If you are a player, partner or friend of the Old Reds - I'm pretty sure you would have caught up with the news from Saturday night. We had four teams in four Grand Finals ... and we won them all.
It was an incredible day. On behalf of the day, I want to thank Purge for hosting the Grand Final day BBQ. I want to thank Tom Ricketts and the crew at the Seven Stars for having us in after the games, for shouting us some beer and buying us pizza because the kitchen was closed. I want to thank Simon Miller, Mark Waters, Simon Caldwell and Jay Nguyen for scoring - I know it sucks having to score when you just want to sit back and watch the games. I want to thank all the supporters for coming out and watching and cheering on the teams - the Lady Reds did a great job supporting us all day.
Before we get to the game reports - just a reminder that the Club Lunch is Saturday October 12th. The email I see has all the details but keep the RSVPs coming through please. We have 40 people coming so far with another 20 guys still to respond ... looking like the biggest lunch ever ... we only have something little to celebrate too.
Finally - well done to the Monday team - they won their 6th straight title (Mike, Darcy, Flair, Lunny, Davey, Ben Orken and Heimy). Commiserations to the Thursday C Grade team - they lost their Grand Final last Thursday.
This is the most epic review of the Grand Finals ever ... let's do this shit!
A's v Gateway A - I tend to write game reports from looking at the scoresheet and then patch together who scored what in what order ... I looked at this scoresheet and it was all a blur. Probably due to the couple of pre-game bevvies I consumed to calm the nerves ... and the uncontrollable nerves I had throughout the game ... stupid beer didn't work*.
Here is
Gateway's website - as of Wedensday no report - but I think it will be up soon.
I was talking to Purge before the game and I told him that in the 5 previous years, I entered the A Grand Finals feeling that we were the better team - that if we played the game 10 times we would have won 7 or 8 times out of 10. This game didn't feel like that ... it felt like if we played it 10 times - we would win it 5 times and they would win it 5 times. Gateway had their full squad for the first time all year. They had Smith who is still so incredibly good at basketball - he is a great big man through which their whole team flows. They also have another solid big in Meyer, who can rebound, bang, score low and hit the outside 3. They then surround those 2 with 5 versatile, scoring guards - McKinnon, Kerwin, Tommy, Joel Horskins (young kid who can shoot the piss out of it) and Jo Vucetic (the most dangerous scorer in our league). It is a tough combination to stop - bigs who can score and rebound and then shooters all over the perimeter and then combine that with the fact they can run and finish on the break. The keys were to not turn the ball over, get to the shooters in our 3-2 and let Corey, Orks and Tauny control the Gateway bigs one on one.
The game started well - Phil got inside for 2 and they were leaving him open for 3 and he hit back to back to get the scoring underway. Jo and Joel hit long 2's for Gateway and Smith scored inside. It was an arm wrestle but the A's pulled ahead 17-11 when Tauny scored on a perfectly drawn up out of bounds play and Liam got intentionally fouled, hit both FTs and hit a 3 on the inbound. Gateway scored late and the score was 17-14 going into halftime.
I remember very little about the 2nd half - Jack hit a 3 from the top and Corey scored inside and then the scoring dried up for the Reds. Gateway hit a couple of 3's to stay in touch and Smith scored on a nice fadeaway. It was back and forth but Gateway were just chipping away and it felt like for a moment they were getting the momentum. But cometh the moment, cometh the man ... and in times like that you need a big man ... and then biggest man** stepped in. Orks scored on a crazy tip in to take back some momentum. He then scored off a nice pass inside and finished on a tough lefty alley-oop on the break to get the score to 4. Phil then cut to the basket and scored on a layup and the score was 6 with a minute to go. This is where it gets blurry ... I know Corey was fouled on the inbound and made the 2 clutchest FTs. Jo went 1 of 2 from the line. We were up 4 and Joel made a crazy 3 and Phil was then fouled with 0.5 left on the clock ... Reds up 1. He missed the first and missed the second on purpose - the ball got batted around and Gateway couldn't get a shot off.
Reds win 35-34. Orks had 11 (9 in the 2nd half), Phil 10 and Liam 5.
It was a great team effort - Phil was huge in the 1st half and made an important shot late in the game and played great D, Orks crushed the 2nd half and has finally tapped into his incredible potential and was not overawed by the moment, Jack got 10-12 rebounds and was all over the place, Liam had 30 seconds of scoring but his work getting to all the outside jumpers was vital, Corey got a massive rebound in the dying stages that I would argue no one else in the league would have been able to get to, Tauny was a rock off the bench and has a huge future with the team and Foo and Hobbs has quiet games off the bench but didn't complain about minutes - they knew it was about the team.
