Dees’ first hit out shows promise for 2022 season
Originally published in the Dubbo Photo News
The weather left much to be desired, but community spirit was thriving as the Dubbo Demons faced the Tumbarumba Roos last weekend to commemorate the late Izac Cornell.
The women kicked off the day in wet and windy conditions, with the local Roos getting the edge over our outnumbered Dees outfit. Dubbo travelled with just nine players, relying on Tumbarumba to boost numbers, and still playing one down the entire game.
Despite the disappointing result, coach Peter Martinoli said what he saw was promising as the team prepares for the season to kick off in April.
“Obviously rain affected us, but the skills were still high and ball movement was good even with a player missing. We probably died a bit in the last five minutes but generally still kept going. It's hard to get match fitness without playing a match and that showed, but fitness to move off the ball was still there, and everyone was willing to get to that next contest,” he said.
Two players stepped onto the field for the first time for the Demons, and Martinoli said they slotted in well.
“They’ve obviously been doing the hard work at training and that paid off apart from a couple of skill errors. There’s room for improvement but it looked like they'd been there for years.
As well as assessing fitness and skills levels, coach Martinoli said there was more to the weekend than just a game.
“We went south to celebrate a life! We never know what [Tumbarumba] are going to come out with but it’s always a fantastic day.”
Tumbarumba coach Glenn Lavis said it was a great result for his team of mismatched players.
“We asked who wants to play and then the girls came and asked me to coach them and teach them some skills. It’s just fun all around, not too serious, but good for the Dubbo girls to get a bit of a practice match in too,” said Lavis.
Returning player Kristen Coady took out best on field for the Demons. After only starting Aussie Rules last year, Kristen has become a key player for the team playing across both the midfield and backline.
Tumbarumba’s Ally Grant took out best on field for the home team.
The weather didn’t get any better for the men’s game later that afternoon. Constant rain made for a slippery ball and the men also struggled to get full numbers for the six-hour road trip. The Dees will still have two grades in the men's comp and numbers are expected to increase now the cricket season has finished.
Despite a hard effort from the men their defeat was inevitable however there was at least one clear positive for the Demons – Joseph Hedger was named man of the match.
Tumbarumba captain, Hunter Clayton congratulated him on a fantastic game.
“I was at the contest with Joe, I blinked and he’s down the other end of the field! I feel like he's a real heart and soul player for your club, and played a cracking game today.”
Tumbarumba’s Josh Molkentin thanked Dubbo for making the trip down for the weekend which ended with a cross-club get together after the short presentation.
“We really love you coming up here and really appreciate you for helping to chuck this on each year. It's really important that we keep this alive, and we really want to make it something very special and build on our friendships.”
The clubs have been running the memorial match weekend for 12 years to remember the life and impact of clubman Izac Cornell. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 restrictions Izac’s family were unable to attend the games.
The Demons travel to Bathurst on Saturday for the 2022 season launch round robin.