Supercoach Heaven makes it two in a row !

About the same time last year, Old Trinity hosted Old Caulfield and walked away with a 100 point loss and a big dent to the ego.  In 2008, both teams again met at Hudson Oval with very different looking line ups.  Trinity’s thirds were up in confidence coming off a solid win against Whitefriars whereas Caulfield were searching for some form after dropping the first two by healthy margins.  The mood was mixed in the Trinity rooms before the game, the boys that were there were buzzing and keen to get started.  Meanwhile, the search was on for the rest of the team…Amiconi – coming direct from Red Hill…Jed Burgess – we think he’s pulled out…Medland – perhaps another casualty…Jose – not sure…Bernard’s jumper – seems to be missing.  Welcomed back to the team were a couple of seasoned veterans, Michael Thwaites returned to bolster the backline and Scott Langdon (looking more like a seasoned Roast Pork than a seasoned veteran) was back in the line up to give the team much needed voice and another onball option.

The skipper won the toss and kicked with the strong breeze.  It was going to be vital that Trinity got off to a flying start to further rock Caulfield’s flagging confidence.  Hugh Doyle would be required to do much of the ruck work with Axel out with a knee complaint.  Doyle won the first of many hit outs and Trinity immediately started applying the pressure on the Caufield’s backline.  Tim Cade was using the breeze effectively and kicked a beautiful long goal from 50 metres out.  The skipper took full advantage of this also and snuck behind the contesting pack on another Tim Cade forward 50 entry and snagged a sleazy rover’s goal midway through the first quarter.  It was becoming clearer that the wind was strongly favouring the Trinity end, so the urgency and intensity lifted in an effort to take full advantage.  An early setback was the loss of  Bernard  to a leg injury, but  Albert  and Rowan Hill were working hard and creating numerous opportunities up forward.  Dubba kicked a goal from 70 metres out as it dropped, rolled, was touched, rolled some more and finally passed the line with a friendly verdict by the goal umpire.  Scotty Meighan kicked a lovely long goal from a strong mark and Trinity went in with a solid lead of 6 goals to 1. 

The second quarter would be the decisive one, how would Caulfield respond with the wind at their back?  They came out strong and moved the ball into the forward 50 on a number of occasions in the first 5 minutes of the quarter.  In a clever move, Coach Heaven placed young Amiconi (displaying a seductive amount of chest hair through a rip in the jumper) loose in defence.  Amiconi would prove invaluable in the last line thwarting several Caulfield attacks and along with a dominant backline with the likes of Dicko, C-Man and Thwaites (containing more chunky thighs than a 50-piece bucket of KFC) Trinity remarkably kept Caulfield goalless for the quarter conceding just a solitary point.  Will Brady was impressive and his run off the half back was important.  Meanwhile, Trinity managed to add 1 goal 5 to their tally.  Had it not been for inaccurate kicking, the half time position could have been even more impressive.  Rowan Hill hit the post from 20 metres out, but was receiving some savage sledging after claiming a mark that appeared to have stopped mid-air, turned 70 degrees and then dropped in his arms without touching anybody.

The door was still slightly ajar with Trinity only 7 goals up.  Coach Heaven demanded his charges remain focussed and keep up the intensity at the ball.  The first 5-10 minutes of the third quarter would be crucial.  The boys did not let Chubba down.  With big Doyle winning every ruck contest, Tim Cade, Amiconi and the skipper were able to get the ball forward on most occasions.  A strong mark and goal from Constantinou in his first game of the year was impressive, he looks to be a good prospect for the Clubbies in 2008.   Albert continued his elusive form and snagged another goal; opposition backmen are finding it extremely difficult to stop him.  Trinity slammed home another 6 goals for the quarter, stretching the lead to 80 points.  Strangely, the coach didn’t seem happy, the sight of Chris Amiconi slotting through a goal after receiving a pass from Scott Langdon, seemed to make him uncomfortable.  The Trinity crowd also groaned a little.

 The challenge in the 4^th quarter was to finish the match off strongly.  With Caulfield kicking with the wind and with the sizeable margin, the tendency could have been to drop off a little and concede a few goals.  This Trinity team had different ideas though and continued to force the ball forward.  The skipper was unsighted for the quarter, some say he was injured, others believe that Caulfield’s ruckman (number 41) had snorted him like an orange at 3 quarter time.  Rowan Hill moved into the midfield to get a few touches and add some grunt to the centre contests.  The forward line was looking a little shorter without Hill and Dubba, who was halfway down to the beach to buy a surfboard.  Highlights in the last quarter included Stu Cade marking the ball on the goal line and dribbling the ball through for a goal whilst the Trinity bench booed, and 15 people on the sidelines becoming ropable as Scott Langdon threatened to kick a late goal.  Thankfully he handed the ball over to a teammate in a better position.  Scott Langdon being sledged by Doug Frood from the balcony, (Michelin man was used at some stage).  Will Brady bringing out the windmills when celebrating what seemed like his first goal in history. 

Overall it was a strong win by Trinity who have combined its old heads with some terrific young players.  The Trinity Club 18s go into the next round sitting in 4^th place and face the winless Old Scotch.  Trinity/Scotch games are always competitive and this meeting will be no different as Trinity play their first away game for the season.  A win will consolidate a position in the top 4, a loss will bring the team back to the field.