News — metro

Chicago, IL- This Friday night sees the welcome return to Chicago of top flight Australian Football as the might of the Lincoln Square Tigers takes on the upstart Rhinos of Wrigleyville in what should be a cracker of a game that has been 6 months in the making following the devastation of the 09 Nationals.

Ably lead by the great Francis Bradley, the Tigers have been the dominant recruiting team in the offseason with no less than 8 new players ready to make their mark in the Australian Football sporting world (and rumors abound of former Shark legend Jeffrey Dreher making a comeback!!). With names that read like a whose who of Chicago football, the Tigers have shot out to early flag favoritism and a quick glance at the Vegas odd makers show them 5/4 on to repeat with the Rhinos coming in second at the handsome odds of 4-1. The Piranhas with a lacklustre recruiting class are a mere 231- 1 to take it all (but like a pub with free beer, the Irish are flooding into the Lincoln Park team (now to be known as the O’Piranha’s or Paddy-ranhas) so look for a huge improvement from them.

The Tigers boast an awesome defence and midfield. Bradley, Fitzgerald, Grisoni, Hoyt and Trimberger are set to take aim at the Rhino forwards (DeJong is a huge loss however) while their midfield is nothing short of sensational with names like the brothers Doorhy, EP, Uhlmann, Tommy Gunn, Brennan and journeyman Leibowitz all looking to rack up big numbers in the possessions department. The forward line, long a burden to the Tiger faithful, has come along nicely this off-season. Look for Meyer and Bradshaw to have big games while much can also be expected of Ortiz, Junius (if sober) and of course club legend Warrick Burgmann (if he plays… absolutely nothing is ever guaranteed with the big man). The Tige’s, unlike their professional counterparts in Australia, feature a bevvy of quality new recruits and the coaching staff will have a field day trying to figure out best positions for all these boys. Harris, Jason, McHale, Harper, Allen, Wideman and Burds all look set to make their debuts this Friday night.

On the other side of the ball, ‘THE’ Outback Kid will lead his band of merry men into the game missing Blundell, Allen, Ambrosino and McClamroch. Big names such as Forte, Deehan and Wolfe must shine brighter than a Hoyt knob for the Rhino to scuttle these Tigers. The Rhino always gets great input from their lesser known players though so look for big games from the likes of Jackie Thompson, Jeff Borchardt, John Scher, Kansas Hattery, the 3 Tylers and little Eli Rosen who will probably get the big task of running with the flying Peanut in Billy Uhlmann. The defence is iffy without Clarke and their forwards will need to be on song to play against the infamous Tiger defense but an upset is not out of the question.

Fitness will be a huge determining factor in this game. All players are coming in underdone with the Chicago weather always being a factor. Lincoln Square will have the height and pace, the Rhinos will have the forward power and a huge chip on their shoulder. All in all though, a great game is expected on the shores of Lake Michigan this Friday night.

Details as follows;

WHO: Lincoln Square Tigers v Wrigleyville Rhinos
WHERE: Waveland Fields; CNR LSD and Waveland
WHEN: Friday the 9th of April
TIME: 6pm (sharp)

SMART MONEY: Tigers by 3 goals, 23 if Burgmann plays.

AFTER: Brownstone Tavern. This is an important function as we need as many people to attend to show our new sponsor that we are fair dinkum. We will take turns controlling Rocky after 10pm. NO BEEP TESTS TO BE RUN THIS EARLY IN THE SEASON BJ!

ALL PIRANHAS AND NEW PLAYERS: Each team must field at least 12 guys. We will endeavor to play 16 a side. If a team is short, Piranhas will fill in. Those picked will be 1st or 2nd year players only. Therefore, all Piranhas should turn up to the game with the following… Footy gear (no baseball cleats!!!), umpiring gear (experienced Piranhas… boundary and goal required.. Haysie will email you lot with more info), and beer (Worniak, don’t drink it all again).

NEW THIS YEAR: Burgmann award will run on the website and will combine metro and maafl. The metro Best and Fairest will be voted on by the umpires and votes will be sealed to be read out at our presentation night.

