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Dande. Snatches Final—Thrilling
Last Minute
Recovery
If you weren’t over at Cheltenham last Sat
urday to see Dandenong snatch the Federal League
final from Black Rock by a narrow margin of four
points, you missed a thrill.
It was hard, fast, spectacular football with the fortunes
of the game fluctuating excitingly. Fifteen minutes to go Dan
denong looked “home and dried.’’ But Black Rock, with a thrill
ing last-minute burst, wiped out a three-goal deficit and hit
the front. Then it was that Dandenong’s dogged fighting spirit
asserted itself and they fought back amid the roars of the
crowd,' to pull the* game out of the fire in the time-on period.
But there was only four points in it—and it could just as easily
have been the other way! It was the real champagne of foot
ball, this game:
—And now for the grand final!
BLACK ROCK’S EARLY
SUCCESS
BLACK ROCK showed their
mettle with a quick swoop for an
early goal from Atkinson, the re
sult of a doubtful free.
Walker and Jesephs came
again and Walker banged!
another one through. 1
Jackie Sales held a slick,
juggling mark on the wing and
Brierty despatched them goal
wards again. Twice. French
marked surely to shut them out
but Hardy flew high for a finger
tip mark and. Walker took his
■pass to slam on Black Rock’s
third goal in the first five
minutes.
It was • a sensational opening.
Conditions were good and
Dandenong were being outplayed :
and outsmarted, especially by j
the nippier smaller brigade.
Johnston saved with a mark I
in the teeth of goals, but
Walker, starring in the air, I
pulled down another for a point. |
Campbell and French were
under notice for fine marks and
Dandenong began to settle
down. A shot by Johnston was
stopped almost on the line. Then,
Thomas forwarded land Foun- ]
tain tore through to boot Dan- j
denong’s first goal. j
Mahoney was already under
notice for rock-like defence and
Byron, too, turned the Rocks
with a flying mark. Curtis and
Fountain carried the ball round
the wing and Campbell popped
it through for second goal.
Mahoney screwed cleverly out
of trouble to clear. McCoy and
Smethurst forwai’ded but Hardy
repulsed the thrust with a fine
mark.
A nice flash of football pro
duced Dande’s third goal. Bax
ter marked in the centre, slung
the ball across to Fountain, who
adroitly tricked his opponent,
picked out Morris and Williams
tapped the ball through off the
ground for full points.
Black Rock’s response was in
stantaneous, but Walker unbe
lievably missed from point-blank
range from only a few yards out
—and at an open goal at that.
Campbell dragged down a good
one and Maher and McCoy con
tinued tn combine well in de
fence for Dandenong. At
quarter-time the board showed:
Black Rock 3.3, Dandenong 3.0.
The Rocks were clapping the
pace on and their small men
were excelling around the packs.
This was exhilarating football.
Fountain ducked and dodged
cleverly on the wing. Perkins,
right out of the picture up till
now, got hits first kick in—a good i
one. I
Fast and elusive, Sales flashed
.through to score a. point. Far- 1
row marked from Perkins to re- j
ply with the same.
Grabbing the ball off the
ground, Sales snapned quickly
for Black Rock’s fourth goal.
Freed at a. throw-in, Campbell
retorted with a point for Dande
. nong.
Bruce, Fountain and Morris
combined well to come again,
but the last-named shot across.
Marking right on the boundary,
, Byron, with hardly daylight
. showing between the posts, was
unlucky to see a bullet-like stab
hit the post.
The Rocks had the edee on
Dandenong for pace, but French
was doing a grand job in defence
—Mahoney, too.
Taking Bruce’s pass, Farrow
added a. point and'Thomas and
Fountain got two more.
DANDE. HITS THE FRONT
As Fitzpatrick grubbed his
kick-off, Morris dashed in to pro
fit from the slip and his goal
put Dandenong in front for the
first time.
Purcell started the next at
tack but Farrow was off the tar
get.
Then Morris earned the
plaudits of the crowd for a
typically brilliant bit of foot
ball. Gathering in the tap
out from behind the pack he
fended off an opponent with
cne hand, dodged cleverly and
slammed on a beautiful goal.
Meehan and Sales were promi
nent now and French was de
servedly applauded for a well
judved mark in defence.
There was a howl of anger
from the crowd as Keith John
ston stopped a terrific kick in the |
leg—but nlayed on almost un
concernedly. With Campbell he
was rucking well.
Byron marked in front for the I
possible.
Lehrke and Rogers combined
well to save for Black Rock arid
McCoy was showing the opposi
tion his pace at the other end.
After marking, Morris drove for
goals from a long way out, his
shot just being touched. It de
served a better reward.
Baptist marked and Perkins,
waiting behind the pack, snapped
a point.
Hardy was unlucky to hit the
post in the Rock’s response.
