Round 5 Match Report

Four wins in a row had the Toronto Rebels entering their Round 5 clash with the Central Blues full of confidence, but the Blues themselves had got off to a solid start to the season and would've been coming into the contest with confidence of their own.

The game started off hot, and the Rebels took an early ascendency across the ground, with Andrew Brown feeding the ball to his midfield with some wonderful ruck work, which in turn allowed the Rebels to jump out of the blocks with a six goal to none first quarter. Josh McMillian making the most of his teams dominance across the ground, kicking four for the quarter.

The game continued to go the Rebels way in the second quarter as they continued to win the midfield battle and the defence ensured any Blues attacks were repelled before the ball entered the Defensive 50. Bryan Campbell was mopping up across the half back line while up forward new recruit Matt Murdoch constantly threatened around the goals. The Blues however managed periods of clean skilled football, and kicked a couple of quick goals to give themselves a boost going into halftime.

The Rebels came out slow from the break, and it looked as though the second half was going to be a much closer affair as the Blues added another two goals to their tally as they edged themselves into the contest. The comeback however was short lived. A few clear centre breaks and back to back goals from experienced forward Michael Fabbri allowed the Rebels to regain the momentum and run out the quater comfortably ahead.

The final quarter saw a continuation of the status quo set in the previous three quarters as the Rebels held the Blues to two points while managing to boot 5 of their own. The highlight of the final quarter was when first-year Canadian Steve Simone kicking his first goal of his career and was consequently engulfed by his jubilant teammates, which capped off a thoroughly impressive victory for the Rebels, who will face a tough test in their next game against Hamilton.