KING ISLAND FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION
FOOTBALL returned to Currie on the weekend in mild and chilly conditions, with slow-moving cloud cover.
Despite this, patrons turned out in droves, creating an electric atmosphere around the ground.
Grassy and North have been locked in close battles this year, and even Grassy’s side parking was almost full. North started with the first clearance, but Jak Youd took the first intercept mark, sending the ball back.
Early congestion crowded the ball, with every player on half of the field.
North defender Jeramy Summers foiled Currie’s first attempt forward as the sun peeked through the clouds.
Charlie Raff, receiving from Mark Secull, saw Currie’s first promising attempt, but his shot was offline, scoring only a minor point.
Sukma Bowling, in his second game of the season, nimbly swept in a roving position and passed it to Doug Cox, who skillfully scored a goal for Currie.
Benny Buckets (Ben Cleeland), in the ruck, gave North their first look at everything. Bailey Rainbow, playing forward, took North’s first serious shot and converted it.
Dale Ellis followed with another goal for North, signalling their determination in the first quarter.
Currie chipped it around at half-for- ward before James Jakawenko had a look at it, scoring a behind.
Peter Cole made an impact, centring it to Josh Bellchambers, who scored, followed by another quick Currie goal moments before the siren, leaving them 8 points ahead. Summers found his footing as the Bulldogs’ fullback, out-contesting the mark in front and earning a couple of 50s to put the ball deep inside, but the Dogs couldn’t capitalise.
Raff, doing a power of work but unable to finish with a goal, scored another behind. North might have had an extra man back, congesting the deep forward area, but each time the ball found footing on exit, Currie sent it back into the forward line.
This cycle repeated until Youd, playing on from an intercept mark, delivered a penetrating kick that resulted in a goal for Currie. North responded through Rain- bow moments later. With a lucky bounce, Campbell Keeler got behind the pack, controlled the ball, and ran in for another goal for Currie.
Raff, Youd, Cox, back to Raff, who made an interesting choice with a drib- bled kick, but it was accurate. The game remained tight at the long break.
Justin Summers was not seen since the first quarter, not due to performance but because he had put on his chivy’s and was seated on the bench. North hoped for a very short-term injury.
The loss of Brett Noonan to injury earlier also limited their rotations. Rainbow, showing his adaptability to play any position, took the first shot on goal for the second half, but only managed a behind. North’s persistence was rewarded when Rainbow found a goal.
Currie got the first look at the next centre bounce, with Charlie Warner keeping his composure in a one-on-one contest in the backline to send it forward.
Jack Worrall’s work paid off as Currie got a look at every bounce in the third. North’s Harrison Lincoln crumbed it from a pack and dribbled a magnificent goal. Bellchambers took a nice mark out of the centre but, despite the excitement in the Currie forward line, they only managed a behind.
Bellchambers turned and kicked another Currie goal, across his body, keeping them just in front by 3 points into the final break.
The final quarter started with little difference, and Currie got the first look forward. Sukma passed to Youd on the wing, and Worrall chipped it through to put them two kicks up, quickly followed by another from Raff, who finally worked out which posts were the goals.
Mole (Joel Williams) passed to Bowling, with Jeramy Summers elite in defence – if he didn’t get 3 votes, it would be a robbery.
Richard Sutton, in a burst, went in at a sharp angle straight into the goalpost. Keenan Fanning brought it forward, but straight into a waiting Bowling, who switched it across to an unmanned Raff.
Mathew Button intervened, doing a lot this game, with Cole passing to Lincoln, back to Cole, then Sutton, and back to Cole –racking up the possessions– as they tried to find an entrance into the North forward line.
Rainbow led, and North needed this one to stay competitive. Relishing the big moment, he made the most of it. Ellis hit Bowling hard, and it went North’s way.
A sprint duel between Beecroft and Cole was a tasty little endurance battle late in the game.
Lincoln then took a special mark, engulfed by larger bodies, and finished it elegantly with a goal, bringing North within two kicks.
Congestion in the centre bounce led to Youd and Beecroft finding it forward before Jak slotted it straight through, putting it out of reach for North.
Keenan got a free in the centre, passed to Jeramy, straight into a waiting Beecroft. Harrison Lincoln tackled and took down big man Worrall, fearing no harm, but it found the steady hands of Tyler Smith, who sent it forward to Kee- ler, scoring the final goal of the game.
Currie finished painfully close to triple digits with 95 to North’s 68, cemented another spicy battle, full of electricity.