MacGlashan Medal is both MAAFL and Metro but you don’t get credit for goals kicked playing for an opposition team.

FINALLY: Get on facebook and check out the chicago footy site for all updated info on training, games, play ‘where’s Wazza’ and to upload any photos etc. Also, ensure you are logging into www.chicagofooty. com and paying your dues which need to be paid asap. Oscar has done a beaut job on the website and it needs to be seen to be believed. Check out the forum link to find out what the OBK is up to (or down to… lost another 3 lbs and now is 236lbs! Or was that 326? Dunno but we’ll see friday night!)

Chicago, IL- The barnstorming Tigers of Lincoln Square have won the 2009 Metro Grand Final after completely demoralizing an undermanned and completely shellshocked Rhino outfit that still can barely sit down due to the pain emanating from its hind quarters.

From the outset it was going to be a big ask of the Rhinos with Scher, Ambrosino, Kia Forte, Aussie Mike, Kansas Hattery, Bashford, Crash Borchardt and the OBK missing from the line up and a full strength Tiger outfit that was snarling from the outset.

With Big Al and Hendrie taking umpiring duties in front of a handy crowd on a lovely Chicago day, the ball was bounced and play got under way. The next 80 minutes were as scary for the Rhinos as any poacher hiding in a bush with a high powered rifle. The middle was where the Rhinos were going to have a chance with new ruckman Nick Redmond feeding Drake, Deehan and Herrmann. The plan was to take out Dhoory and Brennan and apply as much pressure to the tiger backs as possible. The plan failed.

The Tigers controlled the midfield, especially at the stoppages and were running rampant. The rhino backs were under the pump immediately and despite their best efforts, Fish Dhoory was a huge spark for the Tigers and kicked two big ones to open proceedings. These were followed up with a lovely goal from the flying peanut in William Uhlmann who was back to some of his best form, a great sight for United selectors. Joey Trimberger continues to get better and better and his size across half forward was yet another thorn in the Rhino side and after he hauled in a grab from an errant Brian Hoyt kick, he went back and kicked the Tigers fourth. With runners everywhere and a backline that was dominating the few Rhinos that were down there, it appeared a long day ahead was ahead for the Wrigley lads… it soon got longer. Just before the qtr time siren, Aussie ring in Tobias went down when the old hammy went “cablammy” rendering him as useful as the proverbial tits on a bull. To rub some salt in the wounds, Oscar Meyer got a late one to almost kill the game in the first 20 minutes.

At quarter time, The Tigers had shot out to lead 5. 3: 33 to 0. 0: 0 and Wrigleyville went looking for an answer, any answer.
The second stanza delivered more of the same as the Tigers had winners all over the ground and it became harder and harder to find Rhinos that could win the ball. With a backline that was tiring, the Rhinos tried everything but to no avail. Oscar Meyer in particular smelled blood and began to feast on a lovely Rhino dinner that was being cooked medium well by Brennan, the Dhoory’s, Uhlmann, Fitz and everyone else in yellow and black. Frenchie was on fire and Hoyt was getting a tonne of it and they all helped Meyer kick 3 for the term. Tommy Gunn kicked another and even Hoyt got in on the action and kicked truly to pour on the misery for the Rhinos and effectively kill the game. The Rhinos had no answers and could not muster a point for the quarter and at the half, the Tigers led by 69 (giggity) points, 10.9: 69 to 0.0: 0.

Pride was the only thing on the line now as the Rhinos took the field. A dressing down at the half had the desired effect and a much more committed Rhino team actually managed to take a bit of control and almost win the quarter. Herrmann, who was easily the Rhinos best was getting a lot of the ball and along with Clarke and Deehan they managed to slow the easy ball gets by the Tigers. Drake went to the forward line and Wolfe into the ruck and as the rhino staged a counter attack. Tobias, despite being on one leg was able to snap truly twice and start the rhino scoring. For the Tigers, who were resting their main charges by now, Brennan managed to kick his first to match his BOG effort and the Warrick Capper look-a-like got his 5th. At the orange break, the Tigers led 12. 12: 84 to 2.0: 12

