2004 Grand Final Report
UBC Hospital quadruples Saturday business as Cougars win 3rd Premiership
What a year it’s been. The start of the year saw sweeping changes to the Cougars board. None was bigger than former Prez “Chops” McGrath retiring from duty and heading home to Australia. He was aply replaced by the dedicated President Cooper; Happy Freeman assumed coaching duties after former SuperCoach Grills was ungraciously sacked and sent to Australia for a year of coaching councelling - a direct result of last year’s Grand Final Loss; More Canadians continued to join the club and play our great game; Mike McFarlane continued to grow the kids footy, which is exploding into humongous numbers; The Cougars being stripped of their BCFooty Cup title for the first time, by the Alberta Magpies; The rise of the Victoria Lions, surely a force to be reckoned with next year. The only thing left was the Grand Final.
Could the most successful on-field year of the Cougars, (with a 7-2 record), be topped off by winning the NWPAFL title, so cruely snatched from them by a determined Seattle Grizzlies last year?
As always, the hype leading up to the Grand Final was monumentus. With Thunderbird Stadium booked again, the boys were pumped for a huge day. After resounding victory’s in only the two times these teams had met this year, the Cougars were determined to polish off the Grizzlies to maintain a perfect season record, and to win back the Premiership.
So what would be the outcome….time as always would tell.
Pre-Game
Unlike previous big games at Thunderbird stadium, there were no big dramas this year. The goalposts and other hardware arrived and were erected in plenty of time, the trophy was not lost in a Langley Trophy store, and the Pies were hot and tasty before the first bounce.
As game time approached, the crowd was reaching formidable numbers. Despite having a few injury woes, Seattle came up to Vancouver with 17 players and newboy Benny agreed to volunteer to play for Seattle to give them a full 18. RookieCoach Freeman on the other hand was blessed with his biggest turnout for the season, with a team of 25 players, 11 of which were non-Aussies, insuring Vancouver could play with at least a 50/50 split at all times. Not only that, Freemo was blessed with the services of one Peter “Phantom” Campion. Having controversially played with Seattle in last year’s Grand Final, Campo suited up for the Cougars determined to be the only player to play in 4 straight NWPAFL premiership teams.
As the players left the change room, the Cougar banner was raised. This year it celebrated the milestone achievement of 5 players who had cracked the 25 game barrier for the Cougars – Goalsneak Stratford, HandyMan Hilton, GlamourBoy Vargo, President Coops and “Manboobs/Morgs/Might and Fury” DeChalin.
Before the first bounce, the club managed to once again secure the services of Melissa to belt out rousing additions of the Australian, US and Canadian national anthems. The crowd and players were brought to fever pitch, ….it was time for the game.
Quarter 1
From the start, Vancouver looked strong, but Seattle proved they have good memories of Thunderbird stadium and slammed home the first goal of the game. The Cougars however had started the game with its strongest centreline of Glamour, Bobby, Shep and Fremmo, and they quickly wrestled the game back into the Cougars favour. It wasn’t long before they were getting the ball out of the centre time and time again.
As the ball went forward, from the start the Cougars forwardline was switched on. Randy Dick was proving very elusive and took some great marks up forward, one of which lead to a goal. Goalsneak Jase and the Farr-train were causing headaches for the Seattle backman and slotted home a couple of goals between them.
It was all Cougars in the first quarter as they managed to hold the ball in the forwardline for most of the quarter. Bobby and Glamour controlled the centreline wall, repelling anything that came their way. At quarter time, it was a surging Cougars who assembled for the quarter time break.
Q1 Cougars 4.5.29 to Seattle 1.1.7
Quarter 2
After some inspiration words from the RookieCoach, the Cougars headed out to the field determined to continue the barrage. Once again, from the start the Cougars looked strong out of the centre, but the game was quickly about to take a major turn. Seattle began to crank up their play and put the pressure back on the Cougars. Two undisciplined plays by the Cougars resulted in two 50 metre penalties that allowed the Grizzlies to score a couple of goals and suddenly they were right back in the game. The mood was contagious amongst their players and with their travelling support crowd going berserk, they were making a solid game of it.
As they have done for the whole season, it was now time for the Cougars backline to kick it up a gear, and that they did. As always, Coops and Pete Taylor lead their charges from the front with some strong marks across the CHB line. Teddy Bundy continued to impress (as he has all season) with his disciplined play and hard straight lines at the ball, while Special K and The Rock Bannan seemed to be having a tackling contest, as they crunched their opponents deep in the pockets. After Goalsneak slotted home a steading goal for the Cougars, the craziness began.
