25 July '04

5 Alive: Dirt Dogs put on year's best show

The Old Xavs ventured to the Badlands yesterday and gutted out a fine 8 point victory in the wind against Old Haileybury.

After winning a rare toss, the Xavs peppered the sticks in the first quarter but came up with a poor dividend - 2.10 against the home team's 2.0.

But it was in the remaining three quarters where the Red 'n' Blacks, led by those in and under, not pretty, but pretty effective dirt dogs, Ockleshaw, Howard, Chatfield, Mollard, Ford, Bingham and Agius, put their stamp on the game.

The Xavs team again featured a first-gamer, Chris Larkins (pictured), who showed poise beyond his age and experience.

In a tense final stanza, the visitors dominated possession and shut down the bigger, stronger Bloods line-up to grab the points.

By general consensus, it was the best performance of the year.

Next Saturday, the Tippers swagger into Titletown and will face a vastly different outfit to the one they smashed on the front nine.

OLD XAVERIANS   2.10    3.10   8.12    9.13 (67)

OLD HAILEYBURY  2.0     7.0     8.2     9.5 (59)

Goals: Agius 2 Beardsley Chatfield Woodruff Howard T Ockleshaw M Walsh Higgins.

Best: T Ockleshaw Chatfield Beardsley Agius Purss Mollard.

2s:

How could this happen? The Ressies went down to the Bloods, who were celebrating the ten year reunion of their last Reserves team to win a game.

OLD HAILEYBURY 4.4     6.7     9.10     13.10 (88)
OLD XAVERIANS    1.0     2.2      3.3        4.6 (30)

Goals: Barrett O'Kane Silk Quinn.

Best: Fox Quinn A E Jones O'Meara Corcoran Freer.

3s:

OLD XAVERIANS2.2     7.4     8.7     16.8 (104)
COLLEGIANS        0.2     1.4     3.6       5.7 (37)

Goals: Stapleton 3 Hoare 3 Conquest 2 Richards 2 S Carrodus Chamberlain Gleeson O'Connell Hardman Quinn.

Best: Ryan S Carrodus W Ireland O'Connell Xeureb Mackay.  

Crocs:

A great start from the Essendonians, but after that, not so much!

OLD ESSENDON GR 3.0     3.0     3.3       3.3 (21)
OLD XAVERIANS      2.3     11.6    16.9   21.16 (142)

Goals: Hall 6 Davies 4 Ward 3 L Hardwick 2 D Landrigan 2 Curnow Russian.

Best: Curnow D Landrigan Hall Perry Davies Russian.

U19s:

A big win for the U19s. Might be a few future senior premiership players there.

CAULFIELD GR    2.3     3.3     5.5       7.7 (49)
OLD XAVERIANS 4.5    10.8   12.10   18.15 (123)

Goals: Rush 5 L Smith 5 Ginnivan 3 Forrest Purcell Melvin-Smith S Ryan Fitzgerald.

Best: Gidley L Smith Chapman Purcell Meehan DiStefano.

U19 (2) :

OLD XAVERIANS      3.2     8.3     8.3         9.7 (61)
NORTH OLD BOYS   1.3      2.5     6.12     10.14 (74)

Goals: Henderson 3 Dynon 2 Crowe 2 Stack Morrison.

Best: Adams McPharlane Henderson Quinn Tobin Murray.

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