The final quarter was another close affair as the Tigers continued to win plenty of the ball and their backs, namely Poncho Bradley went looking for goals. Highlight of the game may possibly be Ponchos sensational kicks on goal, one of which somehow ended further away than it started, winning him the coveted Golden Goose. Fitz was also pushing forward and bagged himself a goal and Fish Dhoory netted another two before the Rhinos got their third through a dashing Sammy Blundell. When Clarke found Drake on the death nell, his kick sailed through the big sticks to notch up his first (goal and possession). With the siren ending a disappointing day for the Rhinos, the Tigers went into celebration mode with cars being flipped and naked worms everywhere.

To the victor the spoils and it was a dominant Tiger team that after a slow start to the season got their shit together and steam rolled the competition. Their mid field is electric and their backs dominant. The only question mark hanging over their heads was the form of their forwards but that has been put to bed with a final score of 14. 14: 104 to 4.0: 24. The Rhinos can take away a solid second half which showed a bit of guts on their part but at the end of the day, the Rhinos were lucky this wasn’t a bigger margin. Their grand final may have been played in their big win over the Piranhas.

After the game, a very happy Mustard De Jong paid homage to his charges stating “beauty mate, farken great stuff. Everyone put in, from the flamboyant frog to the flappin’ fish and the crabs and worms in the middle, everyone was on fire and it was a great finale to a great year of metro footy”.

A devastated Paul Drake refused comment preferring to have Morgan attend the post match press conference. All Morgan had to say was “what the hell just happened?”

All players are asked to continue their recruiting efforts over the off season and come back bigger, better and stronger for season 2010. The United squads results have proven beyond doubt the effectiveness of a strong metro competition. Our aim is to one day have 5 metro teams up and running but for now, three independantly strong teams is a bloody good effort and a tribute to the hard work being done by all. The CAFA (and especially Wrigleyville) is sad to say goodbye to two of the most promising American recruits in their team in the form of Timmy Herrmann who is off to Dallas and Glenn Clarke who prefers the sands of Iraq and Afghanistan to the golden shores of Lake Michigan. We all wish him the best as he dons the famous Marines uniform.

GREEN JACKET
Crackers Brennan

GOLDEN GOOSE
Frank Bradley

Burgmann Towers, IL- In a winner takes all contest this saturday on the lakefront, the upstart Rhinos take on the sheer power that is the LS Tigers in a battle that some pundits have already dubbed “the game of the century”. With undertones of hatred between the two teams this is a battle of mate versus mate, coach versus assistant coach, president versus treasurer and good (Rhinos) versus evil (tigers). Everyone should get down to Waveland for this game which should be an absolute cracker.

The Tigers go into this outright favorites after a sensational second half of the year. Vegas bookmakers have seen feverish betting since Burgmann returned on saturday and they are now at 5/4 in the red. Punters like DeJong’s move of resting himself over the weekend and are showing no concern with regards to Ponchos shoulder or the Burgmann finger. Tommy Gunn is another injury concern for the Tiger hierachy. His run and pop is an integral part of this outfit and it will be him, along with Brennan and the flying peanut (if he can be found) that will look to stem the influence of first year Rhino onballers Deehan, Blundell and the very impressive Herrmann. The Tige’s will be expecting huge games from stalwarts Poncho, who will get the job on Drake, DeJong, Meyer and Braddis and these guys will be backed up with a whose who of United football including the brothers Dhoory, Fitzgerald, an out of form Hoyt, Trimberger and the effervesant Frenchy. Infact, a quick look through the Tiger list and I think I may do a Pete Rose and throw a few dollars on the Tigers myself. They have a huge height advantage and runners that are quick of foot to boot. Their one weakness has been kicking goals but Burgmann can kick 10 in the blink of an eye and Oscar Meyer will be especially please with the return of the big man as he looks to crumb off both him and Braddis.

