Kinglake Memorial Oval, Kinglake Central.
One of the largest crowds ever seen at a Kinglake reserves match cheered players on.
Generations of former players watching life member Brett ‘Iron Wombat’ Groves join Michael ‘Kev’ Maloney and Ben ‘Dot’ Collins become the third player in Kinglake club history to play 300 club games.
Past players couldn’t help cheering and shouting instructions to players from the sidelines as the reserves won their first game of the season by 25 points.
The Lakers wasted no time establishing an early lead to be in front by 20 points at the quarter-time break, the reserves best start to a game this season.
Seville came out firing in the second quarter quickly catching up to Kinglake with seven scoring shots to Kinglake’s one with Kinglake giving away their 20-point lead.
Playing coach Andrew Young ‘put the acid on’ the players during his half-time speech with Kinglake lifting in the second half and turning the game around. Kinglake had five scoring shots whilst restricting Seville to two scoring shots after half-time.
Seville stepped up the defensive pressure in the final quarter restricting Kinglake to only three scoring shots. It wasn’t enough to stop the Lakers winning.
Reserves playing coach, Andrew Young, talks about the win.
“I put the acid on everyone in this room at half time”
“Today is probably the most important game any of us will ever play in”
“Everyone here played their best game of the season.”
Brett Groves then addressed the players, past and present who’d gathered in the change rooms.
“We should play like this every week”
“I couldn’t ask to have played with a better bunch of blokes…I think I’ve played with everyone in this room!”
KINGLAKE: 3.3 (21) 3.4 (22) 6.6 (42) 9.6 (60)
GOALS: Kane Smith 3, Owen Robinson 2, Shaun McMahon, Rodney Pratt, Jaedin Poacher, Hayden Illingworth.
BEST: Jayden Flatley, Jaedin Poacher, Dean Mercuri, Hayden Illingworth, Owen Robinson, Brett Groves.
SEVILLE: 0.1 (1) 5.3 (33) 5.4 (34) 5.5 (35)
GOALS: Michael Stevenson 2, Gus Annowsky, Corey Young, Steven Cromarty.
BEST: Kyle Mountjoy, Tom Wilson, Cameron Trainor.
Text & Images ©COPYRIGHT 2017 Kinglake Ranges News.
Article first published in The Local Paper, June 7, 2017.
