By Eaglesafc.com
7:12 PM Mon 27 July, 2009
IN SOME OF the worst weather conditions the league has seen in recent years, the Toronto Eagles were defeated by the Etobicoke Kangaroos on Friday night.
Both teams were greeted with a flooded Humber South, with pools of water all around the ground. And in what was expected to be a spectacular battle of skill between the leagues best, turn out to be a skill-less battle of the conditions.
With showers ending shortly before the first bounce, there was little time for the ground to drain. This had an immediate effect on the game, with players struggling to grip on to a slippery and water logged football.
Starting the first quarter in the worst of the two ends, the Eagles struggle to get any momentum and the result showed on the scoreboard. The Eagles were unable to score a goal, compared to Etobicoke who finished with three of their own.
"The conditions were pretty awful tonight and that effected our game" stated Eagles veteran Les Husar "We really struggled to control the football in the first quarter and throughout the match."
The second quarter was better for the Eagles, as they were able to step it up and battle hard for control of the game. With momentum swinging both ways, the Eagles were able to head into the half time break three goals down.
The third saw both teams working hard to take control, with play going back and forth around the ground. It was apparent to spectators, that the team who could work the hardest and adapt was the one who would pull off the win.
Eagle backmen Tasos Dimacakos was well aware of this heading into the game. "I mention to the boys before the game that we'd have to work hard tonight" Dimacakos stated. "Yeah the weather was awful, the umpiring was average but when it comes down to it we just didn't adapt to the conditions well enough."
For Etobicoke, it was only their Australian contingent doing the damage against the Eagles, stringing plays together regularly. This is something the Eagles will have to think about come finals.
The final quarter was a hard fought affair, with both sides working hard to produce scoring chances. Even though the final score doesn't represent it, Etobicoke only secure the win near the end of the game.
"I don't think this match has shown who is better out of the two sides" stated Eagle captain Troy Marsh. "With the awful conditions, skill had nothing to do with anything, so it was basically who was able to adjust."
Coach Aaron Falcioni, while disappointed, continued to see the positives “There's no doubt I'm disappointed with the loss, but this is just another regular season game and we have to move forward” he stated "We had some of our best absent from today, who won't be come finals, so there's always improvements to be made."
There were some other positives for the Eagles, with rookie Christopher Grey having one of his best games for the season. His dynamic play from the backline was a definite highlight for the Eagles.
Full back Matt Bachinski also had an excellent game, containing one of Etobicoke's best . "I just went in there with a job to do" Bachinski stated "To hold him scoreless was a good achievement, but like anyone I'd rather have the win."
The Toronto Eagles will have a week off due to a season bye, but return August 8th to face the Guelph Gargoyles. Make sure to head down to Humber North and support your team.
TORONTO EAGLES 0.0 3.2 5.2 5.4 (34)
ETOBICOKE KANGAROO 3.5 6.7 7.12 9.13 (67)
GOALS
Bernstein 3, Marsh 1, Alister 1
BEST
Bachinski, Marsh, Grey, Bernstein
INJURIES
Nil
Reports: Nil
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the club.