The Rhinos are a gutsy team, there’s no two ways about it. They are by no means star studded like the Tigers, nor as flamboyant as the Piranhas but their last up win against L.P was nothing short of amazing and they will look to recapture that form again to pull out an unlikely victory on the biggest stage of all. Already behind the 8 ball with the loss of 2 big name players, betting on the Rhino has drifted from 4/1 out to 8/1, an effect of the Burgmann inclusion which bookmakers have dubbed “the Katandra tsunami” for its effect on both odds and world markets. The ace up the Rhino sleeve could be the perennially drunk Rocky Deehan who leads a merry band of midfielders that have shown some amzing improvement this season. Herrmann has champion written all over him, Wolfe is starting to run into some pre nationals form and Blundell, when sober, has the skill to take it up to both Brennan and Dhoory. Look also for Borchardt to have a good game. Ambrosino has been in rare form lately and is the forward the Rhinos will look to to bag a few 6 pointers for them. The Rhino backs look strong too. Led by Disco Panek and featuring the rock of Rodgers in Johnny Scher and the human muscle in Glenn Clarke (he better be there!), all three have been terrific for the Rhino this season. Kicking goals will be an issue though. Big Nate has to fire to take pressure off Drake and Ambrosino and McClamroch need to have big ones indeed.

Who will win? The Rhinos have the pace, the Tigers will dominate in the air and have lots and lots of talent at their disposal as well as a plethora of experience including a massive Australian contingent along with a Revo contingent that can’t be ignored. The Rhinos will need something extra, extra, extra special to stop the Tiger from roaring this saturday and running away with its first Metro title.

GAME DETAILS
WHO: Wrigleyville Rhinos v Lincoln Square Tigers
WHEN: Saturday, August 19th at 4.30pm
WHERE: Waveland
WHAT: Fourth installment of the Metro Grand Final. If you are wondering, previous winners are.. 08- Piranhas, 07- Piranhas, 06- Rhinos

Players to watch:
TIGERS: Burgmann, Dejong, Meyer, the Big Lebowski, Braddis, Uhlmann, Dhoory
RHINOS: Ambrosino, Herrmann, Wolfe, Scher, Panek, Blundell, OBK

Big Match ups:
Drake v Poncho/ De Jong, Wolfe v Trimberger, Herrmann v Dhoory, Blundell v Brennan, Deehan v Lebowski

After match function:
Come to the Globe Pub to toast the Metro premiers and the culmination of a successful Metro season in which the Piranhas didn’t make the final.

Umpires:
Anthony Hendrie has the honor of the first bounce and he will be supported with a full compliment of Piranhas running the boundary (Hayse and MacGlashan have volunteered for that) and Roofy and Deri have volunteered for goal umpiring duty.

LAST WORD:
Roofy seems to be a runaway winner in both the MacGlashan and Burgmann awards this year but Oscar is still nipping at his heels for the MacGlashan side of things but he looks to see a lot of John Scher so can the Warrick Capper lookalike kick a bag?

Burgmann Fields, IL- A match for the ages was carried out on Friday night as the Wrigleyville Rhinos and the Lincoln Park Piranhas battled it out to see who would earn the right to meet the Lincoln Square Tigers in the CAFA Grand Final. On a Waveland Field which was as dry and hard as an African savannah, the Rhinos looked completely at home while the Piranhas flailed about like fish out of water. Many observers believed that a Drake, Wolfe and Scherless Rhino outfit would be no match for the might of Lincoln Park – but somebody forgot to tell Wrigleyville that!

Both teams arrived at the field with 13 players. Wrigleyville were without United players Drake and Wolfe while Lincoln Park were missing Gambaro and Kastilahn. Both teams were boosted with the inclusions of Tiger’s stars Brennan (Wrigleyville) and Uhlmann (Piranhas). It was predicted that the Rhinos would need to win by approximately 7 goals to displace the Piranhas from the Grand Final.

