On a wet cold windy day we travelled to Innisfail to do battle in A grade only, with Reserve Grade picking up 5 points for the bye and staying on top of the ladder equal with Wanderers on 35 season points.
At game time we had just 7 backs and 9 forwards. However we started with the usual gusto and attacked their tryline for the first 10 minutes before Crabby dived over for his usual 5 yard sprinted try. (No Crab, the IRB will not shorten the field to 10 metres). The game then got rather scrappy with Innisfail quite successfully showing more, if not illegal, (but hey good on them if we let them get away with it – don’t blame the referee!! ) intensity at the breakdown and slowing our attack pattern. Under that pressure we started to play more of a game of touch and pass. Our mauling of the lineout let us down, but the scrum held well. When we did go wide, we saw some inspirational runs from newbie Josh Prescott, who often beat several players in bulldozing runs down the touchline. Deaco played the game plan well with runs back infield and eventually was rewarded for his hard determined runs with a try. We discovered the kicking talent of Brad Holland who landed one from the sideline, and finished the day with 2 from 3. Pelka who was getting over the advantage line with his runs a bit wider of the ruck, was rewarded with a try for his efforts, but left the best till last. When “half-forward” Tahl Young was inexplicably denied a try after quickly seizing an opportunity to dive over 3 inches off the ground in a forward “pick and drive” we began to wonder if we might not get a most needed bonus point. However, the backs saw the play evolving and spun it wide with Pelka held by the scrambling defence just short of the line, but in true loose forward linkage flicked a backhand pass to the ever hard running “Fridge-Freezer Combo” who scored untouched.
Laga did a great job playing his first game as Pivot; and Kano in his inaugural Captaincy held us together when the frustration got too much.
Thanks to everyone who made the arduous trip, especially the bench John Q, Worm, and Michael Papst, and “Kung-Fu Panda”
Deaco 3
Tahl 2
Josh and Pelka 1
Doc.
