Round 7, Saturday 27 May 2023.

Old Haileybury AFC vs Old Melburnians FC at Princess Park, Caulfield

1 st quarter: OHAFC 3.6.24 OMFC 3.2.20

2 nd quarter: OHAFC 7.8.50 OMFC 9.5.59

3 rd quarter: OHAFC 12.13.85 OMFC 12.6.78

4 th quarter: OHAFC 14.14.98 OMFC 20.11.131

Goals: Tom Baker (8), Ed Smart (4), Albert Brown (2), Lachie Haysman (1),

Sam Kelly (1), Ed Michelmore (1), Will Nichols (1), Adam Richardson (1), Jock

Roysmith (1).

Best players: Tom Baker, Jackson Paine, Ed Smart, Ben Harding, Harry

Cooper, Ed Michelmore.

Seniors.

By Lurch.

Team: Tom Baker (17), Harry Bede (41), Albert Brown (60), Harry Cooper (45),

Nic Daish (33), Will Dethridge (26), Josh Freezer (5), Ben Harding (8), Lachie

Haysman (9), Sam Kelly (38), Ed Michelmore (20), Robbie Morrison (15), Will

Nichols (3), Jackson Paine (39, Captain), Adam Richardson (56), Jock Roysmith

(35), Arthur Rush (58), Ed Smart (42), Jack Spargo (24), Hunter Watkin (11),

Stuart Watson (21), Josh Wills (6).

Injuries forced several of the four changes to last week’s team, with Ben Haysman

(10), Nick Madders (30), Ned Nichols (3) and Tom Spargo (37) being replaced by

Albert Brown, Sam Kelly, Ed Michelmore and Josh Wills.

The OMs trekked out to Princess Park to take on Old Haileybury. It was the first

contest between them since 2 August 2014, when the OMs won by 122 to 77. Before

Saturday’s game, both teams had only one win for the season, making this an ‘eight

point’ game for the winner.

The game was played in 14-degree conditions (said to feel like 10-11 degrees) with

northerly to NW and NNW breezes that waxed and waned but gave a definite

advantage to the southern end (where 22 of 34 goals were scored), to which the

Bloods kicked first. Initially sunny with some blue sky and white clouds, it later

became grey and very dark.

A bad start to the day was the absence of hotdogs at the tuckshop, with the heathen

Haileyburians not believing in stocking fine football cuisine. On the ground, the start

was equally as bad, as the Bloods attacked first and went harder and faster than the

OMs. The black and magenta dominated the play but missed multiple opportunities in

front of goal to keep the OMs in the game. It took until the seventh minute for the

Bloods to notch up their first goal, with the OMs rarely getting over the centre line.

Jock Roysmith eventually took a nice contested mark, but his set shot from the NW

was offline. The OMs’ next opportunity came when Tom Baker ran towards goal as

the ball came in over his head. While being pursued, he kicked it on the volley for

what could’ve been an awesome goal but for it hitting the right goal post about

halfway up. It took until the final third of the quarter before the OMs really got into

the game. Roysmith kicked quickly and long out of the middle towards Baker, who

received a free kick near the NE boundary line. He finally put through the OMs’ first

goal. A few minutes later the OMs, starting with Harry Cooper at full back, went

coast-to-coast, with Nic Daish kicking from the centre square to Captain Jackson

Paine, who put the footy out in front of Baker to run onto, gather, kick, and bounce

through his second goal. Haileybury attacked hard, but Cooper repelled, with Ed

Michelmore running and kicking long, Will Nichols tapping down, and Baker

gathering and kicking truly from the NE pocket for his third goal to put the OMs in a

more respectable position by the siren.

Despite the OMs having the breeze in the second quarter, it was the Bloods that

goaled first, inside the first minute. The OMs won at the centre bounce, with Arthur

Rush taking a set shot but instead trying to hit up a player closer to goal. The ball

went to ground in the SE, where Baker chased the loose ball, gathered, snapped, and

goaled. It was 30-26 but the Bloods won the clearance and goaled at the four-minute

mark. The Dark Blue boys attacked for a while but got nothing for their efforts.

