Fireworks should have erupted shortly after the band finished their famous song whilst the two teams ran out to the ground. It had all the bearings of what set to be a most interesting game.
Second placed Heidelberg hosted third placed Montmorency at its Warringal Park fortress, an oval the Montmorency players have failed to produce the goods for quite some time. Nonetheless, both teams were in good form early in the season and it looked to be a corker. The loyal black and white caps donned the boundary line not to be overshadowed by the home side’s fans. They could smell an upset on Tiger turf.
Aisakie O’hAilpin was a force to be reckoned with in the first quarter. Often following up his ruck work with his athletic ability, he was the first to open the scoring account for Montmorency, slotting a set shot within the first few minutes of the game before Michael Finn responded to level a tight competition.
Montmorency was hard at the ball, first to every contest as opposed to Heidelberg who looked startled by the opponent’s fierce mindset. The Tigers were sluggish, unable to win a clearance and if it had not been for the poor entries into the forward 50 by Montmorency the scoreboard would have hurt a lot more.
Little mistakes seeped into both teams’ game. An undisciplined act by Heidelberg saw Pat Fitzgerald take a 50m penalty resulting in a goal. Marks were dropped, kicks missed their targets, the Tigers kicked the ball out of bounds twice from set shots and at one stage a player was caught travelling too far without bouncing.
The Pies came to life in the second quarter. When Sammy O’Meara landed the perfect tackle in the centre of the ground the ball spilled free to Luke Jackson who kicked truly, the Montmorency fans found their voice. A spark of a fire had been made and it would not burn out. Last year’s leading goal kicker, Dean Limbach, seized a good overhead mark and converted to pile on to the scoreboard pressure.
Heidelberg’s forwards were kept quiet and struggled to get into the game as most of the action was taking place in Montmorency’s forward 50. Joshua Houlihan worked relentlessly with Danny Nolan around the contested ball to try to revive the home side but the Tigers slipped only further when Pies backman Dean Giles snuck forward to kick a brilliant running goal.
Nicholas Sacco plunged the knife a little deeper when he benefited from a free kick and goaled. It was only when O’hAilpin gave away a silly free kick that the Tigers found the scoreboard. When the Tigers backed this with a fantastic team goal, the home side and its supporters got a sniff.
But that was quickly doused by two responding goals from the Pies, one featuring Limbach taking one of the best pack marks of the year, on the tip of the goal square.
The half time siren could not have come sooner for the Tigers. Heads were down and although there was an odd call of encouragement from a team member,
Heidelberg could not have foreseen a more terrible half. Contrastingly, in the Montmorency camp there were claps on the shoulder and a win on the horizon didn’t seem so far away.
Heidelberg’s Justin Powick drew first blood in the second half after Montmorency gave away two free kicks. Thought the Pies won the resulting centre clearance and with amazing run and carry Ben Walton hit right back.
Jess Sinclair was sent to the guts for the Tigers and was immediately influential when linking up with John Shiels to convert a Danny Nolan goal. It was not enough though, Montmorency carried its first half determination to continually thrust the ball to its advantage.
When Pat Fitzgerald converted on the boundary 45m out, somewhere on the ground the Fat Lady was warming up her vocal chords. Just before three-quarter time, Dean Limbach produced something for the highlight reel. Reaching into the heavens he plucked a most spectacular mark on top of a pack of Heidelberg defenders. He chipped it through and ran to the Montmorency members celebrating with pumping fists. It was party time for the Pies.
Heidelberg senior coach Ryan Smith rallied his troops for the last address of the match. He asked his Tigers to have a crack, to not concede the one-on-one contests and consistently put their heads over the ball.
This was to no avail. Whilst the Tigers added the first goal in the last quarter through Chris Cullinan, it was all Montmorency from then on. The Pies continued to swoop on the loose ball and provided good service to the forwards.
Fitzgerald put through an easy one for Montmorency and O’Meara capitalised from the Tigers’ poor skills and eventual turnover. Things turned for the worse when a Tiger forward scrambled onto a loose ball in the empty forward 50 and walked into an open goal only to spray it into the merciless Montmorency crowd. The passage summed up the Tigers dirty day.
Hard working Montmorency veteran Daniel Keenan epitomised the Pies’ endeavour. Keenan continually put his body on the line, going in hard with complete disregard for his safety. His tackling was second to none and his pressure on the ball inspired team members such as Ben Haynes and Luke Jackson.
When Pies youngster Luke Collins burst through the center of the ground and produced a stunning running goal the celebrations that followed were not just for his performance but a well-rounded team effort.
The boys from Montmorency walked from the ground with their heads a little taller. They had proven with the solid defeat over Heidelberg, that they are a real threat in the competition whilst shaking off any Warringal Oval hoodoos.
Final score: Heidelberg 8.6 (54) def by Montmorency 20.9 (129)
