The Yarra Ranges proves its worth

Patrick Bruzzese fought tooth and nail all day for AFL Yarra Ranges. 180980 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

By Hayley Wildes

There was plenty at stake at Holm Park on Saturday, and although the AFL Yarra Ranges were unable to come away with the win, they certainly left a mark on those watching the intense and brutal contest.

The Yarra Ranges struggled early in the first quarter, but once they got used to their surrounds, they were well and truly in the contest.

“Our grounds are a bit smaller, we’re probably used to a bit more contested football, so it took us a while to adjust; to make the ground big and use the ball through the corridor, and I thought once we did that, we looked really good.” Yarra Ranges coach Danny Ryan said.

Trailing by just three points at quarter time, Ryan told his players they had ‘arm-wrestled the game back’ their way.

There was no doubt they’d done just that, but the second quarter saw South East take control of the game through cleaner ball use as Yarra Ranges made simple skill errors, gifting goals to the opposition.

Despite this, the third quarter was full of effort and determination from the Yarra Ranges. They could’ve easily thrown in the towel, but did the exact opposite – they flew the flag and took it right up to South East.

“I was really proud of the guys – it could’ve been an ugly game, but we stuck at it.” Ryan said.

“There was a period [in the third quarter] where we thought we’ve got to make a move now, so we changed a few things up structurally.”

“We changed a few guys through the midfield and all of a sudden that gave us some momentum. We just couldn’t hold that momentum for long enough.”

The final score of 10.13 (73) to 16.13 (109) wasn’t a true reflection of the contest that took place.

“It was an incredible game to watch. From a coaching point of view, you’re normally pretty stressed and caught up in the game, but it was just a fantastic game to watch.” Ryan said.

The likes of Olinda Ferny Creek’s James Charge (three goals) up forward and Marcus Hottes in the middle, along with Woori Yallock’s Robbie Allen, battled valiantly all day.

But there was no doubt that the star of the day for Yarra Ranges was Wandin’s Patrick Bruzzese.

The 18-year-old, in his first senior interleague game, was simply sublime – his clean hands and willingness to take the game were on show from the outset.

“Pat is a star and he’s still in the under-18s.” Ryan said.

“I’ve been helping him out at the Eastern Ranges the last couple of years, but he’s not there at the moment, so hopefully a game like today can help him knock on the door and get another go at TAC Cup level.”

“An 18-year-old, in his first senior interleague game, he just did some amazing things for us. I’m really proud of Pat and looking forward to seeing what he can do in the future.”

With the impending merger between the two leagues, there are question marks aplenty, but one thing is for sure; those in the AFL Yarra Ranges won’t take a backwards step and can more than hold their own against the best of the South East.