While both teams made plenty of noise as they took their positions on the field it was obvious from the initial whistle that there was one team that had really come to play. Wrigleyville dominated possession for the first five minutes as Lincoln Park looked flat and were continuously second to the ball. Forte looked dangerous from the outset as he attacked the ball from Center Half Forward. During this time poor kicking left the Rhinos without reward as they scored numerous behinds without a major. Then with their first foray forward, the Piranhas were able to score an easy goal, a goal which should have broken the spirits of the Wrigleyville players. In what was to become the trend throughout the game though, Wrigleyville kept coming at the Piranhas and scored the remaining 3 goals of the quarter. The first quarter ended with a strong final few minutes for Lincoln Park but like the Rhinos earlier, the goals were hard to find. Didak provided a run for the highlight reel bouncing the ball through the middle of the field only to hammer the ball into the goal post from 40 yards out.

Observations from this period of play were that Wrigleyville were dominating the center of the field despite Stacey controlling the ruck contests. Ward was proving to be in fine form up forward for Lincoln Park but was being starved of opportunities.

Quarter time scores. Wr 3.5-23 LP 1.4-10

Suddenly the game was heated up with an upset on the cards. The Piranhas returned to the field for the second quarter with a new fire in their eyes. Despite this it was once again Wrigleyville who jumped out of the blocks. After last week’s magical disappearing goal from ‘Jezza’ Morgan, he was able to score again this week with his best Ralph Macchio Karate Kid kick from the goal square as he was surrounded by three Piranha defenders. The onslaught continued as Tim, Toby, Rocky and Crackers ran riot through the center of the ground and linked up with ease with Forte up forward.

With the prospect of a Grand Final berth slipping away for Lincoln Park they threw their trump card, Ward, into the middle and McGlashan up forward to try and wrestle some control back. The move worked with Ward getting plenty of the ball and McGlashan kicking two goals for the quarter. Still it was not enough for the Piranhas to win the quarter and they went into the long break 18 points in arrears. If this pattern continued it would be Wrigleyville moving on to the season’s biggest game.

Half time scores. Wr 6.6-42 LP 3.6-24

The third quarter was a free flowing ordeal with both teams moving the ball relatively easily through the middle of the field. Didak was proving he was not just a clever forward by moving back onto Forte and providing a great contest for the crowd. Hayes found his legs and provided great movement through to his forwards while the Wrigleyville onballers continued their high work rate. The Piranhas though were relying too much on fast breaks out of defense while the ball was still spending the majority of time in the Rhino half of the ground. The quarter finished without either team able to grab the upper hand and leaving the match set up for a cracker of a last quarter.

Three quarter time scores. Wr 9.7-61 LP 6.7-43

Both captains tried to provide their team with inspirational speeches and both teams were confident that they could win the final quarter. The last 15 minutes were completely one sided though as the Wrigleyville Rhinos did not allow the ball out of their half and if not for some very poor kicking could have put the Grand Final berth beyond doubt. Forte, while dominating his position, had a wasteful game in front of goal kicking 6 behinds for the match. The Piranhas were left scoreless for the quarter while Wrigleyville kicked two goals, six behinds. Once again it was the Wrigleyville midfield who led their team while Ward was left exhausted for his efforts for the Piranhas.

Final scores. Wr 11.13-79 LP 6.7-43

There were tense moments after the game as both teams waited for web guru, Oscar, to calculate the final percentages and see who had earned the right to face off with the Tigers. A roar finally arose from the Rhino faithful as it was announced that they had overcome all odds and trumped the Piranhas by 1.8 percent, a difference of 4 points over the season. The Piranhas were devestated but acknowledged that their performance did not deserve a position in the Grand Final.

Wrigleyville can thank outstanding performances from their midfield players who continued to win the ball in the center despite Stacey winning the ruck contests. Rocky Deehan’s efforts to rove off the ruck contest was particularly impressive and set the standard for his team. Forte, who is tipped to be named as coach of Wrigleyville for the final, was dominant at center half forward and made some great moves in matching up on the Piranha stars. For Lincoln Park it was a case of not being able to provide opportunities for their forwards. Drake had named Ehlers as a major worry for the Rhinos but the ball simply did not get to him and it must have been a very frustrating night for the big fella.

