Weekly Times | THE No. 2 guernsey was a noticeable absence from the Colac and District interleague side on Saturday, so a two-point win took on an almost poetic significance.
Colac and District paid tribute to interleague squad member Aaron Mahoney, Otway Districts’ club captain, during its WorkSafe Country Championships match against the Golden Rivers league.
Mahoney died after an on-field incident this month, and Colac’s guernseys on Saturday were adorned with “AM 36”, representing Mahoney’s initials and the No. 36 he wore at Otway Districts.
Colac and District, ranked 31st going into the match, won one of the closest games of the weekend against the 32nd-ranked hosts by two points at Murrabit.
Mahoney would have been wearing the No. 2 green and gold jumper.
Mahoney had played under Colac and District coach Adam Harris for three years.
“It really shocked the league so there was a little bit of an incentive there to get a win and the boys had that in the back of their minds,” Harris said.
“It’s just a sad situation. It shouldn’t happen, but unfortunately it did.”
Colac and District led at every change, but never by more than three points, and Golden Rivers stole the lead midway through the last quarter.
Harris said Christian Kelly with five goals, Liam McGuane and Andrew Delorenzo made the difference for Colac in a touch-and-go match.
“It was pretty tense,” he said.
“We controlled the last half of the quarter, had it all inside our 50, and we were fortunate to kick a couple of goals.
“Both sides were tremendous, they really had a crack, which sometimes in interleague footy you don’t get.”