Eventually Haileybury broke out of defence and goaled for a 42-26 lead at the nine-

minute mark. When Rush kicked to Baker in the SW pocket, he nailed his set shot to

claim all five of the OMs’ goals. As great an effort as that was, were he to be injured,

who else could score them?

The answer came rushing forth, with the OMs winning in the middle, Sam Kelly

running towards goal, kicking long towards the goal square, but going the distance

and drilling a thrilling goal. It was 42-38. Once again, the OMs came, with Roysmith

snapping from the SW boundary line deep in the pocket, but his effort was rushed

through. The Bloods briefly attacked, but Hunter Watkin kicked from the western

wing to a contest in which Will Nichols was being held, but he used his free hand to

tap the footy down to debutant Albert Brown. The little blond kid began running

towards goal and was urged on by the peanut gallery to keep running, but from the

SW pocket he steadied, kicked, and drilled a classy first goal for the OMs to give

them the lead for the first time, 42-45. The northern breeze briefly increased but the

Bloods goaled against it to regain the lead at the 20-minute mark. The OMs won the

clearance and defender Ed Smart was an unexpected sight up forward as he got the

footy in the SW pocket, beating four or five Haileyburians. Urged by the peanut

gallery to keep running, he instead emulated blond Brown, kicking from a tight angle

for a fantastic goal. Within a minute he kicked from the same pocket to Paine, who

missed a set shot from the SW. At the 22-minute mark it was 48-52. The game was

generally free flowing with occasional intense contests. The OMs kept up the pressure

and when Lachie Haysman marked in the SW he slotted a perfect set shot to give the

OMs a nine-point halftime lead.

By the time the third quarter commenced the sky was filled with grey clouds that

made the game quite dark. The OMs attacked first but the Bloods took it away, ran

into goal – and missed. However, they kept at it and goaled after two minutes.

Roysmith kicked long towards the goal square and Baker flew for it, but Will Nichols

crumbed and goaled for a 57-65 lead. The Haileybury boys peppered the goals for

some time without managing a goal. When the OMs briefly got forward, Baker

snapped long from the NW but went across the face of goal. Thereafter, the Bloods

dominated for some time, goaling at the 19-minute mark to level the scores: 9.12.60

to 10.6.60. They were getting and moving the footy far too easily, with OMs allowing

the Bloods to treat them like witches’ hats. First scoring a point to take the lead, the

Bloods followed up with a goal. From the centre the OMs soon forced a stoppage in

front of goal, where Smart grabbed the footy and put it through from about two feet

away from the goal. It was 73-72 but minutes later a free against the OMs gifted the

Bloods a goal: one of too many such gifts during the game. Winning the clearance

gave Smart the footy. He kicked to Baker in the NE, and he put through a nice set shot

from about 30m. Big Harry Cooper executed one of innumerable spoils for the game

in defence, but relief was only temporary, as the Bloods quickly goaled. At the 31-

minute mark it was 85-78. Dual Haileybury and MGS boy Stuart ‘The White Ghost’

Watson fought hard in defence with consecutive saves to prevent further damage

being done.

Although the OMs scored 3.1 against the breeze to the Haileyburians’ 5.5 with it, it

was a very unimpressive quarter, with the OMs doing the exact opposite of what

they’d been instructed to do. Their lack of effort for much of it made the Bloods look

better than they were, allowing them to run in numbers too freely too quickly too

often. It was extremely fortunate that the Bloods were wasteful in front of goal – and

that the OMs were not. However, it looked like the Bloods wanted the win more, and

there was no certainty that the OMs could win it. Lurch commented that hopefully the

OMs had strategically rested themselves during the third quarter for a big final

quarter. The peanut gallery assembled its forces behind the southern goal and

Reserves’ coach Kornel Dachs made a guest appearance with it to try and fire up the

OMs.

