quentinA double header of sport!!!!!
January 18th 2010 00:17
Let me tell you all a story. A story of what is one of the more enjoyable double headers I've ever encountered in sport.
Due to a lucky quirk in the sports schedule for me, the Dandenong vs Canberra Women's Basketball game was on at 1pm and the Melbourne Victory vs Perth Glory A-League game was on at 7pm. Naturally, being as sports-obsessed as I am, I attended both and had some of the best fun I've had for a while.
Dandenong 65 lost to Canberra 79
The first leg of a sporting double header saw the Dandenong Rangers take on the Camberra Capitals in front of a packed house. This packed house is a very rare occurance but when you have Lauren Jackson playing (Canberra), she draws an extra 100-150 people on her own. I looked in amazement at how huge the crowd was and I knew that we would be in for something special. Meanwhile it was Alison Downie's 200th game (Dandenong) and she has been a wonderful player over the years for the Rangers. With all that in mind, I settled in for what promised to be a good game.
The first quarter opened with Canberra getting the early running and leading 8-2 until a timeout was called by Dandenong coach Dean Kinsmann. Following the timeout was the most extraordinary thing I've ever seen at a Dandenong game as Caitlin Ryan and Allison Downie both went berserk from the 3-point arc to shoot Dandenong to a 14-8 lead. Canberra coach Carrie Graf then called her own timeout and that was the end of the berserk shooting as Canberra grinded their way back into the game and at quarter-time it was 19-19.
There is a phenomonen down at the Dandenong Rangers called cold-quarter syndrome. Basically it's a curse where for one quarter each game, Dandenong go ice cold and cannot make a shot and get blown out. Sadly that quarter was the second quarter. Canberra came out and started making shots and drawing fouls. Dandenong could not buy a basket and they started throwing the ball away with ease. Each turnover was accompanied by groans and each missed shot also copped the same treatment. It's fair to say that Canberra really ran away with it with a 26-16 quarter to lead 45-35 at the half.
The third quarter was more of the same as Canberra's height continued to intimidate the Rangers. Despite Allison Downie continuing to pace them, the Rangers just kept throwing the ball away. It was really extraordinary and each turnover was an excuse for more frustration. We just struggled and Canberra did enough to extend the lead to 61-47 at the final change.
In these sorts of games, there is always a comeback of sorts for Dandenong. The first four minutes of the the last quarter gave us that belief. We played some ripping basketball and shots started getting knocked down. Downie was inspired by this stage and when she drained a basket from beyond the arc, it was 7 points the margin with plenty of time left. Sadly this was where our charge ended and Lauren Jackson and Co took over to lead Canberra to an 79-65 win.
For Canberra, Lauren Jackson had a game high 33 points and 7 rebounds, Natalie Hurst had 12 points and 5 assists and Abby Bishop had 11 points. As for Dandenong, Allison Downie had 27 points and 8 rebounds, Stephanie Cumming had 12 points and Caitlin Ryan had 8 points.
In all honesty, I couldn't be any prouder of the Dandenong Rangers. We were undersized throughout but we really had a red-hot dip. We had more shots and more rebounds which is a great effort and I saw a clear difference between the Dandenong under Dean Kinsmann and the Dandenong under previous coach Dale Waters to know that we do have a future under Kinsmann. Some of his substitutions were puzzling but in the end, our inability to knock down shots, get to the foul line and look after the ball proved to be the difference.
Melbourne Victory 6 defeated Perth Glory 2
So after the basketball, a relaxing trip into the city and a wonderful dinner at Melbourne Bar and Bistro which is an all you can eat restaurant, I wound up at Etihad Stadium for the second leg of my double header.
I was quietly confident that after 2 straight losses and being back at home, that the Victory would be able to get back into winning form. Little did I know that this would turn into a massive night of celebration for the Victory.
It was barely 4 minutes in and after a couple of close offsides, Carlos Hernandez sent a defence splitting pass and Archie Thompson made no mistake with the finish. Then Robbie Kruse took over for the Victory. Harnandez made another defence splitting pass and Kruse finished in the 12th minute. 6 minutes later we were all shocked out of our system as the Victory conceded a bizarre own goal with Vargas getting the final touch. We were all a little stunned but then Kruse restored our 2 goal lead, finishing off what was the move of the match. Ward long ball, Thompson flick on to Pondeljak who then ran and crossed it in for Kruse to finish from 2 yards. Kruse completed his hattrick after a Perth blunder when Jamie Coyne passed it straight to him. It was 4-1 at half-time and all we could do was give a standing ovation.