This leaves a Lincoln Square versus Wrigleyville Grand Final to be held on Saturday, September 19 at 4:30pm at the usual spot. Both teams have a particular dislike for each other and will be desperate for a win. The match will be largely decided by who is able to get their top players available for a Saturday afternoon game. It will be a classic and one that all of Chicago will be fighting to get tickets for.

Burgmann Fields, IL- Ryan Hayse has led the Lincoln Park Piranhas to a crushing victory in a bruising game at Burgmann Fields almost ensuring a berth in the Metro grand final in a months time. Hayse was unstoppable on the wing for the Piranhas and it was his pace and long kicking that set up many a Piranha thrust and sealed a well deserved victory over the gallant Rhinos friday night.

In a battle that see sawed for three and a half quarters, the Piranhas were able to kick away in the end, running out 21 point victors in a game dominated by the wet weather.

From the Mustard and Fitz led ball up, the game was a hard slog with both teams finding it hard to get a grip on the wet ball and use it properly until the dangerous Roofy broke out of a pack and snapped truly to put the Pirnahas up. The Kaiser in Timmy Herrman, one of the many young guns that will make up the future of Chicago football was instumental in many Rhino forward moves and he was awarded a free kick after a Piranha (probably Al or Betty) took a shining to the Kaisers headband and tried to remove it, along with the rest of his head. His kick from 30 out directly in front sailed through to put the Rhinos up at the break, 1.3:9 to 1.1: 7

The second quarter was a tough affair as the ball became heavier and slippier and players struggled to handle the conditions. The big match ups between BJ and Wolfe in the ruck, Roofy and Disco and Drake and MacGlashan were enthralling as the arm wrestle continued all quarter. The Piranhas looked the better as Hayse and Palmer produced plenty of run with Deri Morgan being particularly effective at the stoppages. For the Rhinos, their backline again held the key to their victory as Scher, Forte, Dorsett, Panek and new recruit Corey held on for dear life against plenty of Piranha attacks. At the half, she was all square with both teams at 1.5: 11 a piece.

Tired bodies huddled up and both Hayse and Drake, fully aware of the games importance urged their charges on to bigger and better things in the premiership quarter. It was the Piranhas that came out firing though. First Nolan McKeegan kicked truly and then when Dougie Fresh slotted through his first, the Rhino faithful started shifting uncomfortably in their chairs as it looked like a case of how far as the Piranha center men started to be very effective and the LP backline with DK, Simon, Cisco and the great wall of MacGlashan all combining to blanket Drake, Morgan and the Kid. A couple of telling overhead marks from Scher and some very gutsy work by both Corey and Disco kept the Piranhas at bay as momentum started to shift towards the end. More good work from Rooster Forte in the middle found a running Kaiser Herrmann whose long bomb found a running Drake. The ball was trapped and some deft moves to get around the hard charging Simon (thank christ they worked, he’s a big boy!!!) was rewarded with a goal. Seconds later, after Wolfe won the tap to Forte, his handball found Rocky whose long bomb found Drake for his second goal of the match and it became anyones game again. At the end of the third the Piranhas held onto the slimmest of leads 3. 8: 26 to 3. 5: 23.

It was a huge tussle in the last as both teams, dead tired and battered and bruised pushed for that goal that would win the game for them. Roofy was finally able to break the Panek stockade and goaled to send the Piranhas further up. The tiring Rhinos found it hard to move the ball as the Piranha big men in MacGlashan, Kastilahn and Gambaro took control setting up many a forward move. Hayses work was finally rewarded with a checkside goal that tore at the Rhinos heart but Dave Worniak was able to seal the victory seconds later when he was able to run into an open goal and potentially thrust his team into the metro grand final against the Tigers.

GOLDEN GOOSE
Not sure, it was either Betty Palmer for getting a dodgey free kick in front of goal and kicking into the man on the mark or Frenchie who kicked the ball 40 yds…. the wrong way.

GREEN JACKET
Nolan McKeegan

It was obvious the business side of the season was upon us as both the Lincoln Square Tigers and Lincoln Park Piranhas attacked the game ferociously at Burgmann Fields tonight. After a mighty final quarter comeback by the Piranhas, they were unable to overcome a large Tiger lead as the Tigers ran away with a 16 point victory.

