World Footy News

Match report taken from the Glasgow Sharks website and written by "the Great White"

Hello and welcome Sharks fans. Saturday saw the CAFL (Glasgow metro league) season opener with a replay of last year’s grand final between the Cards and the Makos. The Makos fell at the final hurdle last season and so were looking to even the ledger and kick start the new season with a victory. The Cards were also looking to start the season with a bang and maintain their dominance of the league they enjoyed last season.

With both teams missing key players it would be down to each team’s new recruits and second year players to get the job done. The game got underway under sunny skies but feeling very cold. With the turf crunching underfoot the cards were kicking to the stadium end of Victoria Park and the makos heading to the city end.

After a congested first bounce the Cards managed the first forward entry of the game, only to have it repelled by the Makos who also could only get as far as half forward before turning the ball over. With both teams backlines standing strong in the early stages the game was showing all the hallmarks of being a tight contest. The cards were first to hit the scoreboard after Robert McKinlay extracted the ball under some serious Mako pressure and dished out a handball to Ross Thomson, who kicked truly from 25 meters out on a slight angle.

The Makos looked like answering straight back when Paul Sweeney attacked a bouncing ball from halfback to start an interlinking chain of handballs that propelled the makos forward. The movement was brought to a halt though as Campbell Hamilton and Alan Bingham combined well to run the ball out of the cards defence but the move came to an end when Stacey Hughes pounced on a loose ball at half back.

Midway through the term the cards sprang forward with some excellent overlapping play but could only manage a behind from the movement. The Makos turned the ball over at half back from the kick in which resulted in a cards goal through Steve Thompson. Shortly after the resulting ball up Robert McKinlay capitalised on a makos defensive error to kick the simplest of goals. The makos got on the scoreboard late in the quarter with Dan Connor roving some good ruck work from John McIntyre then followed up to kick a long range goal. The cards hit back instantly as Chris Pearson slotted home his first major of the day. Then in the dying stages of the term Pearson banged home his second and the momentum was with the cards going to the first break. There would be no more scoring in the term and the Cards took a healthy 26 point lead into the first change. 5-2-32 to 1-0-6.

The Cards started the second term in the same vein they ended the first pushing forward. The Makos seemed to be over possessing the ball in defence and eventually turned it over. The Cards could not make them pay though kicking a behind. Inaccuracy looked to be creeping into the cards play as they had another shot on goal that missed the big sticks. From the kick in the makos won a free kick at centre half back and were able to venture forward for the first time in the quarter. Mark Cummaudo’s long kick slipped across the goal mouth and was toed across the boundary line on the full giving the makos a free kick deep in the forward pocket.

The ball was centred and Steve O Kelly roved the pack and sent a quick kick forward that was marked on the point of the goal square by Mark Cummaudo. Cummaudo’s shot was off target and registered a behind. The cards moved the ball efficiently to half forward but the attack was quelled and for the next few minutes the ball pinballed from half back line to half back line until the cards ended the sequence by kicking a behind. From the kick in the makos went coast to coast culminating in Hazel Stevenson bagging the first super goal (9 points) of the season to cut the cards lead back to 16 points. The Mako revival was short lived though as the cards midfield lifted a gear and came up with a clean centre clearance that saw Campbell Hamilton run onto a long kick and stroll into an open goal.

They were at it again from the ball up, this time it was Ross Thomson getting on the end of his midfields good work marking and goaling from directly in front. The makos went forward from the bounce and managed a stoppage deep in the pocket. The cards easily moved out of defence from the stoppage and through some good transitional play hit Ross Thomson on a slicing run who then kicked truly. This was quickly followed another Campbell Hamilton goal in the shadows of half time. The cards closed out the stanza with another behind and went into the main break full of confidence. 9.6 (60) to 1.1.1 (16)

The third term started in scrappy fashion with neither team able to effect any meaningful ball movement. Through persistence the cards had managed to move the ball into their forward 40 and the makos were struggling to clear their lines. It wasn’t until Robert McKinlay kicked truly after marking a centring ball 20 meters out that the scoring was opened for the term. Shortly after the restart the makos won a free kick at half back but could only manage a stoppage at half forward as the kick tumbled out of bounds. The cards burst clear from the stoppage through Chris Pearson and moved the ball along the wing and into their forward line. Pearson was again on the score sheet as he followed up from his earlier work on the wing to ram home another goal for the Cards.

After some fruitless end to end football from both teams the makos went forward and had a shot on goal through Marc Cummaudo who won himself a free kick for in the back. Cummaudos shot fell short and the cards were able to run the ball out of their defence. The cards could only manage another behind for the term but had more importantly managed to keep the makos scoreless. In what was a low scoring term the Makos through hard work had at least managed to stop the bleeding by not giving away cheap goals. 11.7 (73) v 1.1.1 (16).

The Cards opened the scoring in the final stanza with a behind to Ross Thomson. The makos turned the ball over from the kick in and Alex Young made them pay for it by opening his account for the day with a major. From the bounce the cards again went forward only for a minor score. Ross Thomson was in the thick of things again roving the kick in and kicking truly. It was turning into one way traffic as the cards again went forward and again could only score a behind. The Makos went long and direct with the kick in and forced a stoppage in the middle but the cards midfield were too strong and sent the ball forward resulting in a behind for Alan Bingham.

The Makos changed tact and tried running the ball wide out of defence but the canny cards midfield were switched on and got a stoppage on centre wing. Chris Pearson was having a day out as he received from Robert McKinlay to slot home another goal. Another centre clearance resulted in a behind to Steve Thomson. The makos went forward from the kick in but could not get any deeper than half forward where the cards forced the turnover and efficiently moved the ball forward with a chain of handballs that Alan Bingham found himself on the end of and rammed home a major score.

The Cards won a free kick in the middle for a centre square infringement and moved the ball laterally then went forward. The kick forward was marked by the makos on half back but they could not get past half way before the cards rebounded to move forward again. Robert McKinlay’s behind was the last scoring action for the game as the cards ran out convincing winners by 86 points 15.12 (102) to 1.1.1 (16).

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See ya on the boundary line next time!

Cheer cheer the blue and the white

The Great White