Goodbye to Autumn

The weather changed two or three weeks ago and we lit the open fire, as we have every night since. It's a great thing and especially so when firewood supply is no problem and the wood you have stored is well seasoned and dry from the rain. Not that I'm on top of it totally, there's a lot of wood exposed to the weather, I haven't yet got it all under cover in the shed but have had some there and some under tarps so I'm OK for now. There's dry spell forecast now for a few days and my plan is to barrow a lot of wood into the shed for the next month or so. I would have done it this weekend but I took the day off yesterday, at Lib's urging, to go with Gord to Powelltown to watch the Brookers, and I did museum roster today.

Gord wasn't playing, he has been training but is only offering his services if they can't get the numbers. So far the ressies have had enough. I felt it would do me good to go with him yesterday. I have been to Powelltown with him the last two years, two years ago it was his first game I think. I love the drive to there. There are some beautiful trees along the way, even the messmates somehow look better along the road nearing Powelly.

We arrived shortly before quarter time in the ressies. Gembrook had 3 goals 2 on the board and Powelly 5 behinds, which was the score at the break, The second quarter was all Poweltowns as they caught up on the scoreboard and really should have gone in well ahead at halftime but missed many shots. Gembrook were fumbling and looked quite inferior. I bought a meat pie at the canteen and a coffee. The pie was so hot I had trouble eating it without burning my mouth. I did burn my mouth. The lady put milk in the coffee without me asking for it, it was luke warm and insipid but the cost of both was $5.50, not bad hey.

The third quarter was much like the second, Powelly on top but not dominating the scoring. At the last break Gembrook was behind by a small margin. On top of the reserves ladder, Gemmy had to pull something out, The last quarter was a hard slog. Halfway through the quarter after two or three desperate acts I called early, they would win, and they did. I had a pasty during this. it was red hot like the pie but with lots of sauce and me going out the back away from the throng i ate it slowly in peace, this time with a straight black tea from a tea bag. Another $5.50 well spent.

The senior game kicked off and Gembrook looked ordinary. It's quite stark the contrast between the ressies and the seniors. It's obvious straight away that the standard of footy is higher, and some of those on the field are actually very good. Again, Gembrook did not look convincing, at half time scores were about level and with a number of Powelltown players looking confident and competent, it looked to me like the home side would win the game.

I went inside the Powelltown clubrooms at half time, not the changerooms, but the social room with all the pictures on the wall of past premiership teams, cricket and football. I was looking for an old teammate of mine from the early 1970's, Allan Warburton. He was a carpet layer, and just how I got onto him I don't know but he installed the carpet in our house extension in 1985. He said he was still playing footy for Poweltown. I had well and truly given it away by then. I found no mention of him on the walls which did not surprise. Al would have been at the end of his footy when he played there and while he was a good strong ruck rover he wasn't a star, although on his day he could dominate. His brother Lloyd was captain coach of Ormond Church of Christ in 1971-73. Lloyd was an excellent full forward, ex captain of Melbourne U19's. He kicked 150 goals in our premiership year of 1971 in the modest Eastern Suburbs churches League E grade. He was only 5 foot 9 inches in height which prevented him going on in the VFL as he was a genuine full forward type player but he had big strong hands and an excellent lead, very hard to stop. We had a good team in a competitive comp which had some excellent players despite its lowly status. We were runners up in D grade the next year and just missed the finals in C grade the following after a season mauled by some ugly brawling and fighting incidents on field after which the club wound up. I had three happy years of footy and social life there and didn't play again until 1978, except for some games at Qld Ag College in 1974 in their inaugural team in the SE Qld comp. Many of the players in that team were new to Aussie rules and we were poleaxed most games, once by 50 goals against Aviation, a team from the Oakey Army Aviation base which was comprised mostly of blokes from the south who'd played Aussie Rules all their lives. It was humbling and embarrassing but I have fond memory of it and the brave effort of my teammates who were on a hiding to nothing but loved it.

I have gotten away from my point but that is the beauty of blogging, you can do that. After half time Gembrook gained the upper hand emphatically and kicked eight goals to nought in the third quarter. It was impressive with hard working little blokes driving forward and strong defenders sending the ball back. The best of it was when big Clarky, the 36 or so year old co coach getting a lovely tap at a centre bounce down to a running captain Ricky Causer whose long well placed kick to full forward where Andrew Ship took a hanger from behind. Just classic footy. Shippy didn't kick the goal he gave a little pass to someone very close. It broke the back of the opposition.

Gord and I drove home slowly so as to minimise the chances of hitting a roo or wallaby, one of which jumped across the road in front of us quite close, and after Lib's altercation with one a couple of weeks ago I didn't want to be putting in another insurance claim.

It was nice coming home to a roaring hot fire that Rob and Lib had going when we got back after a little shopping in Yarra Junction. I had set the fire in the morning, which will be my habit most days if not all for the next three months or so.