It was with shock and a hint of despair that I arrived at half-time at the Reid Oval on a wind-swept Monday afternoon in Warrnambool. I had rushed from the Melbourne International Airport in order to make the game. I rolled up to the ground and parked against the fence as you can only do at a footy field in rural Australia. The scoreboard read 1-3-9 to 2-10-22. I had to ask the bloke in the car next to me who was on top; it was an answer I did not want to hear. The South Africans were in front and the Revo’s looked to be in trouble.
The only bright spot for the Americans was the poor kicking from the Lions which kept the US in the game. By the accounts of the bystanders at the ground, including legendary coach Kevin Sheedy, it was the South Africans speed which was making the difference.
The second half started with the Lions getting first use of the breeze. It was a blustery day with the wind whipping across the ground and slightly favoring the Southern end of the ground. It had rained during the first match so the ball was wet from the after effects. The Lions started quickly with the first and second score of the half. This would be a test of the Revo’s character.
The Revo’s hit back with a goal by Pat Miller. It was a two goal wind and the Revo;s needed to cut into the SA lead by the third quarter break if they were to give themselves a chance coming home with the wind.
The US continued to plug away. The ball seemed to be stuck in the Revo’s attacking 50. They were chipping away slowly with three points. The US needed their big men to take a few grabs to help steady the ship. It was a defensive mistake from the Africans that finally resulted in a US goal through Dustin Jones. Jones had a chance with a set shot in front of goal minutes later but the slippery ball caused him to overstep and he hit the man on the mark. Soon after the siren sounded and the Americans were trailing by 10 points; 2-6-24 to 4-10-34.
At the break Coach Oliver was happier with the discipline showed by the team during the third quarter. He urged his charges to earn their stripes in the last quarter and to play with their minds as much as their body.
The Revo’s were raring to go while the South Africans too long a time to leave the their quarter-time huddle. It would take a mighty last quarter from the Revo’s to bring home a victory. The ball moved into the Lions 50 first and they meet a staunch US defense. But the pressure started to show and the US made a defensive mistake with another kick into the man on the mark, followed by a smother, and the Lions made the US pay with a goal. The US rebounded very quickly with a goal that was created by Dustin Jones who created a turnover in the Lions last line of defense and the ball ended up in the hands of Paul Duncan who scored.
It became a scrammbly game with each team desperate for the ball. A South African forward evaded three tackles to score. The Lions scored again quickly after the best passage of play of the game with the ball starting within their defensive 50. The dagger was then inserted when they scored again to push the lead out to 28 points.
The US stuck around and scored again when Nemoth was given a free kick. The only game left in town for the US was to kick long, but it was too late and the siren sounded. The Lions of South Africa were victorious 5-6-36 to 8-10-58 and they broke into song.
In the final analysis the US made too many mistake under pressure. The SA speed was too much to handle they used the speed to put the US under constant pressure. Coach Oliver summed it up; “we did not play to the plan and we were not good enough on the day. They were too quick for us”.
South Africa had come a long way since the first Cup in 2002 when they were the whipping boys of the competition. They have become a formative team and represent the strides the International game as a whole has made in seven short years.
Next up for the US is Nauru in the first round of the finals. At this point the best the US can finish is fifth, but they could also fall to eighth. And Nauru has shown impressive form with a win over Great Britain and they really pushed Papua New Guinea. Coach Oliver is well aware of the challenge that Nauru presents when he asked the team after the game to move on and begin focusing on the next two games. The dream of playing at the MCG was over but there is still much to play for in the last two rounds.
- paul "plugger" O'keeffe
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