ONLY so many ways you can say that it’s some standard King Island Winter weather, but the strong winds may have given the Netherby Road end some favour, albeit in unpredictable gusts.
North welcomed Andy Summers, to enjoy the electrifying standards and pristine turf of KIFA I assume … and the chance to play with his nephews Dale Ellis, Justin and Jye Summers. Grassy was with an almost full squad and minus their primary coach, who is overseas on an Italian jaunt during the treacherous depth of the King Island season.
Andy Summer’s first kick got a body shot on Peter Cole, but he retrieved his own ball and ran into goal for the first score of the match.
The Grassy backline in Aaron Wardlaw, Peter Cole, Jack Noseda and Sam Reeve were under pressure early with the breeze heavily favouring North.
Justin Summers had a couple of shots on from long way out on the wing for a couple of behinds. Vellekoop scored another behind for North, while the wind which had been maybe in their favour did not help accuracy with the washing machine winds.
Keenan Fanning got a pointerino. Jackson Taylor smoothered the ball from Hamish Johnson before he and brother Rory combined for Grassy to go forward for the first time, to Tyler Hudson and into a waiting North defender.
Reeves and Wardlaw both went up in a contest and both ended up on the ground leaving Andy Summers who ran into an open goal.
The atrocious weather induced some sloppy play, accuracy all but impossible, slippery ball and swaying goal posts, a slog of a game, but you wouldn’t guess it seeing the intent and effort from both sides.
Keenan intercepted a Wardlaw kick in and handed it off to Vellekoop who kicked another for North, moments before the first break. A start, as strong as the breeze for North holding Grassy to a scoreless quarter for the first time this season.
Tristan Forrest did plenty of rovering work in the centre, but was only rewarded with a minor score.
Forrest got a free, into Tyler Rhodes who took a punt on Grassy’s first goal, while Jye Summers on the mark wore double jumpers for extra warmth.
Rhodes capitalised on the breeze and got the goal and was rewarded with a rest on the bench. Wardlaw sprinted out of defence, up the canteen-side wing and pummelled it forward to be met by Bailey Rainbow, before the ball bounced out for a throw-in.
Sun broke through the clouds and illuminated the ground, blessing us with a break in the rain, and a couple of forward opportunities for Grassy now kicking with the breeze but still struggled to alchemies it on to the score board.
Riley Badenoch did some tidy sweeping work across the line of defence for North, while the contests were all in the Grassy forward line towards the second half of this quarter, all low to the ground, fumbling, skidding, time in contention.
Dale Ellis to Taylor Cook who took a nice wet weather mark with the flight of the ball, alas, he utilised it by kicking it out on the full – I’m sure the wind caught it.
The sky darkened quickly at 3.11pm, suddenly it’s a twilight game and the skies were about to open. As the wind and rain began to pound down, Grassy located a goal and mercifully the siren for half time sounded to see North up by seven points.
The rain completely stopped during the half-time break, but moments before the first bounce of the second quarter it returned with a vengeance, and even indulged us with a small sprinkle of hail.
Grassy went forward first, of course I can’t tell you who or what happened because the torrent of precipitation made it impossible to identify anyone. But I can tell you David Vellekoop then got a goal for North and then Andy Summers a behind – kicking in the direction of the squall.
Play continued and just as the rain took a break, Justin Summers booted a goal for North. Vellekoop goaled for North, a slippery ball, plenty of fresh air kicks, Wardlaw was good under pressure but was under relentless attack.
Grassy’s Junior contingent had a smart game, a helmet in most contests, going hard in and under at the ball and their own veteran Arnold Stellmaker played his part too.
Grassy did not play anywhere near their form guide suggested they should, and perhaps the weather did not agree with their usual clean, quick playing style, however, they have weathered the storm before, but were looking at a 37-point deficit at three quarter time.
Final Quarter rain momentarily eased again but a hodge podge of cold, wind and rain summarised the day.
Cook took a clean mark in defence, handed off to Andy. Grassy with the wind in the final quarter kept the ball fairly consistently close to goal without capitalising until Tristan Forrest found one from the far wing.
The ball was immediately taken forward again for Grassy. Rhodes got a shot from almost the same spot Tristan had, a slightly sharper angle and it gets punched on the behind line, another point followed soon after.
The sun, now barely obstructed, casts a bright yellow haze over the field, and caused players to shield their eyes. This was only fleeting as it is backdropped by a threatening thick gray sky.
Rhodes received a 50m penalty and slotted a sure thing. A little bit of argy bargy in the final kept things a little fiesty. Jackson Taylor was on the receiving end of a 50m penalty and sprayed it for another behind.
Grassy threatened in the last quarter and quickly narrowed the gap. Wardlaw wandered forward, kicked a goal on the run. North got it down to their end against the weather with only a minor growing Grassy’s hope.
Intensity increased around the ball, with little happening elsewhere on the ground. Cook again took a clean unmanned defensive mark and kicked to Ellis who couldn’t keep his feet. The ball was contested again and the umpire balled it up.
The canteen wing saw plenty of the play during the last quarter and it was in slip-and-slide condition, a muddle of fresh air kicks, sliding, piles of bodies, and kicks the players couldn’t control.
Wardlaw kicked off the ground, but Summers chased and saw it over for a behind. Noseda shortly after found the goal. As the ball was being run back to centre there was some brouhaha between the boundary and centre umpires … the storm caused a power outage in town which silenced the siren and the end came silently with flailing arms signaling.