The second half kicked off and there was a bit of bewilderment. The Victory continued to dominate but after blowing a chance to make it 5-1, suddenly Perth were on the counter attack and Mile Sterjovski made it 4-2 with a curling shot past Mitchell Langerak. We were all bewildered and thoughts I reckon turned to the African Cup of Nations and Angola blowing a 4 goal lead to draw with Mali. The crowd was flat and there were a lot of nerves in the atmosphere. We should've known better though.
Robbie Kruse was taken off for "Starvin Marvin" (Marvin Angullo) and the chant of
ROBBIE, ROBBIE KRUSE
ROBBIE, ROBBIE KRUSE (repeat ad naseum)
starter. Sadly I was disappointed with this and personally I'd have rathered the more conventional
KKKKKRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRUUUUUU UUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEE EEEEE!!!!!!!!!
Be that as it may, Marvin Angullo provided the pass that saw Thompson tripped in the box and Kevin Muscat made it 5-2 from the penalty spot. Minutes later Angullo provided the pass for Hernandez to make it 6-2.
The last few minutes saw the whole stadium rocking and the thrill of a lifetime when a chant went around the whole stadium.
It started off with the following
WE'RE NORTH END, WE'RE NORTH END, WE'RE NORTH END OVER HERE (pointing to East)
After numerous false starts we got it completely
WE'RE NORTH END, WE'RE NORTH END, WE'RE NORTH END OVER HERE (pointing to East)
WE'RE EAST END, WE'RE EAST END, WE'RE EAST END OVER HERE (pointing to South)
WE'RE SOUTH END, WE'RE SOUTH END, WE'RE SOUTH END OVER HERE (pointing to West)
WE'RE WEST END, WE'RE WEST END, WE'RE WEST END OVER HERE (pointing to North)
Imagine that going around the stadium for a few minutes and then a huge round of applause for everyone for participating. It was huge.
At the end of the game it was Melbourne 6 defeating Perth 2 in front of a disappointing crowd of 20,448 people.
So really what can be said is that
a) There's a lot of sport on in Melbourne to follow
b) I love going to unique double headers in sport
c) I want another day like it even though it was a fairly expensive day
Due to a lucky quirk in the sports schedule for me, the Dandenong vs Canberra Women's Basketball game was on at 1pm and the Melbourne Victory vs Perth Glory A-League game was on at 7pm. Naturally, being as sports-obsessed as I am, I attended both and had some of the best fun I've had for a while.
Dandenong 65 lost to Canberra 79
The first leg of a sporting double header saw the Dandenong Rangers take on the Camberra Capitals in front of a packed house. This packed house is a very rare occurance but when you have Lauren Jackson playing (Canberra), she draws an extra 100-150 people on her own. I looked in amazement at how huge the crowd was and I knew that we would be in for something special. Meanwhile it was Alison Downie's 200th game (Dandenong) and she has been a wonderful player over the years for the Rangers. With all that in mind, I settled in for what promised to be a good game.
The first quarter opened with Canberra getting the early running and leading 8-2 until a timeout was called by Dandenong coach Dean Kinsmann. Following the timeout was the most extraordinary thing I've ever seen at a Dandenong game as Caitlin Ryan and Allison Downie both went berserk from the 3-point arc to shoot Dandenong to a 14-8 lead. Canberra coach Carrie Graf then called her own timeout and that was the end of the berserk shooting as Canberra grinded their way back into the game and at quarter-time it was 19-19.
There is a phenomonen down at the Dandenong Rangers called cold-quarter syndrome. Basically it's a curse where for one quarter each game, Dandenong go ice cold and cannot make a shot and get blown out. Sadly that quarter was the second quarter. Canberra came out and started making shots and drawing fouls. Dandenong could not buy a basket and they started throwing the ball away with ease. Each turnover was accompanied by groans and each missed shot also copped the same treatment. It's fair to say that Canberra really ran away with it with a 26-16 quarter to lead 45-35 at the half.
The third quarter was more of the same as Canberra's height continued to intimidate the Rangers. Despite Allison Downie continuing to pace them, the Rangers just kept throwing the ball away. It was really extraordinary and each turnover was an excuse for more frustration. We just struggled and Canberra did enough to extend the lead to 61-47 at the final change.
