Portland Stumptown Throwdown
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Written by Nick Wirth
On Saturday, June 25th, the Portland Steelheads hosted the Stumptown Throwdown, a tournament featuring the Steelheads, Golden Gate Roos, and Seattle Grizzlies facing each other in a battle for West Coast supremacy. Between the beautiful weather and the great field at Northgate Park, the stage was set for a great day of footy with some fiercely contested matches between the three clubs. Each team faced each other once in games of 20 minute halves, the same format as the USAFL Nationals Tournament.
The first game featured the two visiting teams, Golden Gate and Seattle, and was a fast and physical affair. The run of play alternated between the two sides throughout the game. Seattle came hard out of the gate and won the first half, keeping Golden Gate off of the scoreboard while kicking several goals. The Roos battled back in the second half and generated some chances, but ultimately they were unable to make the most of their opportunities and kick a goal. The final score was Seattle 6.2.38 defeating Golden Gate 0.2.2.
The next game saw the hometown Steelheads facing the rival Grizzlies in a hard-fought match with both sides repeatedly swapping goals. Inspired to defend their home field, the Steelheads kicked the first goal of the game and came out of the first half on top of the scoreboard. Despite the Grizzlies’ best efforts, the Steelheads were able to hold onto the lead throughout the second half and win the game 4.2.26 to Seattle’s 3.1.19. The victory was especially sweet for the Steelheads, who had gone three longs years without a win against the Grizzlies.
The third game of the day was another grueling battle between Portland and Golden Gate. The Roos, fired up to avenge their prior defeat, came out of the first half up two goals. The Steelheads were able to create some scoring chances, but couldn’t seem to capitalize on them. The score remained tight well into the 2nd half, but the Roos put the game away by kicking a pair of goals to make the final score
Portland 0.3.3 to Golden Gate 4.4.28.
Amidst a number of standout performances by individual players from all three clubs, Golden Gate’s Mark “Yogi” Beare was awarded the trophy for Best and Fairest. With each team having won once and lost once, the Seattle Grizzlies were crowned the Stumptown Throwdown Champions by virtue of the percentages.
The Portland Steelheads would like to thank Seattle and Golden Gate for making the trip to Portland. It was a great day of footy for everyone involved, and the Steelheads look forward to hosting the Stumptown Throwdown in future years.
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