Aidan Curtis
AFTER a week off to recover from a broken fingernail, the Ressies Report is back for more.
And what a week to bring back the Ressies action, with North taking a trip down to the Millicent public swimming pool for a quick dip in the cold mud.
There were a lot of complaints from the softies who were desperate to secure the long sleeves for the match, but the true Ressies relished the opportunity to flop in the mud like a beached whale.
It was only after I had slid through the mud a few times that I remembered I would not be returning to the Mount in the back seat of mum’s car and would need to source a towel at the end of the game.
The need to clean the inside of my car aside, it was an absolute belter of a game for us – definitely the best we have played so far this season.
Last time we played Millicent, we left the field scoreless with a 162 point deficit hanging over our heads.
On Saturday, we cut that right down and lost to the undefeated top team by 25.
I know the wet and muddy conditions played a part in the game being so low scoring, but there was much more to what we can see on paper.
It was a very scrappy game and from quarter time onwards, we actually managed to keep the ball locked in our forward half.
Millicent was able to run the ball down for a quick goal a couple of times, which does happen in these sorts of games, but we felt right on top of things for a lot of the game.
Credit where it is due, the Millicent backline held up very well where other teams might have let us slip through for a few goals.
They stopped us from capitalising on a lot of opportunities, with our goals mostly coming from just continuing to force the ball forward at all costs.
Clarky’s goal especially was fantastic, with a one-handed smother turning into a pressured snap that made it over the line.
Deco also made a big impact in his first game back from injury, capping off a great performance with a goal of his own late in the game.
I am so glad young Tyler was not called back up to the A Grade, but would not be surprised if he has earned his spot in the top team again after his game.
He was the complete package: plenty of possessions, clean disposals, more pressure acts than anyone on the ground and hair to rival even Choccy’s.
Oh, and some goose kicked a couple of cheap majors from the goal square, but credit for those should go to good team play forcing the ball forward.
Overall, it was a complete team effort with absolutely no passengers and we just needed a bit more cohesion up forward to put some scoreboard pressure on.
We have a big chance against East this weekend, with Chappy set for a major milestone that should see the boys get up and about.
