week was a Women’s Division clash between Nanango and Wests.
The match was played at Tom Alford Oval on Wednesday, April 26, and the lady Panthers came out the winners, downing Wests 4-1.
Results:
- Women’s Division: Nanango 4 (Bree Pogany 5th, 27th, Jess Erlich 3rd, 69th) – Wests 1 (Hannah Armstrong 21st)
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Some other catch-up games still remain to be played.
On Tuesday, May 2 the Gunnettes will play Barambah in a Women’s Division clash at Tom Alford Oval.
However the time and date of a final 2nd Division men’s catch-up game between Gunners and Nanango has yet to be decided.
This is likely to occur fairly soon, though, with the annual President’s Cup clash – between the two leading teams in each Division at the end of Round 6 – set down for May 27.
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Next Week:
Next week’s senior games will be played at Nanango and Kingaroy on Saturday, May 6.
In Nanango, home side Panthers will play Barambah at the Burnett Street sports fields, with 2nd Division hitting the park at 12:30pm, Women’s Division at 2:00pm and 1st Division at 3:15pm.
In Kingaroy, home teams Gunners and Wests will toe the turf at Tom Alford Oval.
2nd Division will kick off at 2:00pm, Women’s Division at 3:30pm and 1st Division will play under lights at 5:00pm.
A canteen will be running at both venues, and spectators are very welcome.
