Masters’ tough day at Bendigo

Best: Thissen, Clurey, Stretch, Gleeson, Russell.

The Yarrawonga Masters hit the road for their first official bus trip of the season for round 4, travelling to Bendigo to take on the Bendigo B52’s in what turned into a memorable day on and off the field.

The long trip from Yarrawonga to Bendigo had the boys in good spirits early, with Magic Mike McDonald making the most of the journey by getting a pre-game nap in, no doubt enjoying a bit of peace and quiet away from the three boys at home.

At one stage during the week, things were looking shaky for the Pigeons, with only 12 players confirmed by Tuesday.

The phones were running red hot as the club scrambled to put a side together, but in true Masters fashion the cavalry arrived late.

In the end, Drew Saunders, Ben Richmond, Andrew Dishot and Jesse Whinray answered the call and proudly pulled on the Pigeons jumper for the day.

Bendigo also chipped in by lending players throughout the match to help rotate numbers, another great example of the spirit Masters football is built on.

One of the real miracles of the week was Ben Douglass, who somehow managed to get himself up to play after barely being able to move earlier in the week with a cooked calf.

Rumours quickly spread that he’d flown to Germany for specialist treatment, with many labelling the recovery “true witchcraft.”

Played in warm conditions with a twilight start, the game got underway after a pre-match briefing from the umpires.

From the opening bounce it was clear Bendigo were an extremely well-drilled outfit, piling on five unanswered goals in the first quarter to put the Pigeons under immediate pressure.

After a fiery quarter-time address from Mr Wilson, better known as Blocka, and finally shaking the legs loose from the long bus trip, Yarrawonga responded in the second term.

The Pigeons lifted their intensity and managed three goals for the quarter as they began to work their way into the contest, although Bendigo continued to hit the scoreboard consistently.

At half time, Yarrawonga had to throw the magnets around after being clearly outplayed early.

Ash Thissen and Ben Richmond were swung into defence and both were outstanding, providing plenty of run and clean disposal out of the backline.

Stretch battled manfully all day in the ruck against a quality Bendigo outfit, while Trent Russell was dangerous up forward and Ben Clurey worked tirelessly through the midfield.

The entire backline stood tall under enormous pressure from a very dangerous Bendigo forward line.

The second half largely belonged to the B52’s, with the Pigeons forced into damage-control mode as Bendigo continued to pile on the goals. In the end, the Bendigo boys proved far too strong and gave the Pigeons a fair touch up, with Yarra’s feathers well and truly plucked.

Despite the result, there were still plenty of positives for Yarrawonga.

With short numbers and several fill-ins, the contest and effort never dropped away. Everyone played their role and continued to compete right until the final siren.

Once the showers were done, spirits quickly lifted in the club rooms with awards, beers and pizzas before attention turned to the bus trip home, arguably what everyone had been looking forward to most.

With tunes pumping, beers flowing, singalongs in full voice and plenty of banter flying around, the trip home became a highlight of the weekend. Even though the result didn’t go their way, it proved to be a fantastic team-building exercise and another memorable chapter for the Pigeons.

A huge thank you to Bendigo for helping out with numbers throughout the game and to all the fresh faces who pulled on the boots for Yarrawonga.

Yarra now look forward to their next home game against the EMUS on May 30th.

Awards: TNR Transportables (Nagles Off the Hook Butchery): Ash Thissen, HL Building Solutions Pty Ltd (Ampol Fuel Voucher): Ben Clurey, Attwood Builders (Yarrawonga Hotel Voucher): Duane Kelly, Crop Smart (Bunnings Voucher): Brad Gleeson, Tradie Packs (Pre-Mix King Voucher): Jim Reeves, Ferious Pigeon Award: Trent Russell.