By Callum 'Articles' Ludwig
In an out-of-the-ordinary Sunday timeslot, the Lilydale U19.5s flew the flag for the Falcons in finals, taking on Beaconsfield at Tormore Reserve in an elimination final.
Unfortunately, their season came to an end, going down 12.7, 79 to 5.4, 34.
Expectedly, the game got off to a tight and intense start, with only a goal apiece to each side in the first term, with the Dales’ major courtesy of a nice piece of crumbing from resident goalsneak Ryan ‘Ninja’ Haley.
The second quarter wasn’t so successful, with the Falcons only managing a singular point while the Eagles piled on 4.3 and put the pressure right on.
Things flared up in the third quarter after a halftime rev-up from coach Grant ‘Shagga’ Shanks, with Lilydale kicking three quick goals, two in a row from Ashton ‘Chimp’ Dobbin and a left-foot nap from loudmouth and antagoniser Cooper ‘Backpacks’ Beckwith, who immediately used it an as an opportunity to get in the face of the nearest Beaconsfield opponent. Beaconsfield fought back, however, managing 3 goals of their own including one after the siren courtesy of a downfield free kick which sparked some argy-bargy.
The stage was set for a thrilling final quarter, particularly when in the first 30 seconds of the quarter, Lilydale won the centre clearance and Ninja bagged his second of the day to give the Dales some hope. It was all downhill from there, however, as Beaconsfield took control and ended up kicking 4 goals and restraining Lilydale to a singular point for the rest of the quarter, off the side of the boot of Daniel ‘Spin moves’ Ryan.
Luke ‘Wristies’ Phillips, devastated Blues fan Astin ‘Toothless’ Bucci, Backpacks, Zac ‘Chicken Schnitty’ Carolan, Chimp and Ninja were the Dales’ best in the loss.
Following the game, Lilydale players and officials gathered in the clubrooms for their initial vote count, containing the first two-thirds of the season, with the rest to be counted on Presentation Night. The top tallies as they stand are as follows:
U19.5s: Zac Carolan 47 votes, Daniel Ryan 37 votes, Luke Phillips 22 votes, Ashton Dobbin 20 votes, Mitch Van De Maat 20 votes, Lachlan Baxter 13 votes.
Reserves: Lachlan Cox 26 votes, Jarrod Thompson 23 votes, Alex Carrigan 20 votes, Trent Davison 16 votes, Astin Bucci 14 votes, Harry Gayfer 12 votes.
Seniors: Jayden Depace 31 votes, Ryan McNay 28 votes, Mitchell De Franceschi 24 votes, Riley Clausen 19 votes, Marc Massarotti 19 votes, Jordan Jaworski 15 votes.
Their will be one final match played at The Nest this year, with the Over 50’s side set to play a charity match to raise money for The Black Dog Institute on Saturday 27 August at 6.30pm.
