CRIB POINT FC – by Jared Newton
CRIB POINT opened their winning account for the season with victory over Tyabb on Saturday in a solid 91 point win.
The game won’t exactly go down as one of the greats and wasn’t spectacular viewing, but because of Crib’s slow start to 2015 it was a crucial clash. The Magpies had a lot of the football throughout the day but didn’t bring the kicking shoes as they posted a wayward 9.17 in the first three terms before clicking into gear for an 8-goal final quarter to finish with 17.21.
Coach Annable missed the clash for a personal engagement and the reins were superbly held by assistant Brad Arnold who holds a perfect record in the coaching caper.
For the Pies, Luke Herrington was best afield in his 150th with 42 disposals, four goal effort from the midfield. Matt Wappett and Mathew Sloper kicked three apiece and in great news for Crib Point fans Jon Flack took to the field in his first game of football since the grand final and shrugged off a few cobwebs with a couple of goals himself.
Whilst it wasn’t pretty, the Magpies were prolific with the majority of the play and if they can polish up the finishing, the wins will come.
The reserves also opened their account for 2015 and gave a nervous Rick Thompson his first career win as a coach. The Pies basically put the game to bed by half time with an 11 goal to 1 effort before running out victors by 72 points.
The most pleasing aspect for the Pies is how even the performance was across the ground. Adam Quinn gave plenty of drive off half back as the forward line of Kleinig, Ross, and Beech have plenty of tall options. Shayne Ainsworth was also a luxury that won’t be afforded to the reserves too often as his pace and aggression gave the Pies plenty.
The under 19s continued their strong start to the year with a convincing 75 point win in the early game. Tyler Wilton stamped his authority with a 7 goal display from the goal square, supported with a couple from Zac Vines who also dominated the ruck giving Crib plenty of optimism for their big man stocks in the coming years.
It’s still very early and the ‘F’ word cannot be uttered yet but the boys are showing a lot of promise and many of the seniors are loving coming down early to watch the free flowing football they play which is great to watch and a testament to their commitment in what is a hugely improved outfit over the last two years.
First published in the Western Port News – 5 May 2015
