IT WAS another fine day for football, brisk but not entirely unpleasant, after the morning rain cleared.
Grassy had a couple of fresh faces, as Jackson Taylor returned from injury and Leigh Sartori returned to the Island after a trip overseas, bringing his mate George Athersmith along for his first game of Aussie rules.
Another last-minute recruitwas Jason Pierce.
They also had Cruz Osborne and Ryan Payne home on schoolholidays to bolster their ranks.
Currie had a couple of big outs, with Jak Youd and Charlie Raff replaced by juniors Toby Hyde, Aaron Smith and Levi Martin.
Grassy got the first look forward before Michael Laskey ejected it.
Joel ‘Mole’ Williams sold some candy togo up the corridor for Currie but could notmake it past the centre before Grassy took it back forward and kicked the first goal.
Tristan Forrest was a steam train out ofthe centre and Grassy quickly got a second and a third. Ryan Payne made a huge run down on Smith for a turnover and Grassywas piling them on in the first with the first four goals of the match.
The first quarter was quick, clean and energetic to open an exciting match. Smith got Currie’s first on a receive from Tom Graham.
Blonde bombshell George Athersmith got his first-ever goal just before the quarter break to put Grassy in front by 8 points at quarter time.
Grassy started the second quarter hard, immediately opening with a couple of goals.
Full forward Cruz Osborne marked and had a shot, but couldn’t convert.
Mole Williams then pushed on and made the Robins’ third goal for the match.
Grassy responded with a goal through Leigh Sartori. Grassy had a lot of the ballin the first half, quick-moving possessions, playing in front, slicker than they’d been sofar this year, while at the other end, Dillon Beecroft took a beautiful defensive markjust before the big break.
Currie, beginning the second half trailingby 30 points, went forward first and TomGraham hit the posts.Smith followed up with another behind.
Currie scored another through Graham with a chest mark and a big kick. Graham was on the lift and immediately took another mark at centre-half forward but couldn’t convert. Brady Rhodes, Sartori,and Taylor put ona masterclass at the start of the third.
Brandon Blomfield cleared it from the centre out to the canteen wing.
Taylor, onhis return, was agile, clean and involved in everything.
Sartori, also on his return game, gave Grassy a tall man to hit in the forwardline and they were making full use of him.
He passed it off to Cruz Osborne, whogoaled, whittling down Grassy’s lead to 23 points.
All the play went Grassy’s way for a few minutes at the start of the final quarter, but they were unable to convert to the scoreboard.
Currie regained possession and sentit forward to Graham, who goaled.
Currie received a free at the centre bounce and took it forward where he was met with Payne in defence who sent it back Grassy’s way.
Cox finessed it into Smith and into Graham for a behind.
Currie’s fine wines, Beecroft and Clemons, linked up in the backline as play continued in the Currie forward line and they started coming harder.
In their urgency, Currie lost some composure and gave away a couple of frees but made the most of their chances when Josh Bellchambers goaled.
He looked sore at the final break but did not show it in the forward line in thisfinal quarter. Currie brought the margin to within two kicks, and they surged forwardbut were up now against the clock.
As the margin thinned, the final quarter became heavily contested, with a lot of balls in contention, and Grassy began to slow it down Currie kicked a goal and brought the score line to a single kick in the final minutes of the game, but the siren beat them and Grassy held on for a 4-point win.
It was Currie’s first loss of the season.