Broadview Hawks Football Club

The Unexpected Tug of War August 24th, 2009

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This was the game that everyone thought the Hawks were slated to lose. How could the boys in yellow and brown even remotely have a chance against the Eagles, the 2nd place team in the OAFL with the yellow brick road paved for them all the way to the Grand Final? If anyone remembers the last time these two teams met up, the first three quarters of that game was a slaughter. The word on the street was that Broadview was the Wesley Snipes of the league: a former A-lister now relegated to straight-to-video B movies. Coach "Fishnet" Walter decided to pocket his carefully prepared speech by his campaign writer and throw out a short and sweet jumble of words.

The Hawks won the toss and took to the field, uncertain what this day would bring at their U of T Scarborough field. The horn sounded and the ball was live. And wouldn't you know it ... the Eagles were not the first players on the ball, the Eagles were not the team dominating the play. The Hawks were hungry for the ball and they got it. Some spectators recounting the game said it looked like a Chihuahua stealing a juicy bone right out of a pitbull's mouth by pure brute force, something you'd never thought possible. This was how much popular opinion had it that the Hawks were not up to the task to provide any resistance to the vaunted Eagles. The boys were winning it out of the centre and pushing it forward. The Eagles of course were not about to take it lying down and fought back. Broadview was still able win back possession and push forward. It was a tug of war of what made for a mesmerizing game to watch. Rhys "Hobbits Can't Chug" Harris's return to the field was also a fine bolster to the team play, shutting down the Eagle's attempts to funnel the ball towards their forward line. At the end of the first quarter, the impossible happened: the Hawks were up 14 points to 9.

The second quarter saw a fired up Eagles team bent on proving the last quarter to be only a Grand Final team caught off guard, underestimating an outfit that still had some life left in them that most people had assumed already dead. Again, the tug of war pushed back and forth with neither team backing down. No prisoners, no mercy, and no surrender. Kevin "I fix bicycles in bars" McLean, participated in one of the hardest fought goals this reporter has ever seen as the ball was passed 5 or 6 times back and forth in the "golden zone" of the field until his final kick. What was oddly gratifying to witness was the growing frustration of the Eagles players as their assured victory wasn't so guaranteed as they yelled at fellow teammates to do better. Hey, if strife makes for good reality TV, it also makes for a good game to watch. This game also made this reporter recall a Hawk remark on Stefan "Captain Canada" Leyhane that it must be so depressing to watch all your hard work to get the ball to the forward line only to be gobbled up by Stef and given right back to the Hawks. Add a strong performance by Kevin "I support Apple and all its products" Bridgman, and you get a much more tamed Eagles' offence. The Eagles' renewed efforts found them ahead at the half, 29 to 20.

After a refreshing break of water and renewed spirit during the half-time break, the Hawks pounced on the ball like predators hungry for a meal. The game was beginning to look less like a duel between a Chihuahua and a pitbull and more like a showdown between Godzilla and King Kong: definitely worth the ticket price and nail-biting in all the major action sequences. There was one very memorable moment when an Eagle with the ball was ploughed over like a pedestrian hit by a car by Danny "Freight Train" Walker. Even the Eagles' cheerleading squad voiced a synchronized "Oooooooooo!". With the Eagle's frustration mounting and the Hawks ferocious tenacity rising, the end of the quarter had the Eagles with 43 points and the Hawks with 41. It was anybody's game.

The last quarter had the Eagles score two quick goals that had the effect of slashing the Hawks' tires and hopes. The possible sweet underdog victory was being pulled tantalizing out of reach. The Eagles' momentum allowed them to win their predicted victory over the Hawks. One great achievement was Nick "Yellow & Brown Flamingo" Shuttleworth's 50th goal this season, not only did he play his usual menacing presence on the field but also celebrated his 50th destructive thunderkick between the uprights.

This reporter has this much to say: Don't count the Hawks out just yet. If the Eagles are supposed to be a shoe-in for the Grand Final, this game looked very much like a game of evenly matched teams. But I must say, it was very nice to see Rhys "I'm pretty sure three 12 packs of Maclays are enough beers... oh crap" Harris off the injured list.