Huge shout out to Purge who controlled the bench, made some key moves and got all the rotations spot on. I will also say that the recounting on his blog last week about the semi final from a few years ago played a small part in getting the boys fired up and tuned it ... it is not just about this team but everything that come before them. This team is set for the next 5 years - we are going to keep doing special things for years to come.
6 in a row ... unbelievable. If people look at the record books (if there were record books) and see this run that our club has been on, they would think that we stack our teams with old NBL and ABA guys, that we had the same team for the whole 6 year run, that we were that much better than everyone in the league. It is isn't true - every year is a new team - this year had 4 new guys, we lost one of the key winners, that league is weak and we are head and shoulders above everyone. That is not the case - this is a strong league and the A's sometimes have not had the most talented teams. I put it down to the fact that we play for each other and we want it waaaay more than anyone else. So proud to have even then smallest involvement in this team.
Unfortuantley for me is has taken my B's to wake them up for the last two years.
Liam's review: I'd like the report to say that throughout the year at any given time any individual in the team could easily have focused more on themselves and had better stats, looked flashier more important etc. but the team's focus was always on winning. Like other years the path wasn't perfectly smooth, we had our moments. We looked crushingly good in a couple of games, but by and large had to knuckle down and just focus on getting the win. It is a credit to everyone that we achieved what we did.
In each of the six years we have had some changes, but this year was unquestionably a generational change. We replaced two (eventually three sadly) veterans that had been so important to the way we played with three young twenty-something's. Personally I went from being pretty close to average age for the team to being the oldest by a distance. The team style changed with that, but happily the heart and resolve the team had learnt over the past few years remained.
One might think that with so many talented guys that resolve and culture doesn't matter and talent will win out in the end. Personally, I've been on some very talented teams at this club in past years that just couldn't get it done because of a clash of egos or other intangibles just not being there. It's a credit to everyone involved in the club that we got the four premierships on Saturday. All the teams that won had plenty of players sacrificing parts of their game to fill roles and get the win. The teams that didn't get there will no doubt get their chance in the coming years and the club will do what it can to support and continue to impart a winning mentality.
That went on a little longer than expected, anyway huzzah, woot etc. and a serious and special thanks to you both (Palky and Jack) for your work over the past year. Even without the victory on Saturday it would have been an enjoyable year, but it's a hell of a lot better with the win.
Jack's review: Interesting to note - The two losses we had against Gateway this year were both decided by the tech foul free throws we gave up. In the GF we had none and they got one unsportsmanlike foul, from which Liam went 2/2 at the line
Lenny's reveiw: What a win ... the "six"peat has happened and it was the young team who stood up and came of age this year that did it. You covered Purge's loss and eventually pulled together - it was all about basketball last night. They had to constantly adjust their game and their banging around dribbling it on the floor showed that they were under fire. Their 3 point game that had decimated you a fortnight before never really took off (apart from one amazing shot from Jo, he never got open looks) and they were the ones arguing and looking for more from the refs - and you kept your lips buttoned and played disciplined team ball. Well done to all of you.
Corey, strong on the boards and finishing. Phil, leading the charge and setting up the chase right from the outset. Liam with some sweet 3's and attacking into the key to set up plays. Jack controlling the carry of the ball and getting some great recovery plays. Tom, nice and steady. Tauny attacking the boards and bringing great energy to the offensive second efforts and Josh, that is the best game I have ever seen you play - they had no answer for you - and you played like we were never going to lose
Way to go everybody! Bring on 2014. What a great night for the club and for all of you. The guard has changed - and you stand with your heads high in the pantheon of the PAOC BC club highlights now.
*Ohhh - come here beer, I could never stay mad at you.
**In height not weight
Quick side note - I was going to do this at the end of the season but went away. I was going to announce Palky's A Grade MVP and All SACBA 1st and 2nd team.
MVP - Jack Harford
All SACBA 1st Team
C - James Smith - Gateway A
F - Matt de Cure - SPOC A
F - Will Good - SPOC A
G - Jack Harford - PAOC A
G - Mike Hill - PAOC B
All SACBA 2nd Team
C - Josh Orken - PAOC A
F - Scott Foreman - Knightsbridge A
F - Danny Meyer - Gateway A
G - Darcy Aistrope - PAOC B
G - Phil Harford - PAOC A
Agree ... Disagree?
C's v Unley Park A - Written by G - The game started off with Unley hitting their first 5 shots, but we managed to stay in touch with a couple of our own. Phill was making shots inside and getting to the line which forced Unley to move away from their box and 1 on G. We had a run of turnovers in the 2nd quarter which gave Unley a bit of a lead. Hendo hit a jumper from "Madman Corner" and G managed to bury a pair of triples to bring their lead back to 5 (21-26) at the break (which was our goal for the last 5 minutes of the half).