Josephs, flew over the pack for a
geod one.
As Sales raced in to shoot
again, Walker marked right in
the goalbaso to goal as the siren
sounded for half-time. Dande.
were leading. —but ‘only just.
Scores: Dandenong 6.7, Black
Rock 5.6.
Dandenong began with a light
ning thrust and “Whoozie” Wil
liams, marking in the pocket got
seventh, goal with ,a nice angle
shot.
Back came the Rock’s smart
response as Stafford broke fast
from the pack and Atkinson
marked for the possible.
I The Rocks were rallying
! strongly now and the crowd were
on their tees. Falking.ham’s
side-on snap returned a point.
Then Sales with a clever over
head hand-pass opened; the way
i for Parker to run in and goal.
Plenty of action now. This was
I good football as Morris hand
balled to Williams for another
point.
I The steadiness of Baxter and
I Perkins stood to Dandenong re
peatedly as the Rook 1 punched
home attack . after attack.
Mahoney was rarely beaten and
| Lr&hrke was in everything —one
of his marks was a beauty.
Parkier added a point and a
bit of a heated' Forush intensified
the crowd’s interest.
The Seasiders were on top now
•and Atkinson ? “torped/” one
through for a good goal.
Baxter’s canny play around the
centre was invaluable to Dande
nong and he helped l get the ball
to Farrow for a shot which hit
the post.
Morris pulled down a slashing
mark in the pack and as 1 Dande
nong pressed hotly, Smethurst
hooked the hall through “off the
carpet” for a tonic goal.
Back came the Rocks with a
point from Falkingham —and
then the mercurial Sales dived
acrobatically for a low mark
and a goal. Just for good
measure he followed up with a
point.
Baptist was now shining m
defence with Mahoney. Johnson,
too, was doing good work, but
Black Rock were in the ascen
dancy. Atkinson, in good form,
got his third goal for the quarter
and then Sales and Parker
snapped points. At this stage
the red .and' blacks were giving
Dandenong a football lesson as
Brierty rounded off some flash
ing handball with a point.
| Dandenong came hack into the
1 picture with a glorious’ goal from
Baxter. Freed, he let fly with
a splendid drop-kick which
Campbell shepherded through
I the sticks.
Baxter and Baptist were put--
; ting in some sterling work, now,
: and Morris, threading skilfully
, through the pack, goaled cleverly
: to clip ‘ Dandenong’s leeway to
five points.
Not to be out-done Parker tore
through and goaled as the siren
sounded to put Black Rock 11
points ahead. Scores: Black
Rock 11.14, Dandenong 10.9.
Dandenong came out, spiritedly
for the crucial quarter and as
Baxter was freed., Byron flew
high to null down a good one .and
send the hall swinging through
with 5 sweet droo-kick. As Sales
and Krause struck back
Mahoney checked them with a
flying mark.
Dandenong fans roared as Pur
cell staibbed in to Farrow for a
mark and a< goal.
1 Prrjkins further lifted tfhd
morale of the side with a spec
tacular goal. Freed in the! centre,
be let fl.v with) a beautiful drop
kick wliicfii tricked the pack,
j sailed over their heads and
bounced through the open goal
as Black R.ock defenders des
perately raced back too late.
A dramatic change had come
over the game —and Dandenong
were seven points in front!
i Fountain .and McCoy were well
in it now and Byron got a. p°int
off the hands of the pack. With
Morris excelling, Dandenong
added a point.
Baptist drove Black Rock
off with "one of his driving kicks,
ißextev milled -down the mark
ond played to Fountain for a
goal. "
Thomas, Morris and Bruce
combined beautifully but the
last-named missed.
Dandenong thought t.hev had
the game won when “Killer” Mo
no v kicked the second goal of his
career.
Dandenong’s defenders were
doing a grand job but the opposi
tion forced a point.
Then Walker revitalised the
Red and Blacks as he slammed
one through an open goal.
Another point and they were
right back in the game.
The air was electrical as
Parker, scouting oannily behind
the pack, whipped another one
through —and Dandenong’s lead
had shrunk to five points. -
A free to Winship, a mark by
Walker and the Rocks had
crashed through again to take
the lead by a point!
Rain was falling now—and it
looked as if Dandenong's eas
ing off when in front was going
to prove fatal. Parker increased
the Rocks lead by a point.
Twice running Johnston drove
the Rocks off. A free to Mahoney
and Thomas put Dandenong into
desperate attack. Baxter’s shot
fell short hut then Morris, show
ing football genius, twisted clear
of the pack and gave Byron a
mark , from which he coolly
scored the winning goal in
drizzling rain.
Almost immediately the siren
sounded .and Dandenong had
won the game of the year by
four points in a photo finish.
Pinal scores:
Dandenong 16.10
Black Rock 14.18
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