By RUSSELL BENNETT
NAR Nar Goon coach Tom Hallinan didn’t want to call it a line in the sand game for his side, but it was.
They may have only been 15 points down on the scoreboard, but in reality they’d played 10 minutes of good footy in an entire half against premiership aspirants Kooweerup in front of a big ground on the front oval at Toomuc Reserve. They were staring down the barrel of a meek loss, and Hallinan wasn’t going to stand for it any more. His half-time address spared no one, but it was with a purpose – the Goon’s leaders needed to stand up; Brent Hughes, Chris Adams, Mat Slattery and Sam Van Der Zalm just to name a few.
“Herb – start smiling mate. Skipper – put your head up and be aggressive. Change the course of what’s going on! Blame, blame, blame boys – all of you. Take it on yourself and take some responsibility!” Hallinan pleaded.
“It’s not about a lack of skill or ability boys – it’s just between the ears. We need to mature and we’ve got a magic moment here boys that could be a real turning point for us.
“The Garfield game was nothing compared to where the next 60 minutes of footy can take us – not just as a footy team but as a club!
“You can choose to be walked all over, or you can choose to make a change.”
Something clicked, and in the second half Josh Grant, Brendan Hermann, Luke Failla, Ash Adams and Matt Stevens, in addition to the likes of Van Der Zalm, Hughes, Chris Adams and Slattery made the decision – enough’s enough.
From a 15-point half-time deficit, to a 15-point win – 10.8 (68) to 6.17 (53) – the Goon had taken their magic moment and run with it.
And Kooweerup, like Garfield the week before, has been put on notice. The Goon’s watershed day could just be the trigger for something special.
Check out this week’s Gazette Footy liftout for a full recap of the game, including shots from inside the winning rooms, and more from coach Tom Hallinan after his spine-tingling half-time rev up.