The evening opened with concern from both camps as to whether they would have an umpire for the game. Thankfully Wolfy showed up and to his surprise, was handed the whistle to take control of 32 angry adult men. With no support in the goals or on the boundary, Wolfy did an excellent job, as did the players on most occasions allowing him to do what he needed to do.

For the first time this year the Piranhas were struggling for numbers and were the first team to be docked points from the scoreboard for not reaching the minimum 12 players. Among those missing from their lineup were Chicago United regulars Benjamin Gambaro and Dougy Malcom. The strength behind the Tiger improvement this year has been the willingness for guys to show up to every game and tonight was no exception. After losing big guns Graham Brennan, Vince Doorhy and Billy Uhlmann, the Tigers were still able to get 19 players to the field and this was a major factor in the victory.

The highlight of the game was the multiple battles occuring around the ground. Poncho and Roofy continued their epic battle with both players providing great service to their team. Pace took on the might of Drewby and Al in the goal square, EP and Stace clashed in the ruck and Frenchy did his best to annoy the hell out of Hazie all game. Lincoln Park was able to borrow Toby, Tim and Tyler from Wrigleyville which allowed for a 14 a side game.

The first quarter was an even affair as both teams fought for the early supremacy. Toby, playing his first game in a Chicago match, showed he has a big future in the Windy City and put the Piranhas up early. This was followed by a Didak major following a strong mark. Didak was continuing his exceptional form and was outstanding at winning the ball in the air and on the ground under immense pressure from his Tiger opponents. Betty Palmer was showing his worth with some courageous marks in defense for Lincoln Park to thwart the forward progress of Lincoln Square. The Tigers fought back with the winning combination for the night, Oscar and Fish, as they both kicked truly. This pair would combine regularly resulting in goals for Lincoln Square.

At quarter time Lincoln Park were 1 point leaders.

The next two quarters decided the game as Lincoln Square was able to constantly rotate players through the bench and over run the hard working Piranhas. EP demonstrated why he is so important to the Tigers displaying excellent foot skills to set up Oscar on multiple occasions for goals. Fitzy, in a best on ground display, also came to the fore during this period continuously thumping the ball forward after receiving creative handballs from the hard working Tiger onballers.

The Piranhas rallied late in the third quarter with some great physical work by team mates resulting in two quality goals from Toby. Tim and Betty were working feverishly in the middle of the ground to reverse the flow of the game away from the Tigers and the momentum appeared to have shifted. The Tigers went into the 3 quarter time break with a sizeable 27 point lead though and it would take an almighty comeback from the Piranhas to make the result go their way.

The final quarter was all Lincoln Park and for a moment it looked like they could pull off the unimaginable. Changes were made with Roofy being moved to the forward line, Didak into the center and big Al playing loose down back. Al was swallowing everything and after his usual five pirouettes and punishment of anybody silly enough to try and tackle him, he drove the Piranhas forward. Suddenly Lincoln Park had winners all over the field. Lincoln Square were not going to let a Grand Final berth slip away from them though and with some great strength, leadership and a steadying goal from Fitzy, the Tigers were able to do enough to make the game safe. Lincoln Park continued to attack until the final whistle but the lead was too much to overcome and after including the 3 point deduction for being one player short, they went down by 16 points.

Both teams could take major positives out of the game. Lincoln Square’s midfield were strong in the absence of their three premium onballers and Oscar Meyer played one of his best games in 2 years. Lincoln Park were missing numerous players and yet were able to put real pressure on a determined and confident side. Didak continued his excellent form which will also please the Piranha faithful.

The result of this game assures Lincoln Square a position in the Grand Final on Saturday, 19 September, and sets up two epic encounters between the Wrigleyville Rhinos and Lincoln Park Piranhas over the next two Friday nights. With both these two teams on equal points and nearly identical percentage, the coaches will be working the phones day and night trying to get their best teams on the park.

FINAL SCORES
L.S. 11.10: 76 def L.P. 10.3: 60 (minus 3 points, 1 player short)