Round 4 - Rebels Vs. Blues Match Report

Round 4 of OAFL action saw the Rebels taking on a combined Blue/Roos (or the Boos) team with a whole host of experienced players. The Rebels also had a couple of Eagles and a Wildcat join forces with us, but it was again the Rebels Rookies of which their 6 playing in this game with less than 3 games experience.

Given the numbers of both squads the teams agreed to play 18 a side which is a massive win given the times we are in. The game really showed how important full teams are to a competitive contest as this was one of the best games since the 2019 OAFL Grand Final.

From the first bounce the Rebels were hard at it, this was asked for in the pre-game by the coaches but the boys took it fully onboard. The mids, Wade, Leon, Udai and Andre were bullocking over their more experienced opponents and driving the ball forward on many occasions. The defence was holding up strong and being led by Behie and first gamer Leo the Iceman. Despite having more of the ball, an inability to covert opportunities saw the Rebels trail by 9 points at the first break.
Q1: Score: Rebels 0.4.4 Blues/Roos 2.1.13

The Rebels switched the magnets around a little to start the second quarter and it paid immediate dividends. The mids were still well on top but the scoreboard also ticked over as the boys piled on 3 goals to 1 in a well-executed quarter. Second gamer Lucas (Jedi) was creating some fantastic contests and turn overs which allowed Udai, Kid and Behie to kick truly and give the Rebels a slim halftime lead.
Q2: Score: Rebels 3.6.24 Blues/Roos 3.2.20

The third quarter was a bit more of an arm wrestle with both teams looking to take advantage. So much so that tempers got flared after some tough tackles from both sides. But it was again the Rebels rookies showing the way, this time with Andre and Satty winning some important contests and Leo again showing he isn’t out of place on the footy field in his first ever game. The Rebels had conversion issues again but did manage a goal to Fabs that helped increase the lead to 7 points at the final change.
Q3: Score: Rebels 4.9.33 Blues/Roos 4.2.26

The Rebels having lost a couple of close games already this season were looking to end this streak. But the Boos were determined to get a win themselves. Andre, Udai and Squidy were crashing packs and all over the field, but it was a retaliation 50 metre penalty to our opponents that closed the gap to within a couple of points. Enter Neon Leon with some fancy side steps and a nice snap and the Rebels were ahead again. The Rebels mindset was typified by 2nd gamer Jacko in the last quarter as he came on and won two hard balls and kept the momentum going our way. The game finished with Azza from the Eagles kicking one after the siren, giving the Rebels a very well earned 9 point victory.
Final Score: Rebels 6.12.48 Blues/Roos 5.3.39

Thank you to Azza, Sean and Tex for suiting up with the Rebels. It was a fantastic game of footy with so many positives for both clubs and the league.

Goals: 1 each to Kid, Udai, Behie, Fabs, Azza and Leon.
Best Players: Iceman in his 1st game and Jedi in his 2nd.

Special mentions to Udai, Leon, Wade and Behie.