Unley switched back to a box and 1 for the second half which again opened the paint up for Phill and a nice STRONG side finish baseline drive from Kobe. Manners also chipped in with a couple of baskets when the opportunity arose. With everyone else managing to score their defensive coverage was wearing down and G dropped a triple, floater and a baseline and 1 with fist pump to put us 5 points ahead. On the defensive end we were starving them of good looks. They only managed 5 FG for the half with some trips to the line. The last 2 minutes became foul city as they tried to stall the clock. We hit 6/12 and Manners continued his amazing effort to stifle their best player (he had 8 for the game) to put the game out of reach. It was a massive win for the team, to come back from being down at half time and show so much heart to get over the line.
Thanks again for coaching us Palk, you did a great job too and were part of the team on the day.
BB review: I just wanted to mention that to finally win one after 4 consecutive GF losses just reinforced how special winning a championship really is. Since being at the club this championship team has been my favourite to be a part of and to finish off the season the way we did was just the cherry on top. Week in week out, we played to win and not once did any player on the team at any point of the season get annoyed at minutes played or the amount of shots another player was taking or any other type of annoyance which happens in teams from time to time. This team plays a brand of basketball that is selfless, to its strengths, and everyone backs each other to make the play. The way basketball should be. In the GF, I felt Phil, Manners and G were crucial to the win, Phil was constantly aggressive offensively and getting our score ticking over, Manner's effort in D spurred us all on and the clutch shots that G made got us over the hump. Very proud to have been part of this team.
Kobe review: Lads, thank you all again for a great season. There is often talk about teams winning for different reasons - some teams having stars such as the Lakers, some teams are great at playing as a team such as the Spurs, but I feel lucky to be part of a team that has stars playing as a great team. When we focus and want it more our best is going to be better than our opponents' best, even when they are shooting with accuracy. Revel in the win, I know I am.
See you all at the Club lunch.
Lenny's review: How sweet it is? Putting last year's loss way behind you and doing the business for BB to make this one the success that you all deserve. You played controlled. Heads up basketball and won against a very serviceable team (who looked like they could punish you if you gave them their head (and too much lead) but you dug deep, clawed back and took them apart - once they were in foul trouble they were never going to be able to get back from there. Phil was a huge presence inside; Hendo and Tom got strong boards; and Kobe's cut always threatened. Madman owned his corner. Ryan's constant defence was awesome. BB's scrapping and throwing himself around on the paint was incredibly impressive and then G found his range and hit 3 X 3 (2 to bring it back in the first half - the third to get us in front in the second - and then got inside and to the line to ice the game. Way to go men - you are the PAOC BC tightest team of the year. We've got a lot to look forward to in 2014.
F's v East Allstars A - Written by Brownie - Undefeated all season, the Fs were under a lot of pressure
to not screw it up in the GF against a very good East All Stars outfit.
We knew number 5 was a hot shot so broke tradition and
started the game with a box-and-one to keep him at bay. This game plan shut
down his run last time we met, and Jay hardly gave him any room to move again
this time. A slow start to the game on the scoreboard was made more worrying
when Phil had to have a seat after what we all feared was a recurrence of his
recent leg injury (but luckily was able to get back on). Brad started turning
it on, claiming 8 for the half and Road Train backed him up with 6. Despite EAS
getting into some foul trouble, we were only able to lead at the break by one
point (thanks to two free throws from Brad at the end of the half) with their
#15 looking particularly threatening.
The second half saw plenty more fouls coming from the
opposition, giving us opportunities from the line for the rest of the game. Jay
was all over their #5 like a rash and was so effective that he even started
getting a bit pissy about it and put up shots that he really shouldn't have -
and only scoring two points for the game.
Stu started firing, getting a couple from inside the arc but
the rest of us couldn't hit the back side of a barn. Their D made it hard to
get inside, Brad was hopping along on a bung ankle and their lead stretched to
six points at its height thanks to some timely triples from EAS shooters.
Time was running out and Stu was getting sick of their shit.
Instead of sucker punching their best player in the balls, he sucker punched
the whole team by dropping a sweet-ass triple on their faces. Then he cashed
two from the line. Then he hit another fucking triple because, well, why the
hell not? Another great looking outside shot went up and missed, but Stu was able
to get one more from the line and Road Train finished an inside play.
With about 25 seconds left the ball was in our hands, the
scores were tied and EAS weren't dicking around giving anyone an easy look
which, to be fair, was very well played considering their dire foul situation.
With the whole PAOCBC support crew yelling sage advice from the side, none of
our guys on the court were really aware of how little time there was left on
the clock because they couldn't hear shit. No shots were on and the percentage
play was to move inside, get the foul and hit one from the line.
