Renegade Redux!

Pub footy took a step back towards it's traditional renegade roots last weekend with an unsanctioned invasion of Arden St Oval for an unpublicised inter-club scratch match away from the fanfare and media frenzy of a regular pub footy game day. Those in the know who braved a light drizzle and made it to Arden st on Sunday were rewarded with a near perfect afternoon of footy. Sans insurance, with perfect numbers, no umpire and two randomly selected but evenly matched teams, 4 Eye Gouges, 2 Birmy Lions and a fuck load of Bar Open Bats joined forces for a friendly but hard fought game of footy that seemed to last hours. All Gouges present had great impact on the game with DX showing a great resolve in the contesting packs, Penky proving an outstanding last man in defence and Spazz being unstoppable up front kicking 7 goals straight. Bar Open talent was on show to the nth degree as a group that moves the ball well and hits their targets with a dedicated squad enough for two whole teams. Ball-magnet Peter Mac seemed to garner every 3rd possession across the field. Resolute defender Pascal showed incredible balance and ability on a wet ground in a pair of sneakers. And when the paced slowed in the second half, Jensen and Xavier proved effective powerful ball movers out of stoppages. Birmy Lions' Joe McGuigan and Jimmy Cracknell showed off their teams taste for pace with quick hands and quicker legs, all while staying low to the ground without hitting it. With no score kept no official winner was declared though a general feeling was that those in black shirts were about one goal and a handful of behinds in front of those in white at the end of play. With a competition in the throws of a seven week break the day provided a perfect opportunity for players to keep in touch with the intensity of actually footy away from laps, drills and discipline of weekly training. Of course some less focussed individuals may emphasize the good spirited, community nature of the day but we'll leave that for them to discuss in their church newsletters.