Round 3 Football Report
Round 3 Cranbrook vs. St. Aloysius
Saturday Results:
| Team | Score |
| 1st XI | 2-1 |
| 2nd XI | 0-3 |
| 10A | 3-3 |
| 9A | 0-1 |
| 8A | 5-3 |
| 7A | Wash Out |
With all of Year 7 and most of Year 10 fixtures unfortunately cancelled, it was a quieter Saturday
for Cranbrook Football – but there were still some exciting matches and strong performances
across the board.
The day kicked off with our Year 10A team, who, despite a host of injuries and going 2-0 down
early, showed great character to fight back for a 3-3 draw.
The 8A team continued their outstanding undefeated run, recording a 5-3 win. Their attacking
flair remains a standout feature this season.
Our 9A side delivered a much-improved performance, showing better structure and intensity.
However, despite their efforts, they narrowly went down 0-1 in a tight contest.
Meanwhile, the 10E team secured a convincing 3-0 win over Joeys B team, delivering one of the
day’s most dominant performances with a strong all-round effort.
A big congratulations to Shannon Selby and Zac Crowe for their selection in the CAS 1st
Football team.
Match Report: Cranbrook 1st XI 2 defeated St. Aloysius 1
The 1st XI took on St Aloysius in a tightly contested fixture that tested our composure. It was far
from our most polished performance, particularly in the first half, where we struggled to find
rhythm. Holding onto the ball for too long and forcing play through congested areas led to
repeated turnovers, allowing St Aloys to control the momentum early on. Their pressure was
rewarded with a well-earned goal that put them ahead midway through the first half.
However, our response was immediate. A swift counter-attack led to Zaya Askaro finding the
back of the net after some confusion in the oppositions box, with a composed finish to bring us
level at 1-1 before the break.
The second half saw a much-improved showing. We moved the ball with greater intent and
created a number of promising chances, showing far better structure in our build-up. Despite
sustained pressure, the breakthrough didn’t come until late in the game.
With just 10 minutes remaining, substitute Jamie Samios stepped up in spectacular fashion.
Picking up the ball outside the box, he unleashed a thunderous strike that sailed past the
keeper – a stunning goal that proved to be the winner.
While the performance left room for improvement, the team showed resilience and found a
way to secure the result. A 2-1 win, thanks to moments of individual brilliance and a much
stronger second half.
The focus now shifts to next week’s crucial fixture against Knox – a key match that will demand
a complete performance from start to finish.
Ben Rollinson
Head of Football
Match Report: Cranbrook 2nd XI 0 lost to St. Aloysius 3
Ooff! Wasn’t expecting that, but then again, nor was Iron Mike Tyson, undisputed champion of the
world when he was knocked out in the 10th round by 42-1 underdog James Buster Douglass in the
Tokyo Dome in 1990. There was some pretty early play with a beautiful diagonal ball by Luke Brady
to Ayrton Palmer who chested it down Zac Yaffa. And when Harry Wilcockson shifted the ball wide
to Kai Crotty who switched play to Jordi Singh who played another brilliant diagonal (I need a new
thesaurus because this one is terrible and it’s terrible) to the monumental artist and man of the
people, Henry Moore. We almost scored after Henry Moore’s superb free kick was taken down by
Luke Brady, who turned and found Jordi Singh, whose shot went just over the bar. Had that gone it
in, who knows? But the reality is that St Aloysius was jabbing effectively, and we were on the
backfoot, and just like Mike Tyson’s corner men, Coach Conor and I had no answers.
There was some smart defending by Harry Sewell and excellent defensive headers by Jordi Singh.
Eric Chen fielded a few tricky shots, and while they had the better of the game, they also didn’t have
a lot of chances. Lachie Read was determined in the middle of the park, and Harry Wilcockson’s
cover play was excellent. Nevertheless, we just weren’t there and they deserved their two-goal lead
at half time.
After half time, we started better, and some lovely one touch play involving George Poulos, Jamie
Samios, and Lachie Read led to a shot over the bar by Zac Yaffa. Five minutes later, we shifted to 4-
2-4 as we chased the game, and we looked the more likely to score, Ayrton Palmer and Don Dyer
gave us forward movement, but the ball just wouldn’t fall for Don. On a side note, Don fills up the
water bottles which I respect. It’s a simple act but it says a lot about the man. Lachie Read exchanged passes with Harry Golovsky, and Jamie Samios, who played in Zac Yaffa, but still no joy. Similarly, the creator of Recumbent Figure 1938 and Reclining Figure 1939, Henry Moore (nothing wrong with his thesaurus), cut back onto his right and shot just wide. Against the run of play Aloys iced the game in the 10th Round, with a third. The champions tried to find their feet but the ref counted us out. We could pretend it was one good shot, but the reality is they really deserved their win, just as Buster Douglass did.
There’s a great deal we can learn from this game, and as I always say if you can’t deal with defeat,
don’t compete. Finally, and just because I like it, after the fight in the Tokyo Dome when Buster
Douglass was asked how he was able to defeat such a fearsome opponent when no one gave him a
chance he responded, “because of my mother…God bless her heart.”
Anthony Bray
2nd XI Football Coach
