IT wasn’t until early June in 2004 that Kangaroo Flat was able to play a home game that season on drought-ravaged Dower Park.

The Roos had played all over the place early on 12 years ago, including at Newbridge’s Riverside Oval and way out at Colbinabbin, before their home deck was ruled by council authorities as ‘satisfactory’.

But such are the vagaries of nature that not only did rain arrive before the Flat-Gisborne game got under way, but by 1.30 pm steady rain was falling. Then hail blanketed the arena at 2.10 pm just before the first bounce.

I was there as the around-the-grounds reporter for Fresh-FM radio and I scribbled in my match notebook that ‘rain started tumbling at 1.30 pm and got heavy by 2.05pm.’
“Then hail started falling at 2.10 pm just before central umpires Michael Breewel and Craig Findlay entered the arena,” I noted.
The Graveyard Dogs had gone into the game with first-gamer Ben Wilkinson who had grown playing up with the Gisborne junior sides.
It was a top afternoon, damp or not, for the Dogs’ big Bundy Reaper. The ‘Action Attraction’ slotted 13 goals to reach the half-century mark just before the final siren sounded.
It took him just 50 seconds into the opening quarter to nail the first of his bakers’ dozen.
Ronnie Wicks, playing his 351st game for the Flat, drilled the opening goal for the Green And Whites six minutes in.
Majors to Reaper (2) and then Luke Saunders right on the quarter-time siren stretched the Gisborne lead to 18 points by the first change.

TWEAKS to the Gisborne structure saw Daniel Saunders moved from the wing to a half-back flank and Ty Elliott onto the vacated wing position as the second term opened.
Reaper hammered home his fifth goal of the day at the eight-minute mark and by half-time his 2004 season tally had reached 44.
Justin Condely was playing a top game in defence for the Roos and early in the third term hauled in a fine mark at centre half-back.
The Roos had opened the second half brightly, drilling the opening three goals to Daniel Pavlou, Wicks and Manning.
With Condely and Mark Austin doing well in the Flat back half, it took Gisborne until the 15-minute mark to slot their first goal.
Who else but Reaper? He got his fifth followed shortly afterwards by a dribbled six-pointer from Jordan Barham’s boot.
By the last change the Bulldogs had opened up a 57-point advantage with Reaper sitting on nine goals and Barham with 3.5 to his name, including two posters.
The last quarter was a lame affair with perhaps the only interest in Reaper’s final, personal tally.
He got his 13th major, and 50th for the ’04 season, at the 28-minute mark. Reaper finished the day with 13.3 while Barham’s count was 4.5.
Saunders nailed just a pair for Gisborne. Michael Lugeman was named the Flat’s best on the day although I thought Condely was more than serviceable with Steve Humphrey --- known to the broadcast crew as ‘Humphrey B. Bear’ in honour of the voiceless TV character --- also handy.
Jason Duff-Tyler controlled the ruck battles for Gisborne with Matt Cannard, Simon Elsum and the two Saunders, Daniel and Luke, also in the best.

IN other games 12 years ago Sandhurst just got over the line against Eaglehawk in the broadcast game, Maryborough scored a big win at the Kyneton Showgrounds and Golden Square got home by an even five goals over Castlemaine.
The really big news from the Dragons’ camp that weekend was that star centre half-forward Ben Sexton was on the verge of returning to footy.
Naturally the news was a huge boost for the fortunes of the Hurst, without a senior premiership for 21 seasons as 2004 rolled on.
Sexton had coached Sandhurst to the 2003 preliminary final and was scheduled to make his return against arch-rivals Golden Square at the QEO on July 3rd.
Sandhurst coach David Collins conceded Sexton “hadn’t done much training because of his work commitments but added “Ben is still pretty fit.”
“We don’t expect him to come straight back in and be a dominant player. We plan to use him as a role player and with Mitro (skipper Wayne Mitrovic) to add to our line-up we believe we’ll cause quite a few other clubs some concerns,” Collins added.
The Hurst won a low-scoring contest in shocking conditions at the QEO, a victory described by Addy sports editor Adam Bourke as “one of the club’s best in recent years.”
The Two Blues scooted out to a 26-point lead early in the second term. By that stage the Dragons had not scored a goal.
And they struggled just to get the ball anywhere near the forward 50.
Then led by a midfield foursome the Hurst took over. With Rick Andrews, Kieran Nihill, Rob Thornton and Leigh Gathercole outstanding, Sandhurst became the enforcers.
Spearhead Mark Fitzgerald, starved of chances in the opening quarter-and-a-half, came to life. He nailed the Hurst’s first two goals of the match and by the long break Eaglehawk’s lead was back to 12 points: 2.6 to 4.6.

