VAFA ROUND 21_Col.indd - Victorian Amateur Football Association
VAFA ROUND 21_Col.indd - Victorian Amateur Football Association
VAFA ROUND 21_Col.indd - Victorian Amateur Football Association
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PREMIER C<br />
THEN THERE WERE THREE, UMPIRES ARE HUMAN TOO<br />
Di Langton<br />
So much love between Premier C and the<br />
Umpires last week. During both semi finals at<br />
Trevor Barker there was a lot of discussion all<br />
around the sunny seaside oval; maybe it was the<br />
euphoria of finals footy, the salty sea air, or the<br />
fact that there seemed to be umpires everywhere.<br />
There were three of them running around on the<br />
field, and plenty sprinkled throughout the crowd;<br />
those unlucky to score a final showed up to watch<br />
their mates. Surely they’re not so different from<br />
the rest of us? Dan Lawlor (correctly and bravely<br />
) reversed a free to Old Camberwell right in front<br />
of their bench. Both games saw some highly<br />
controversial decisions that were received with<br />
understandable passion and parochialism. At<br />
the <strong>VAFA</strong>UA annual dinner on Monday night,<br />
umpires were honoured with numerous awards,<br />
just as coveted and revered amongst their<br />
number as any footy club gong. Winner of this<br />
year’s Golden Whistle award, Dave Anselmi,<br />
is enjoying the heady heights of Premier and<br />
Representative footy these days, but he talked<br />
with terrific passion about his time in C Grade,<br />
the quality of football and the great interaction he<br />
enjoyed with our clubs.<br />
Second Semi Review<br />
Beaumaris and Caulfield Grammarians got down<br />
to an arm-wrestle from the first bounce. Dean<br />
Scheetz’s strength across the Caulfield backline<br />
and the versatile Gav Winter’s clearing kicks<br />
from half back flank and through the middle<br />
were particularly punishing. For the Sharks,<br />
Chris Langdon’s second and third efforts were<br />
impressive and Luke McNicholas (3) was a focus<br />
up forward in only his fourth senior game this<br />
year. The half time margin was ten points and the<br />
crowd was on tenterhooks. Dougie Ensor’s big<br />
heart continues to underpin the Beauy backline,<br />
while Sean Coote brings an impact at both ends<br />
of the ground, but it was Tom Dean who kicked<br />
two of his three goals to get the Sharks within<br />
4 points in an inspiring display after teammate<br />
Atkins was red-carded midway through the<br />
third. The Field’s Justin Perkins answered the<br />
challenge with a monster on the run from fifty,<br />
and Brett Sinclair nailed two in quick succession<br />
then hobbled off just before three quarter time. At<br />
the huddle Jason Mifsud dismissed any minor<br />
premier smugness, “it’s performance you get<br />
measured by,” he said.<br />
That’s something Steve Lawrence knows all<br />
about following Caulfield’s disappointment last<br />
year. He may well have echoed Mifsud’s exact<br />
same words at the Caulfield huddle, their <strong>21</strong><br />
point lead handy but not comfortable enough.<br />
Beaumaris came out determined and unrelenting,<br />
scoring the first goal and refusing to lie down.<br />
The pivotal moment came from Widjaja on<br />
centre wing at around the 17 minute mark. With<br />
silky skills he got the ball over to Hyland who<br />
handballed to Slevison running through to nail<br />
his fourth goal and a twenty point buffer. It<br />
was a thing of beauty; the teamwork, class and<br />
instinctive play admired by every supporter.<br />
Beauy didn’t stop though, they fought on to the<br />
end, a four goal loss.<br />
First Semi Review<br />
Much less an arm-wrestle and more a shot-to-thearm<br />
for AJAX in their 66-point destruction of Old<br />
Camberwell who bow out in a respectable fourth<br />
finish for the year. Still without spearhead David<br />
Fayman, Ajax certainly didn’t lack scoring<br />
options with reliable youngster Jake Lew, highflying<br />
Jason Seidl and the enigmatic Eugeni<br />
Routman breaking the lines and providing the<br />
impetus with his long ranging kicks into the<br />
forward line. Ben Hart and Phil Bennett were<br />
very good but the Weller midfield was literally<br />
swamped by the ferocious Jacka tackling, their<br />
backline a fortress with evergreen Danny<br />
‘Wisey’ Weislitzer superb, as was Warren<br />
6 THE AMATEUR FOOTBALLER 2010