A fine line between pleasure and pain
Divinyls, following the mighty Dees, Petracca, Gawn, Jones and Hogan, the Lukey Tapscott award, the ANB rising star award
Darren Spence – our correspondent in Jakarta
The Divinyls sang the lyrics “it’s a fine line between pleasure and pain” and I am certain Chrissie Amphlett was singing about following the mighty Dees. After having to wait all summer to have a chance to overcome the heartbreaking finish to last season it was with great anticipation that Sunday finally arrived.
After a fairly even first quarter the Cats threatened to blow the game apart with a 7 goal second quarter to lead the game by 27 points at the main break. A much better second half saw the Dees hold the Cats to only 2 second half goals and when big Maxy took that mark in the last minute my pleasure rating was at its peak. Then came the pain.
There was a touch of sameness about the game on Sunday. All too often last year it was a lapse in one quarter that ultimately costs us games and so it was again. It certainly wasn’t Gawn’s fault that we lost. Whilst games can be won and lost in individual moments and remembered as such the club will be ruing three 50m penalties and four unanswered goals in the 2nd quarter and 1.7 from 14 inside 50s in the last quarter as decisive factors in our loss.
Petracca, Gawn, Jones and Hogan were all good on the weekend and there is a lot to like about Fritsch.
I have decided this year to create my own award for best player of the year “The Lukey Tapscott” (because I think it sounds like Bluey Truscott ) and the ANB rising star (because it is an anagram for NAB) for best young player.
My votes for THE LUKEY TAPSCOTT:
5 Petracca
4 Gawn
3 Hogan
2 Jones
1 Oliver
My votes for THE ANB RISING STAR:
5 Petracca
4 Hogan
3 Oliver
2 Fritsch
1 Harmes.
Both of these awards will be hotly contested so watch this space. Happy to accept feedback on my votes but as it’s my awards no correspondence will be entered into!
This week we will travel to Brisbane to take on the Lions. A great opportunity to kick start our season and I am confident that the boys will bounce back with a win. A final thought for those long suffering Dees fans still distraught after our heartbreaking loss. Things could be much much worse. You could be Steve Smith.