THE Hawks weren’t about to let the four premiership points go without a struggle. Daniel Rankin roved a pack late in the third stanza to keep Eaglehawk within reach.
Rankin’s goal was timely. Before that Fitzgerald, Zac Perez and Ryan Haythorpe were all on target as the Dragons eased out to a 15-point buffer.
Eaglehawk needed the first goal of the last term to put scoreboard pressure on the Hurst, but it was Haythorpe who bobbed up with the opening goal of the final quarter.
Finally a screamer of a mark from Daniel Geary followed by a much-needed major was Eaglehawk’s only reply and the Dragons held on for a well-deserved win.
Kyneton’s mid-season slump continued with the embattled Tigers copping an 85-point drubbing from a spirited Maryborough at the Showgrounds.
The win was the third on the trot for the Magpies with coach Neville Massina looking to have his troops firing.
The Tigers actually led by seven points at quarter-time in cold and blustery conditions. They booted four goals to three, using the wind advantage well.
But from early in the second term, Maryborough held sway. The Magpies added 19 majors to five with full-forward Keenan Reynolds (four goals) and flanker Jamie Elliott (4) in charge during a dominant second term.
Maryborough had torn the game apart by the long interval leading 12.7 to 5.6.
And then six goals against the wind in the third term sealed the game for the Magpies, burying any chances the Tigers entertained of a second half fightback.
Ruckman Sam Steele was inspirational for the Pies throughout the game, giving on-ballers Joel Malone, Lincoln Grant and Ryan Morgan first use of the footy.
Matt Waters was Kyneton’s shining light in attack, nailing four of his side’s nine goals. Other triers for the Tigers were Lachlan Fletcher and Declan Neale in the back half, but they were eventually overpowered by the constant Maryborough barrage.

GOLDEN Square rebounded from a Rd. 7 104-point flogging against Gisborne to stay in the race for fifth spot and a finals berth.
The Bulldogs led all day at Wade Street’s Xerox Oval in a win described by coach Darren Walsh as “confidence building and one that was needed.”
“We just had to win if we wanted to stay in touch with the five,” he said.
Kicking with the breeze in the opening stanza the Dogs nailed six goals to one to open up a handy lead. But it was their effort in the second term which ultimately won it for the Square.
They restricted the Magpies to just two goals with the breeze with the home side’s players nailing 21 tackles for the quarter.
And even though they were still six goals down –- 6.8 to 12.10 -- heading into the final term, the Maine were still in with a chance with the wind at their backs.
Coach Paul Eyles and backmen Brendan Shepherd and Leigh Rees were their big hopes. But the Maine managed just 2.5 in the final term.
Once again the Bulldog defence was stout. Aaron Hawkins and Adam Bovalino were the defensive re-bounders and they worked in well with on-ballers Christian Carter and Jarrod Quinn.
Golden Square finished with nine goalkickers for the day with Bendigo Pioneers graduate Ryan Colbert leading the list with three.
Walsh and Quinn eased home two apiece while for the Maine nobody topped more than single major.
The sixth-placed Square was still one clear game behind fifth-placed Castlemaine with big games coming up against Sandhurst (2nd) and Eaglehawk (3rd).
Walsh predicted not only those two fixtures but also the coming six weeks would decide Square’s destiny.
“Those six weeks are crucial for us. The boys at least have regained that winning confidence after Saturday’s win,” he told the Advertiser.
“And I would say we have an excellent chance of beating Eaglehawk and it’s always a great match between us and Sandhurst.”

Final scores: Gisborne 25.19 (169) def. Kang. Flat 9.4 (58), Sandhurst 7.13 (55) def. Eaglehawk 6.8 (44), Maryborough 22.11 (143) def. Kyneton 9.9 (63), Golden Square 13.13 (91) def. Castlemaine 8.13 (61). Bye: South Bendigo.
Top Five: Gisborne 8 wins 0 losses; Sandhurst 7, 1; Eaglehawk 5, 3; Maryborough 5, 3 and Castlemaine 4, 4.
Flat was in the cellar without a win after 8 rounds. Each club was awarded four premiership points for a bye back in those days of a nine-club competition.

Richard’s tips for Round 7: Sandhurst, Gisborne, Strathfieldsaye, Golden Square and South Bendigo (at Harry Trott oval).
Season tally for 2016: 24.