Osaka Dingoes v Senshu Powers, June 4, 2011
By Paul Wenske & Jonathan Cooper
Dramatic Win for the Dingoes
Osaka Dingoes 9.10:64 - Senshu Powers 8.13:61
Goals:: A.Reidy 3, J.Cooper 2, L. Patterson 2, P.Wenske 1, G.Tanaka 1
BOG: A.Reidy
On June 4th, the team set out for our first road trip since the testing trip to
Nagoya in 2010. An 8am departure time from Umeda would see us arrive around 4pm in Yokohama. Everybody foresaw a grueling challenge, but nobody really knew quite how hard it would be. Playing on artificial turf makes for quite a fast paced game, which we knew would suit the Powers. With only ten players and no subs the pressure was on for everyone to play the whole game out. The country club was an impressive venue, and we were greeted to the ground by hoards of Irish, who were at the ground for the North Asian Gaelic Games. After a pretty relaxed warm up, the boys set their minds to the task.
The first quarter had us kicking with the advantage of a reasonably strong, yet swirling breeze. After a few close attempts, Wenske snapped truly to score the first goal of the game. Unfortunately though, the Dingoes could only manage 2.5 for the quarter. Strong marking by Adam was a notable addition to our regular team and gave us a good tall option to kick to. At the first break we knew we had a battle on our hands and that they definitely weren’t going to roll over and give us an easy victory.
The second quarter was much like the first with both teams fighting hard to take control of the game. The Powers made good use of the wind and kicked 2.3 which was also what the Dingoes managed to put on the board. First gamer Louis was a shining light, and Jonno was controlling the ruck. With a few of the Dingoes looking a bit lethargic during the second quarter, a stern talking to by playing-coach Adam was on the cards.
The third, or premiership quarter, saw the Dingoes kick 4 majors and create a bit of a lead going into the last change, with Adam, Louis, Genki and Jono all managing goals. Against the wind though, to their credit, the Powers managed to kick two of their own with solid work out of defense and their constant numbers around the ball. Then, approximately 15 seconds before the end of the quarter, disaster struck – the legend of the forward line, DJ Paul Wenske went down with what looked like a season ending shoulder injury. After the DJ was taken away in an ambulance, the troops rallied, and although in a lot of pain, Paul vividly remembers the cries of, ‘Do it for Paul.
The last quarter saw a tired and undermanned, yet determined Dingoes team take to the field. Nobody gave up, but exhaustion took hold, and to their credit, the Power sniffed victory and threw everything including the kitchen sink at us. The extra fitness of the Power was evident, but we didn’t go all that way to lose. Towards the end of the quarter, the Power hit the front, but inaccurate kicking from the Senshu boys meant that the game was still in the balance and the gate was open! In the closing stages of the match, with every player drained of energy, Adam, playing his first and last game, wrapped his hands around the ball and kicked it through the big sticks to put the Dingoes back in the lead. The game ended soon after, and although not all players were sure who had won, and not everybody knew all the words, the first rendition of the Dingoes’ club song in recent memory oozed passion.
After the Magpies and Goannas game we met up with the Magpies and Powers for some much-needed dinner and drinks at a local izakaya. A fun time was had by all.
From Paul
Thanks for all the support and well wishes from everyone, my shoulder is getting better slowly and hopefully I will be ready for the September game. Look forward to seeing you all throughout summer.
