MUGC News Edi on Eight ‐ June 26 2014
In this edi on...
Lions Game Review Word from the Coach
Words by Alex Gossage
Most Valuable Players
Photography by MUGC
Around the League
Design by Liv Rog
Round Nine Preview
MUGC Lions v Pakenham Silverbacks With all of Division 1 on a bye it was me for the Division 2 sides to take centre stage. MUGC hosted the double header, headlined by the third and final mee ng of the Lions and the Pakenham Silverbacks. With one draw and one win to the Silverbacks the Lions would need a win to draw the series. The Lions received the opening kick‐off hoping to get a score on the board early. The opening drive was posi ve with big gains made through the air via receiver Marshawn Lacy and on the ground through running back Tokoa Samuel. The Silverbacks defence would hold, an ankle tap denying a certain touchdown. Star ng within their own 5 yard line the Silverbacks were held to no gain by a fired up Lions defence. A three and out followed but great coverage on the punt put the Silverbacks deep in their own half once more. The Lions D‐line was domina ng, crushing anything the Silverbacks tried in the middle which allowed the linebackers to mop up anything on the outside. The Lions gi ed the ball back with a fumble to give the Silverbacks another chance in good field posi on. A short pass to the runningback should have gained them next to nothing but poor tackling allowed him to cut across field, a last gasp tackle by LB Taimie Danskin brought him down inches shy of the line. A short run up the middle would get them the first score of the game. Silverbacks lead early 6‐0. The next drive was one to forget, a false start penalty followed by an intercep on from the Lions offence which has struggled for consistency all year. The Silverbacks were struggling to get anything going on the ground against the beefed up Lions defensive line but were having success through the air, another long pass se ng them up 5 yards out. Another easy run up the middle gave them their second score of the day. PAT was successful, 13‐0 to the Silverbacks. The Silverbacks seemed intent on onside kicking, and it nearly worked this me except the ball was out of bounds when it was recovered. They’d get the ball the next play a er QB Elvin Le threw his second pick of the game. A huge run on third down, a er an inexplicable escape from being tackled by what looked like everyone, would give the Silverbacks their third score and a commanding lead of 19‐0. The second half started terribly for the Lions, with a fumble on the first play. Fortunately the Lions D were giving up li le yardage all day and forced the punt. In what is becoming a theme for both MUGC clubs, poor discipline on offence halted any progress, with false starts pushing them backwards.
A er forcing the Silverbacks to punt on their following possession, déjà vu hit the Lions with another fumble being recovered by the Silverbacks D. Luckily for the Lions their defence was proving just as s ngy, forcing a turnover on downs. The Lions produced their best drive of the game from deep in their own half. A monster run by Elvin Le on a QB scramble saw him tackled over half way. Solid contribu ons from Tokoa Samuel and Welbie Chan kept the momentum before Clay Bosanko trucked his way through for a 10+ yard run. Looking for that killer blow QB Elvin Le found Dylan Letoga in acres of space who ran in the Lions first score of the day. Scores now at 19‐6 to the Silverbacks. The Lions D kept up their great performance. Their dominance in the trenches forced the Silverbacks to the air. A long bomb was happily picked off by LB/Safety Henry Wright. Despite a long run from Dylan Letoga pu ng them in good posi on, the Lions couldn’t capitalise. Another three and out from the Silverbacks had them pun ng into the arms of Tokoa Samuel who returned it deep into the Silverbacks half. The Silverback would add another to make it 25‐6 before a period of stalemate. Neither offence could get things moving with successive three and outs from both sides un l a huge run to the outside put the Silverbacks within 15 yards of the end zone. They would score three plays later a er the defensive back would p the pass into the arms of the Silverbacks receiver on the last play of the game. Final score 31‐6.
Words from the coach
“It was a good game. We made some good chances on offence that we need to take, and defence made some great plays. The guys have improved massively from day one.”
Most Valuable Players Lions: Elvin Le: Elvin played hard all game to get the offence rolling. He’s shown strong con nued development throughout the season. Bradley John: Brad had a great game coming in at DE, with constant pressure on the quarterback causing a lot of mistakes on their part.
Farewell MUGC would like to say a huge thank you to Tom Costello for being part of the club. Tom found himself at the University of Melbourne on exchange, and became involved with MUGC during o‐week. A mainstay in the Lions defence, Tom has improved a lot since his first training session. It is a big loss to the Lions as Tom heads back state‐side.
Around the league Division Two: Gippsland Gladiators 34‐20 Ballarat Falcons: The only other game for week 8 was a top of the table clash in Division Two. Both teams have been excelling in the smaller division. Gladiators extra size and experience made all the difference as they came out on top of this clash, all but securing the top spot in the table.
Round Nine Preview MUGC Royals vs Western Crusaders: This somewhat local derby has a bit of history behind it. In their 2012 campaign the Royals came within 1 yard of bea ng the Crusaders. In 2013 Tyson Garnham had a stand out game for the Cru leading them to a big win over the Royals. Both teams are very different this year, with a new coach for the Royals while the Crusaders have Tyson’s boots to fill now that he’s playing in Germany. That said the Crusaders have quietly climbed the ladder a er a shaky start and could be a wildcard for the post season. It’s been a tough season for MUGC as they progress into a two team club while figh ng an unprecedented amount of injuries and absentees. That said the guys will give it everything to get a result. Kick off: 1:30pm Sunday @ Henry Turner Reserve, Maribyrnong Blvd, Footscray Berwick Miners vs Geelong Buccaneers: The Buccaneers will be strong favourites coming into this clash, si ng top of the ladder undefeated with a monster points difference in their favour. This Miners side has been inconsistent under new head coach Mark Petana however they have shown glimpses that if they can s ck together over the coming seasons that they have the poten al to bring success back to Berwick. Don’t expect them to lie down in this one. Kick off: 1pm Saturday @ Sydney Pargeter Reserve, Power Road, Endeavour Hills Monash Warriors vs South Eastern Predators: This game doesn’t need much of an introduc on. Given the level of talk between the Predators and the Barbarians, this game against the Warriors should be a fiery affair. Both sides will want to get one over the other in the early stages of what is sure to become GV’s biggest rivalry since the Warriors and Buccaneers. Big hits a plenty but can the Predators put up a big score? Kick off: 10:30am Saturday @ Ranger Field, Springfield Avenue, Croydon Croydon Rangers vs Monash Barbarians: The Barbarians have done themselves no damage since moving into Division 1. Despite blow outs to the Buccaneers and Warriors they’ve been one of the most compe ve of the sides to move up. I expect them to con nue this run against a Croydon side that has turned into a quality side. The new imported QB has really found his feet and created some chemistry to get the offence moving efficiently and their defence is as s ngy as ever. It’ll be tough for the Barbs to get anything in this game. Kick off: 1:30pm Saturday @ Ranger Field, Springfield Avenue, Croydon Northern Raiders vs Bendigo Dragons: The Dragons are the golden boys (no pun intended) of the league, showering themselves in glory since moving up. And with good reason, they’ve been compe ve in every game and have surprised some people. This old Division 2 clash should be a good opportunity for both sides to track their progress from last year. The Raiders have found the move up to be tougher than they may have expected but they’ll be fired up for this one. Kick off: 10:30am Sunday @ Henry Turner Reserve, Maribyrnong Blvd, Footscray
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