A pass from Phil, aiming for the dangerously hot Stu, ended
up in Jay's hands. Three players collapsed on him and the clock burned down
...3...2... and nonchalant Jay, do-not-fuck-around Jay,
I'm-going-to-beat-myself-so-hard-in-the-shower-if-I-hit-this Jay, put up the
SHOT OF THE GODDAMN CENTURY AND SWISHED IT ON THE BUZZER. REDS WON 36-34,
UNDEFEATED ALL SEASON BITCHES.
Dangerous Stu got 15, Brad 'Marine' Hughes 8, Road Train 8,
Jay 'Clutch' Nguyen 4. Usually you don't detail who got four points but, when
you hit a ridiculous buzzer beater to win the Grand Final, you're entitled to
it.
A great end to a great season. Thanks to all the blokes for
making the F's one of the best teams in the Club's history this year!
Lenny's review: Congratulations guys on a great win. Minor round form means nothing, doing it in the GF counts for everything and those young blades opposite you threw everything at you to make it a historic game. 6 down and Stu started to bring you back. Road Train got a great offensive look and one (missed) and Jay iced it. Phil got some great defensive boards. Brad's (The Marine's) defensive effort was legend ...
and the crowd roared. Savour every minute of it - it doesn't matter what level of Bball you play, a tight Gf going down to the last 2 seconds is awesome. Well done and roll on 2014 - it took everyone to get there and make it a great team result on the night - and having observed the F's this year - you were a rock solid team. Love your work
G's v SPOC D - Written by Hitman - The final game of the winter season for the entire PAOCBC club saw G-Force face a team from SPOC, just for something different*. The three preceding PAOC Grand Finals had all been tighter than a cheap condom, and our last game against SPOC D had been a one-point heart-breaker, would the trend of close games continue? Would SPOC be as inspired by their other grade’s victory as we were by ours?** Pre-game, we knew their game-plan would revolve around volume shooting and offensive rebounding. Our game plan was simple - keep a hand in the face of their best shooter, dominate the boards, and run. Early in the game it was our game plan that was superior. With their best shooter hounded all over the court, mainly by Reid but with assistance from everyone, and unable to even get up a shot, the SPOC team tried to find other options, but their passes kept finding the hands of eager PAOC defenders, or passing straight through the hands of SPOC teammates and out of bounds. The running Redmen capitalized on these miscues, rapidly building a 6-0 lead. Then Daniele entered the game and continued the onslaught, converting a tough and-one and nailing another jumper. SPOC were able to make the occasional basket under duress, but G-Force were also continuing to score, although at a slower pace than the onslaught of the first few minutes. As half-time approached, a SPOC player went to the line for two shots… missed both… G-Force secured the rebound and raced down court, with seconds on the clock Brendan set his feet for a three-pointer from the top of the arc, received the pass, and nailed the shot to give G-Force a commanding lead at the break, 19-7. The second half began with what could only be described as youthful over-exuberance on the part of G-Force as we simply tried too hard to make things happen, particularly after securing a rebound at either end, with the result being a very lengthy scoring drought. SPOC took the opportunity to chip away at the lead, pushing their own score into double-digits and bringing the margin back to striking distance, before G-Force took a time-out to restore order. The resumption of play saw normal service resumed, and although the latter part of the game was very much a slow grind with baskets few and far between, G-Force still did more of the scoring and won comfortably, 25-16. Brendan led all scorers with 11, Sam and Daniele both scored 5, and Troy and Reid both added 2. Reid also inspired the outstanding team defensive effort, limiting their best shooter to a single desperate long-range attempt, and only one SPOC player mustered more than a single bucket.
Lenny's review: Congratulations on a well deserved win last night any win against Saints is pleasurable but to have our G's beat their D's is particularly sweet. Also means that our F's and G's finished above their D's and E's - what a sweet pill to savour. Nellie went out of the blocks like he had been fired from a gun. Kara was getting sweet looks. Reidy didn't let #2 get an outside shot all game. Brendan started to fire both outside the three point arc on the buzzer and got inside for some nice little runners. Troy generalled and finished a nice little lay up. Will's energy showed all game and Nigel led the team with huge calm and presence - as he has all year, bringing the young guns to the fore. Well done everyone, can't wait for 2014 now.
[* five of our final six games were against either SPOC D or SPOC E]
[** SPOC B played SPOC C in the NE1/B Final. I don’t know who won, but basketball was surely the loser] ...Editor Notes - SPOC C won by 10. Man ... Saints are a rabble =)
So what a great day, what a great season. The B's came close to being in the GF, the D's and E's finished 3rd and 4th in a stacked league ... with the E's just going down to the team that ended up beating Oakden and the Lady Reds finished 3rd and were so close to being in the GF this year.
We have so much to build on for 2014 - we will be even bigger and better ... exciting times. See you at the club lunch. Palky
