2009 - Round 9

Round 9 Match Report.

Chandler, Arizona – The Marshals had come a long way from their poor start to the season, they were looking for a fairytale ending where a win by 6 goals would put them in the championship match. The saying goes that when the going gets tough the tough get going and the Marshals captain, Darren "AWOL" Toohey was no where to be seen, it was rumored he was seen at a New Zealand Shephards Convention in NYC but that has not been confirmed. Some students of the game thought that the Marshals were stronger without their captain. The Marshals were also missing start players Rob "Motorcross" Dollar and Danny "D-Train" Reidy. Could the Kingsnakes hold off a fast finishing Marshals team?

Acting Captain for the Marshals Troy "Angry" Anderson won the toss and elected to kick with the four goal breeze. The Marshals started the game where they had finished off the week before and had two on the board through Robbie 'scrubs' Luto and Ryan 'Hollywood' Luto before the Kingsnakes had realized the game had started. The Kingsnakes were not aided by the fact that both Callum 'Sour' Ford and Jack 'My girlfriend out drinks me' Watty were recovering from a mild dose of alcohol poisoning (it was rumored that their sweat was 40 proof). The Kingsnakes responded when Ford was able to mark and goal and get a valuable goal into the wind. Wyatt 'The Prototype' Glaze surprised even himself when he kicked a goal on the run from 50 meters out, then Watty utilized some two step moves he had learnt the night before at the sorority ball to step around some defenders and goal for the snakes. Adam Smark marked and goaled late in the quarter, giving the Marshals a lead of 27 to 12 at the first break.

The Kingsnakes came out of the first break confident that the Marshals had not done enough with the breeze in the first quarter and were looking to close the gap. They started well with an early goal to Watty. The Marshalls were quick to respond with some excellent teamwork resulting in a goal to Joe 'Guitar hero" Swierpuski. Both sides would have had a hard time hitting the side of a bus when they were in front of goals with plenty of points being scored, before Matt 'designated driver' Sovereign slotted one for the Snakes, again the Marshals were able to respond through Rob Luto. The Kingsnakes had only managed to erase one point of the deficit with the wind. Marshals 42 to Kingsnakes 28.

Both teams came out after the break knowing that their seasons were on the line, the Kingsnakes dropped a player loose in defense. Joe 'Crusher' Butler was doing everything he could to lift his team in the quarter, and many were too frightened to watch when Chad 'Tank' Martin and Butler clashed over a 50/50 ball. Butler scored a major with the wind, when more experienced players kept blazing away at points. The Kingsnakes worked tirelessly in defense, Rob 'sunsmart' Jellison got so serious in the quarter he took his hat off! The hard work in defense paid off for the snakes when they kicked two quick goals into the wind through Ford and Martin. Even though David 'Inspector Gadget' 'Donger' Pack claims that he touched one of the goals from 36 feet away! Butler was again able to kick true for the Marshals and became the only goal kicker for the Marshals in the premiership quarter with 2 goals. The Marshalls would go to the final break with an 18 point lead, Marshals 58 to Kingsnakes 40.

The question everyone was wondering was could the Marshals kick the extra three goals that they needed to make next week's final, the Kingsnakes were determined not to let that happen. The Marshals started well with some good play from Jimmy 'Dog' Scanlan (who even with constant exposure to pigs has managed to avoid swineflu), resulting in a goal to Robbie Luto. The Kingsnakes responded quickly through Jon 'Sweets' Martinez in his comeback game. The Kingsnakes continued to defend and rebound well and with some accurate kicking may have been able to challenge the Marshals for the lead. When Pack goaled that snuffed out any hope of the Kingsnakes winning the game but another goal to Ford ensured that they would not be facing the Marshals next week in the final. Final Score Marshals 10–11–71 Kingsnakes 8–7-55.

GAME NOTE:A great end of the season to the Marshals winning 3 in a row, who would now be ruing some injuries and bad early season form. Next week is the final which will see the Devils take on the Kingsnakes for the Championship, and yes Toohey that means you need to return the trophy! MR. WATTY UPDATE: Your son actually showed up to a game and even though his team lost it was nice to see him there. His team will now play in the Grand Final next week so feel free to fly over and watch. The big news this week is Jack's "relationship" status on his Facebook page now states that his is "In a Relationship."

Final Score - Marshals 10.11 (71) d. Kingsnakes 8.7 (55)

Goals - Marshals: Ro. Luto (3), J. Butler (2), W. Glaze, Ry. Luto, D. Pack, A. Smark, J. Swierupski

Goals - Kingsnakes: C. Ford (3), J. Watty (2), C. Martin, M. Martinez, M. Sovereign

Best - Marshals: Anderson, Ro. Luto, Glaze, Swierupski Kingsnakes : Martin, Ford, Watty, Sovereign

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