Broadview Hawks Football Club

Hawks Survive Slow Start Against Blues May 12th

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It was a beautiful day that greeted a pumped up Hawks outfit at Humberline Park on Saturday. A huge crowd was on hand as there were whispers that Mr. Football himself, Marty Walter, may be playing in the first ever OAFL 'Rec Footy' match. The senior side was also starting their season, against a Central Blues side that everyone knew would be much improved.

Walter disappointed the crowd by reluctantly pulling out at the last minute due to a strained heart muscle. He still managed to fight through the pain and pace the boundary impressively, stopping only to pick daisies with his daughter and have a quick game of patty cake. Despite losing their 'star' player and a no-show from anchor Dan Noone, the Hawks' second side still felt confident and took to the field, led by substitute captain Brendan "If I had a beard I would be Gimli" Bell.

Right from the get go, the Hawks were in control and kept the Blues' seconds scoreless in the first half. This history making game was a great way to open the Hawks season and the boys came out with a 40 point win. Things will only get better for the Hawks B side as the year goes on.

Then it was time for the main game to get under way. A sluggish Hawks side took to the ground and found themselves two goals down in the first ten minutes. The Blues looked impressive moving the ball out of the square and flooding the forward line. JD "Guns" Ney worked hard in the backline to clear the ball on several occasions and was only pushed over a half dozen times. As the Hawks middle struggled to find targets and move the ball, the first sign of scoring finally came half way though the quarter from Danny Walker. Picking up where he left off last year, he promptly kicked it out of bounds on the full. The first goal finally came from Rhys "Frodo" Harris and was the first of his three for the day. At the end of the quarter, it was clear this wouldn't be a walk in the park for the boys and the shell-shocked Hawks found themselves with work to do.

After some stern words from the Super Coach, the second quarter saw more even play from the Hawks as they started to find their feet and the ball. Building the best wall they could, Stefan "Ghost" Leyhane and Luke "Bangs" Walker managed to slow the flow of goals and the Hawks pulled the lead back and put themselves in the game. The moral was building and kicks were hitting targets and the move to send Nick "Little Treasure" Shuttleworth into the forward line started paying dividends as he opened his account on his way for six for the day.

The second half saw the Hawks take the lead in the premiership quarter and have a nice three or four goal lead heading into the final stretch. Kelly "Cannonball" Formela fiercely contested any 50-50 ball and marking pack he could get close to and might have earned himself a spot on the back flank. Although not kicking any goals, Rob "I need a nickname" Vickers' play around the forward line was not unnoticed. He ended up having five shots at goal and managed to push an opponent's spine through his chest in a heated discussion over the price of fuel. Ian "Pipsqueak" Graham had one of his best efforts and kept his feet, saving the flips for after the game. Jono "Tool of the week" Barlow combined well with Chris "Angry" Phyland to give the middle its drive. The best on ground performance from Rhys "Frodo" Harris should see his selection in the Northwind side firm, and other strong performances came from Nick "Eating machine" Barden, Pablo "Digits" Willis, and Mario "Worst flag signaling ever" Pareja for his half arse goal umpiring.

Post-game ceremonies were held at the Grace O'Malley's where the night held many new adventures for the boys and was led by Aubrey "Magic gloves" Harris, who singled out a young lady quicker than Marty could call up the B team. Shuttleworth refused the option of underwear, still going with the jeans with the rip in the arse, causing the bar security to eye off the group. Through reliable sources on Facebook, photographic evidence has been spotted of Ian and Danny doing a half-nude drunken photoshoot for a crowd of ladies while standing in the street. Further investigation will be needed.

The Hawks have the long weekend off before facing the High Park Demons on May 24th at noon.