It was billed as the match of the round, the deepest of GV rivalries – Rangers vs Warriors. Coming off the league bye, the two teams were sitting second and third on the GV table, with the winner likely to hold the advantage on the home stretch to secure a top two finish.
Much like the first encounter in Week 2 of the season, the match commenced as a defensive struggle. Shane Hardy set the tone on the first play from scrimmage with a solo sack on the Warriors QB, and the defence recorded their first or two 3-and-out series of the day. The Rangers offense started in a similar manner, and four plays later, the Rangers were punting and the field position game had commenced.
The Jetmaster Heat & Glo Croydon Rangers Hawthorn Hotel Men’s team returned to Ranger Field on Saturday, facing the 1-2 Melbourne University Royals in what had been hyped as “the match of the round” on the Gridiron DownUnder Division 1 Preview Story.
Sean Embery in full effect!
The weather forecast was bordering on apocalyptic with rain, hail, howling wind, low temperatures and “blizzards” all talked about. In the end, aside from the irregular gusts of wind, and the (bearable) low temperature, the weather was actually wonderful for an August football match.
The Rangers received the ball, and following a touchback on the opening kick-off, Jamie Stafford found Trevor Osborne seaming down the middle of the field, catching the pass about 15 yards beyond the line of scrimmage before sprint, high stepping and dodging any would be tacklers to take the ball to the house on the opening play from scrimmage. An early 6-0 lead to the Rangers with just a handful of seconds off the clock.
The Corydon Rangers travelled to Geelong in the third week of Gridiron Victoria Division 1 competition, facing the Buccaneers, with both teams sitting on a 1-1 record. The match made even more meaningful with teams playing for the Jon Johnston Memorial Trophy who played with both Clubs between 2010 & 2015 before his passing last year.
The Rangers with the Jon Johnston Memorial Trophy
The Rangers got off to a quick start in windy conditions, with 2015 league MVP Jordan Beck showcasing a strengthened running game behind some good offensive line work that had been bolstered by the return of Tom Kinloch and the introduction of Hawaiian Jordan Gibson. Beck punched in the first touchdown of the day from 1 yard out midway through the first quarter.
