The Courier |
Dunnstown were fierce but Skipton scraped home by seven points at the final siren.
SKIPTON 12.7 (79)
DUNNSTOWN 10.12 (72)
IT was a game of highs and lows at Skipton on Saturday, with the Emus scraping home by seven points against a fierce Dunnstown.
Before the encounter, both teams lined up for a minute's silence for a young Dunnstown player who died in an accident during the week.
Towners wore black armbands and the number 41 on the back of their hands for their mate, Tom Owens.
Skipton took a narrow three-point lead in the first quarter but had stretched this out to a 38-point margin by half-time.
The Emus led by 44 points at one stage in the third term but the Towners found form and attacked strongly, however accuracy in front of goal escaped them.
Dunnstown looked ready to crush Skipton in the last term, chasing a deficit of 24 points.
Halfway through the quarter, the Towners had kicked three goals and were closing in on a six-point difference.
The Emus were kept goalless but in the rolling scrum to the end of the clash they kept trying and it was enough to hold on to victory.
There is no disputing the influence of Pat Kluver and Tyrone Ross on the outcome for Skipton but what a team of workhorses.
Michael Slater, Josh Draffin, Tom McKimmie, Lachie Cleeland, Nick Stevenson and Glen Widdicombe were exceptional.
What can you say about a team that showed such a big heart?
Well, Dunnstown almost pinched it.
Brett Duffy was sensational. Timothy O'Shea, Lachlan O'Connell, Sam Roache, Aaron Brennan and Alex Lyon put in the hard yards.
Goals didn't come easy for Dunnstown but Lyon and Roache were great with three each, while Brennan, Duffy, Joel Murphy and Lachlan Poulter all kicked one.
Skipton coach Matt Rea summed it up after the match.
"It was a tale of two halves," he said.
"We were really happy with the way we played the first half but in the second half they lifted their intensity. They made a really close game of it in the end.
"We at least took them on in the last quarter, although we didn't kick any goals.
"They threw everything at us and we were lucky to hold on."
Comparing the elation and celebration in the Skipton change rooms, it was a cruel contrast in the Dunnstown rooms.
The players' faces showed the pain of not being able to deliver a win for a friend and teammate.
Dunnstown coach Mick Taylor was disappointed but said the players were emotionally drained after the passing of Tom Owens.
"It made it hard for a lot of them," he said.
"The first half was poor and the second was the complete opposite.
"We just couldn't do it in the end," Taylor said. "We had no luck on the scoreboard.
"We should have nailed some and we didn't. It's the third loss by a couple of goals ... we've been close," Taylor said.
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