ANZAC Day’s senior clash between the Narooma Lions and the Bermagui Breakers could have been mistaken for a scripted tribute to our Diggers past. From the opening bounce it was clear that there was an elevated sense of joint purpose and mateship within both teams as the first quarter erupted into a tackle-fest.
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Prior to the match a fitting tribute to the Anzacs had been made by both teams as they lined up with the umpires and officials for a minute’s silence. The healthy crowd joined the players in the one hundred year tribute as a moving silence blanketed Bill Smyth Oval.
The addition of French lacrosse player, Remi Bovuer into the Lions outfit served as Ally support for the tired Lions, who had been soundly beaten in the Pambula encounter last week. It was clear from Bermagui’s intent, however that it was going to be a long four quarter battle.
As the first quarter progressed, the game’s intensity elevated as not only the home teams players, but crowd as well launched on the Bermagui side who were bolstered with the inclusion of former Lion and Narooma resident, Joel Lansky.
In true Anzac spirit the Breakers hit back and started to win the battle on the scoreboard, making every opportunity count and taking a 25 point lead into quarter time.
The remainder of the game was a tough contest and the tenacity of Narooma at the ball was countered swiftly by precise kicking by the visitors as their loose players in defence rebounded quickly to gift their forwards scoring opportunities. The Breakers were polished and the Lions, simply underdone which will become the story of the 2015 season for them if they continue to see poor attendance at training.
Bermagui won the match 15-14-104 to Narooma 10-10-70.
In almost every battle there are stories of good fortune and heroism from both sides and the three-goals-a-piece efforts by Ash Cruickshank and Jonathon Taylor, along with a goal each to long-lost son, Josh Stokes and youngster, Jackson Taylor were happy notes in the Lions war tune of disappointment.
Jonathon Taylor, who kicked his first goal playing Australian Rules during the game, provided his team mates a humble lesson in perseverance, adding a further two majors from diligent contests at the football.
A massive boost for the remainder of the season for the Lions is the arrival of Ash Cruickshank at the club. His ability to make space and finish in the forward line is a rare talent and will provide focus for the midfield in their delivery.
The story of Tommy Clarke’s match was the greatest of all and was one of the best football performances seen at the club in recent times. He tackled, leapt and dashed like a man possessed and was clearly the best on ground.
The Lions Seniors take on the winless, Bega Bombers away this weekend with the talent to secure their first victory of the season. An important factor in whether it is a successful weekend for Narooma is their training attendance on Tuesday and Thursday evening and accordingly Coach, Rowan Hawkey has issued a call for better input by his players.
For the juniors, the Lions U13s and U16s both had byes on the weekend however the U11s started their season with a win against Bermagui on Thursday evening. The final score was Narooma 11-6-72 defeating Bermagui 5-0-30. The Lions juniors continue to be an inspiration for the club as a whole.
Game times for this weekend’s matches (all at the Bega Showground on Saturday) are U11s at 9.30am, U13s at 11am, U16s at 12.30pm and Seniors at 2.15pm.
By David Moran