By David Nagel
Have you heard the one about the superstar player, the emerging talent, and the two geese?
No, it’s not opening line of a joke – or a crack at two umpires – but more a reflection of what took place at the Cowes Recreation Reserve on Saturday.
Nothing could split Phillip Island and Nar Nar Goon at the final siren, on a bizarre day of footy that ended with scores locked at 9.9.63 apiece.
But don’t be fooled…this was not your regulation drawn game of football…if there is such a thing!
Nar Nar Goon had this one in the bag, keeping the Bulldogs goalless in the first half and leading by a game-high 29 points, at three different stages of the third quarter.
They built their lead through the brilliance of emerging talent Trent Burgoyne in the second stanza, who turned a dull-old affair on its ear with two classy snaps at goal.
Long bombs from Jake Smith and Troy McDermott had the Goon leading 4.5 to 0.6 at the main break.
The superstar player – Phillip Island coach Cam Pedersen – was then looking for answers after Goon skipper Trent Armour kicked a beauty on the run to make it 29 points…four minutes into the third.
The Bulldogs were finally on the board, nine minutes into the second half, when the classy left boot of Hayden Bruce pierced the elusive big sticks.
But when Deon Boavida marked in the goal-square, just two minutes later, the Goon appeared to have all the answers.
And it appeared that way again, when Nate Pipicelli and Burgoyne kicked late third-quarter goals to answer the Bulldogs only consecutive majors from Max Blake and Bruce.
Just like they did early in the third, the Goon led by 29 points at three-quarter time and looked home!
Enter Pedersen from left of stage.
He found the answer alright – himself – as he dominated the last-quarter exchanges after moving forward and switching Daniel Bourke to a permanent ruck.
Pedersen ran the risk of being beaten in the middle, but was forced to do so to sure up a forward line that had contributed just three goals for the match.
His last-quarter performance was simply imperious, and added to his legacy as the best player to have pulled on the boots in the first seven years of the WGFNC.
Here’s how it unfolded.
The Goon held firm for eight minutes into the final term, until Pedersen marked at centre-half-forward and handballed to Eli Richards who goaled on the run to have the scores at 33-56.
Pedersen then got onto the end of two bullet passes from the Taylor’s – Jack and Billy – within two minutes of each other, to close things up at 45-56 with 14 minutes ticked over.
He then took a magnificent grab, double-teamed by no mugs in James Cairns and Flynn Parker, and kicked a long bomb from centre-half forward to close the gap to five points with 19 minutes gone.
He then ran into an open goal, at the 21-minute mark, to lock scores away after some brilliant work from Jack Taylor, who was playing a superb captain’s last quarter.
Pedersen had kicked four goals in just nine minutes of football…and played a major hand in the other!
It was brilliant stuff, and the Bulldogs clearly had all the momentum when Bruce kicked a ripper on the run after making three efforts to move the ball forward from centre wing.
The Doggies were in front, 63-57, with 23 minutes elapsed.
But Burgoyne wasn’t finished yet.
For all the great work the Bulldogs did in the last quarter, their inability to close down the most dangerous forward for the Goon – Burgoyne – was inexcusable, at a stoppage, just 15 metres out from goal.
Burgoyne strolled through the stoppage like a hot knife through butter, with his initial opponent caught napping.
He kicked from metres out, tying the scores with virtually nothing left on the clock.
The superstar and the emerging talent ended with four goals each for their teams…while those bloody geese, that call the outer wing at the Cowes Recreation Reserve home, well they’re lucky to fight another day!
