2008 ROUND 10
LUSC Old Boys vs Juventus Old Boys 2 - 2

Goals:

Phillips, Gabriel (17)
DeVuono, Pasquale (pen)(69)

Go Back to Old Boys Team Page here


The Flight of the Bald Eagle

After the last round it seemed the Bald Eagles numbers were in serious decline. A quick call by our Gab McGuire to David Attenborough had immediate effects. The remnant population was rejuvenated by one of the quickest breeding programs seen in the conservation history of La Trobe. The breeding pair of Luca and Lou produced two young fledging eaglets at the St Monica Breeding Sanctuary in Epping. They were christened Ali (as in ‘float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”) and Nick (after the great Gonis “G-train”). In order to ensure the survival of the species in the harsh environment of the Thirds, a number of dominant males were introduced to create a stabilizing effect on the family group. Nick “oh ok!” DeLuca, Laurie, Johnny A (x3) and the Thai Superfreak were welcomed by the other adult males in the group.

This week saw LaTrobe up against equal-second on the ladder, Brunswick Juventu,s and their “unofficial” official. It was built up to be a tough battle with the winner having the best chance to challenge South Yarra for the title. With a postage stamp sized pitch, the Bald Eagles were going to struggle to adapt in the confined spaces. They started off reasonably well with some nice play from young Nick “Gonis Mach II” on the wing, De Luca’s superb cross and finishing with a powerful half volley goal from the Gabmeister at the 17th minute mark. The Grinders Goal of the Day got the Eagles off to the start they needed. At this point Jimmy Zap had just been subbed off and was inside filling water bottles. His teammates neglected to tell him at half time that they were 1:0 up.

At half time, the Brunswick team rallied together and found some more money for the “unofficial” official as they were obviously finding it difficult having to compete for their own free-kicks. The extra couple of grand must have worked wonders as the “ref” really picked up the tempo on behalf of his team. Brunswick equalized with a second half goal from a poorly defended corner. Then it was game-on. The ref got a ‘big bonus’ when he awarded a penalty to Brunswick not long after. Lou Cif was extremely stiff – not only was he not facing the ball but it is dubious it hit his hand at all as both hands were definitely in his pockets as he was strolling along the nearby bike path. They converted and looked like they had it won. Note : Jimmy believed we were 2:0 down at this stage.

The Eagles kept fighting, with some great run and determination from the two eaglets and a number of opportunities up front from All Beef Patty and Co. Gab, De Luca, Laurie and Luca were solid in the middle and created a number of opportunities. Eventually, they were rewarded with a penalty in the 69th minute for a blatant handball. It was the only decision the ref got right for the day although it was so obvious he had no choice. All Beef converted the equalizer and then the Bald Eagles battled hard to try to create the winner. Some late opportunities came but the finishing let them down. The 2:2 draw was great from the way the boys fought all day for it however it was disappointing because ladder leaders South Yarra edged away further in the title race. The most disappointed player was Jimmy Zap who still believed they lost 2:1 and didn’t find out the actual scores until a week later.