The Dark Blues attacked first, then the Bloods. The OMs then came along the eastern

wing with Josh Freezer kicking to Will Nichols, who kicked to Smart, and he took a

nice leaping mark. His set shot from the SE scored his third goal. It was 85 all. The

OMs won the clearance, from which Michelmore marked and drilled his set shot from

the SE. The OMs came again, Baker threw the footy on his boot, unleashed a massive

kick, and scored an awesome goal. It was 85-97. The magenta and black went on the

attack but could not hack a Baker tack[le]. From his free kick on the SE boundary

line, he bent it through beautifully for a great goal. Once more into the breech went

the OMs. Smart did good work in the SW, the footy was crossed to the SE, where

Brown marked and drilled his set shot. The newly formed Dark Blue juggernaut

continued to steamroll the hapless Haileyburians as Roysmith marked and just snuck

his set shot inside the left goal post. In no time at all, the score had ripped along from

85-78 to 85-115 and the game was over.

The shellshocked Bloods composed themselves long enough to goal against the

onslaught before (now) normal programming resumed. Brown grabbed the footy and

was chased hard, but arched his back, went harder and faster than his opponent,

kicked perfectly to Smart, and he honoured Brown’s work with a beautiful set shot

goal from the SE. Now 91-121, there was a contest in the SE, from which Adam

Richardson, amid a seething mass, snapped an amazing goal, the ball just sneaking

inside the right goalpost. Rushy launched at the goal but missed, after which the

Bloods goaled from yet another free kick. Winning the clearance, the OMs gave Rush

another set shot, which he missed to the left again. A Kelly long bomb also missed

left before Richo’s set shot missed to the right. Before this late flurry of misses, the

OMs had registered an astoundingly accurate 20 goals 7 behinds. Haileybury raced up

the ground and also missed, and the final siren sounded.

It was a fascinating game. Shellshocked by the Haileyburians in the first 20 minutes

of the first quarter, the OMs had finally found some fight – and Tom Baker – whose

three goals late in that quarter gave the OMs hope, and whose next two in the second

quarter started an OM onslaught that gave them the lead. The third quarter was mostly

appalling to watch but turned out to be a cleverly-planned rest period for the main

show in the fourth quarter – and what a show it was! It was a great victory by a

mostly young, inexperienced team that changes significantly every week, but was

done with resilience against a team that often played the man and yet won most of the

free kicks. As for last week, a good spread of goal kickers got the job done, and the

win was a good team effort.

Tom Baker kicked 8.2 and was outstanding from start to finish. Six of his goals were

scored in general play (not from marks), highlighting his nous at ground level. Unlike

many games won by a large margin in which a forward kicks a bag that – when

subtracted from the margin – shows the game could’ve been won without them –

Baker kicked more than the winning margin and scored the first five OM goals to

keep his team in the game.

Jackson Paine played a true captain’s game, with 34 disposals, 11 clearances, eight

marks and five tackles as an inside mid. His 25 possessions in the second half were

elite.

Ed Smart undoubtedly played his best game yet for the OMs. Moved forward late in

the second quarter, his four goals and pressure to keep the footy in the forward line

were crucial to the OMs’ victory. Although mostly played in defence since coming to

the OMs, he was a forward in South Australia.

Ben Harding yet again made the top six with 29 disposals for the game, and an

outstanding 12 in the final quarter that won the game.

Big Harry Cooper had 13 spoils for the game, ranking him in the top four in the

competition for spoils. A first-year Senior player, he gets better every week.

Ed Michelmore made a welcome return from injury and played an excellent game.

His work-rate, ability to chase, apply pressure, and put in the one-percenters were a

key reason for the OMs’ victory.

On debut was Albert Brown. He attended Melbourne Grammar School from 2015 to

2022 and was a member of Creese House. He played in the 2022 1 st XVIII. On debut

he showcased some exciting abilities, kicking two goals and fighting hard to set up

another.

Next week the OMs (8 th ) return home to take on a mammoth challenge: Old Brighton

(3 rd ). The Tonners come off a big loss at home against Old Scotch. A bit

undermanned, they will be looking to get back on track against the OMs. The

undermanned OMs have won the past two games against fellow relegation

contenders, which may not necessarily translate to defeating a finals contender.

However, the young OMs have finally learned what it takes to win, and in both wins

have faced down unrelenting challenges to do so. To have any chance against the

Tonners, they cannot afford to play the 2.5 quarters it took to beat the Bloods: a four-

quarter effort will be needed, as will winning free kicks rather than conceding them. A

Top Four scalp would go a long way to getting out of relegation danger.

See you there.

Lurch.