In these sorts of games, there is always a comeback of sorts for Dandenong. The first four minutes of the the last quarter gave us that belief. We played some ripping basketball and shots started getting knocked down. Downie was inspired by this stage and when she drained a basket from beyond the arc, it was 7 points the margin with plenty of time left. Sadly this was where our charge ended and Lauren Jackson and Co took over to lead Canberra to an 79-65 win.
For Canberra, Lauren Jackson had a game high 33 points and 7 rebounds, Natalie Hurst had 12 points and 5 assists and Abby Bishop had 11 points. As for Dandenong, Allison Downie had 27 points and 8 rebounds, Stephanie Cumming had 12 points and Caitlin Ryan had 8 points.
In all honesty, I couldn't be any prouder of the Dandenong Rangers. We were undersized throughout but we really had a red-hot dip. We had more shots and more rebounds which is a great effort and I saw a clear difference between the Dandenong under Dean Kinsmann and the Dandenong under previous coach Dale Waters to know that we do have a future under Kinsmann. Some of his substitutions were puzzling but in the end, our inability to knock down shots, get to the foul line and look after the ball proved to be the difference.
Melbourne Victory 6 defeated Perth Glory 2
So after the basketball, a relaxing trip into the city and a wonderful dinner at Melbourne Bar and Bistro which is an all you can eat restaurant, I wound up at Etihad Stadium for the second leg of my double header.
I was quietly confident that after 2 straight losses and being back at home, that the Victory would be able to get back into winning form. Little did I know that this would turn into a massive night of celebration for the Victory.
It was barely 4 minutes in and after a couple of close offsides, Carlos Hernandez sent a defence splitting pass and Archie Thompson made no mistake with the finish. Then Robbie Kruse took over for the Victory. Harnandez made another defence splitting pass and Kruse finished in the 12th minute. 6 minutes later we were all shocked out of our system as the Victory conceded a bizarre own goal with Vargas getting the final touch. We were all a little stunned but then Kruse restored our 2 goal lead, finishing off what was the move of the match. Ward long ball, Thompson flick on to Pondeljak who then ran and crossed it in for Kruse to finish from 2 yards. Kruse completed his hattrick after a Perth blunder when Jamie Coyne passed it straight to him. It was 4-1 at half-time and all we could do was give a standing ovation.
The second half kicked off and there was a bit of bewilderment. The Victory continued to dominate but after blowing a chance to make it 5-1, suddenly Perth were on the counter attack and Mile Sterjovski made it 4-2 with a curling shot past Mitchell Langerak. We were all bewildered and thoughts I reckon turned to the African Cup of Nations and Angola blowing a 4 goal lead to draw with Mali. The crowd was flat and there were a lot of nerves in the atmosphere. We should've known better though.
Robbie Kruse was taken off for "Starvin Marvin" (Marvin Angullo) and the chant of
ROBBIE, ROBBIE KRUSE
ROBBIE, ROBBIE KRUSE (repeat ad naseum)
starter. Sadly I was disappointed with this and personally I'd have rathered the more conventional
KKKKKRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRUUUUUU UUUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEEE EEEEE!!!!!!!!!
Be that as it may, Marvin Angullo provided the pass that saw Thompson tripped in the box and Kevin Muscat made it 5-2 from the penalty spot. Minutes later Angullo provided the pass for Hernandez to make it 6-2.
The last few minutes saw the whole stadium rocking and the thrill of a lifetime when a chant went around the whole stadium.
It started off with the following
WE'RE NORTH END, WE'RE NORTH END, WE'RE NORTH END OVER HERE (pointing to East)
After numerous false starts we got it completely
WE'RE NORTH END, WE'RE NORTH END, WE'RE NORTH END OVER HERE (pointing to East)
WE'RE EAST END, WE'RE EAST END, WE'RE EAST END OVER HERE (pointing to South)
WE'RE SOUTH END, WE'RE SOUTH END, WE'RE SOUTH END OVER HERE (pointing to West)
WE'RE WEST END, WE'RE WEST END, WE'RE WEST END OVER HERE (pointing to North)
Imagine that going around the stadium for a few minutes and then a huge round of applause for everyone for participating. It was huge.
At the end of the game it was Melbourne 6 defeating Perth 2 in front of a disappointing crowd of 20,448 people.
So really what can be said is that
a) There's a lot of sport on in Melbourne to follow
b) I love going to unique double headers in sport
c) I want another day like it even though it was a fairly expensive day
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