Anzac Day fought to the bitter end
It is always a special occasion to play on Anzac Day, but none more so when we are lining up against our old foe the Inverleigh Hawks. Moreton Power Oval was bathed in sunshine and packed to the brim with Bannockburn and Inverleigh faithful, along with plenty of GDFL followers keen to see a good game. Neither the Senior’s or Reserve’s disappointed.
It was a hard fought out game for the Reserves, with both teams showing great skill and speed in the first half, with our boys only holding a 7 point advantage at the half time break. Inverleigh stepped it up a notch in the 2nd half, with cleaner possessions and more time spent in their forward line. Despite BJ Harding, Hayden Illingworth and Shaun Altman all kicking 2 goals each, our boys went down by 19 points. Best on field went to Patrick White, Will Young, Callum Elliott, Shaun Altmann, Mitch Gorman and Luke Young.
The stage was then set for the Senior game by a moving service conducted by the Inverleigh RSL Club. More than 250 players and officials from both clubs formed a guard of honor to pay tribute to those lost and or fought at Gallipoli
With Inverleigh ladder leaders and clear favourites for the flag, the game was never going to be easy. The Hawks got off to a strong start with 3 quick goals. Our boys then started to get their hands on the ball through the middle more through Billy Ritchie, Jai Robinson and Lachie Middleton, which led to Tristan Battaglia slotting through our first major. Dan Measures stamped his authority as one of the best backs in the league towards the end of the 1st quarter, quietening Inverleigh’s coach Adam Donohue.
Our Tigers went into the 2nd quarter with purpose, slamming home 5 goals to 1, going into the long break with a 3 point lead. Jack Brauman, Connor Jervies and Battaglia creating plenty of opportunities.
The final half, both teams played with true Anzac spirit. In a high scoring 3rd quarter both teams kicked 6 goals a piece, with both teams defences working overtime to try stop each other getting away with the game. Inverleigh had 5 more opportunities at goal than us, but the pressure put on them by Measures, Keiran Fulton and Luke Bowdern meant that they weren’t able to convert and went into the last change only 2 points ahead. Fulton and Brauman put their bodies on the line multiple times over the quarter to stem the Inverleigh attack.
The last quarter momentum was with the Hawks from kicking the last 2 goals of the 3rd quarter. Their defence was also strong, making it difficult for us to get clear shots at goal, leading to a number of points being scored. With 10 minutes to go, the Hawks snuck through 2 goals, sealing the game, but in true Tiger spirit we weren’t going to take anything lying down , chased hard and slotted a last goal through, to miss out on the 4 points by just 4 points.
Jai Robinson was awarded the Anzac Medal for his strength and run and carry of the ball through the center. Billy Ritchie, Daniel Measures, Tristan Battaglia, Jai Robinson, Connor Jervies and Kieran Fulton were deemed best on field for us.
In netball our A grade Tigers played a strong game. Rosie Shanahan was exception round the ring, finishing with 37 goals and taking home the Anzac Day medal. She was ably assisted by Georgia Connors with a strong game in the center.
It was also great to have some of our junior sides playing on this special day. Especially our Under 12 girls who played Inverleigh’s first female football side. The girls played with heart, showing some great skills and winning comfortably. Was great to see some of our supporters ducking over to the 2nd over to watch the girls while the Seniors were playing, who wouldn’t normally get to see this side play. Unfortunately our Under 10 and Under 12 Black boys sides went down to extremely strong Inverleigh sides, but both teams played with great mateship on the day.
Below are some images of the day, beautifully captured by Bryan FitzGerald
