R9 2023 | U20s vs St Kevin’s
After the long weekend, the U/20s were tasked with banding together against a fiery St Kevin’s squad in windy conditions at home. With tough results in the past two rounds, the Unicorns were ready to put their season back on track.
Right from the first bounce, recruit Dom Hart got to work delivering the pill to a sizzling forward line that kicked 5.2 in the first quarter. A marvellously fortunate bounce saw Saravanan Sritharan kick a beauty from the boundary in front of the Unicorn Club, and former Richmond junior Ewen Kossyvas got busy off the half back flank racking up intercept marks.
The second quarter saw the wind assist a three-goal haul for St Kevin’s. However, the Unicorns’ defensive unit picked up the intensity and decisively used a few switch kicks to even the goal scoring for the quarter and see the U/20’s up 8.3-51 to 3.3-21 at half time. Though heroics from Lachie Sharrock (“The Rock”) and Sam Tralaggan (“Square”) the team went into the major break planning for a big second half.
The Unicorns looked to close out the game with the wind in the third quarter but found a renewed aggression from St Kevin’s that caused countless stoppages and forced midfielders Boopa Munasinghe and Idhant Yarlagadda to find plenty of the pill. A rough quarter in front of goals (2.6) left a lot to be desired from the home side but energy still ran high with a 39-point lead as the third quarter ended.
The last term proved mother nature was not done tempting a comeback from St Kevin’s, and the Unicorns were once again tasked with fighting off hordes of opposition forward fifty entries. The players dug deep, stemming off the foot smarts of defenders Adam Pacak and Matt Giarracca, to hold off the masses. A fantastic group effort saw the home side prevail with a 24-point win and claw their way to the cusp of a top-four spot on the ladder.
Final Score: MHSOB: 12.12-84 defeated St Kevin’s: 8.12-60
Goal Kickers: L. Sharrock 4, N. Anaan 2, S. Sritharan 2, B. Munasinghe, D. Hart, C. Witt, S. Tralaggan
Best Players: S. Sritharan, M. Giarracca, D. Hart, B. Munasinghe, L. O’Halloran, A. Pacak