Midway through the quarter, the Cougars lost it’s major playmaker and Captain Bobby Marshall to a knee injury, which would see him out for the game as his knee swelled up to the size of a basketball. Moments later, Johnny Klump had a freak fall and after a player landed awdwardly on him, he ended up breaking his cheekbone and his nose. It was straight off to UBC Hospital for Klumpy. Things proceeded to get worse. Moments later, Punter Mitchell had a clash of heads with an opponent after going hard at the ball and ended up having his head split open. It was off to the hopsital to join Johnny and get himself 10 stitches. Surely that would be it.
Nope. Next, it was Shine’s turn. Never one to miss a big game, Shine made the trip all the way down from Cortez Island for the day. Unfortunately, going for seemingly an innocent ball, he fell awkwardly on his hand and ended up breaking his wrist!! At this stage UBC Hospital must have been wondering if they should just relocate to Thunderbird Stadium. With a few minutes left in the quarter, of course there was time for one more. Johnny Milleur - after doing his knee in last years Grannie and finally being fit enough to play after having a knee operation during the year, was playing his first game for the season. So what happened – he managed to fracture his collarbone. He now holds the auspicious Cougar record of - two games, two major injuries !! As half time approached, the Cougars limped into the changerooms with a narrow lead.
Cougars 5.6.36 to Seattle 5.2.32
Quarter Three
With the game taking such an interesting twist, it was time for the Premiership quarter. Within minutes, the injury woes continued as Glamour Boy Vargo copped an elbow to the side of the head which not only semi-concussed him, but as he tried (unsuccessfully) to stand up, he managed to roll his ankle as he fell back down. So with 6 players now missing from various position’s all over the ground, it was time for others to step up, and that they did.
The veteran - Guru Edmonds came on proved he’s still got it with some tough play across the backline. Cashie, Robbo and Morgs continued to fight hard for the ball in the back line and stop the Seattle players from snagging a goal. Stewy Green stepped up across the CHB and sent up many forward thrusts from the HBFlank. Shep really cranked it up a notch and was seemingly everywhere across the centre, using his speed to send the ball into the forwardline where the Farr-Train had begun to make his own. The big man was taking marks all over the place. Still, in a tight quarter, neither team could establish much attack and the scores remained tight.
Q3 Cougars 5.7.37 to Seattle 5.3.33
Quarter 4
So it was onto the last. It’s fair to say both teams were starting to look a bit tired but both could taste the premiership cup. The Grizzlies were desperate to claw back for the win, while the Cougars were desperate to hold on.
Goalsneak Jase was having a great Grand Final and slotted home his 3rd for the game early to give the Cougars some much needed breathing space. Handyman Hilton and Freemo had taken over the duties in the centre and both snagged a goal in the last quarter as the Cougars began to lift as a team, hungry for the Cup. Despite nursing an injury himself, the ever dnagerous Shevlan bagged a couple of goals for Seattle to keep them close. However, the Cougar were not to be denied on this occasion. Shep and the Farr-train continued their second half dominance into the last quarter, with the Farr-Train topping his perfomance with another nice goal in the last quarter to make it three for the game. Mike Setta continued to take some telling grabs in the pocket while the Wiz was fighting to the end.
Without a scoreboard, there was some confusion over who had won in the end, but this time is was resurgant Cougars who had dug down deep and cracked the title.
Q4 Cougars 9.7.63 to Seattle 8.4.52
Goal Kickers –
Farr-train (3), Goal sneak (3), Happy (1), HandyMan (1), Randy (1).
Bests (from) –
Farr-train, Shep, Randy D.
After match
The players remained on field for the presentation of the Premiership Cup. Once again, the Cougars managed to procure the services of special guest Lord Mayor Larry Campbell who presented the Cup to a joyous Bobby Marshall.
…so unlike last year, this time it was a jubilant Cougars that headed back to the change rooms and later the clubrooms for a couple of hours of post match bevies. An emotional Cougar’s coach Happy Freeman was quick to let former SuperCoach Stu Grills know via phone link up, that he’d managed to do the job and win back the title. (Happy clearly letting Grills know that his return to coaching duties is certainly not a guaranteed thing…). After the call, the obligatory ice bath was dished out to RookieCoach Freeman, who was wise to the ruse to trick him into it, but in the end, he happily accepted it regardless. This after being “assured” that the water was not freezing – yeah right son.
Even further after match
It wasn’t long before an increasingly jubilant Cougars headed off to Bimini’s for more and more post match bevies. The Cougars looked a treat in their new t-shirts which arrived just in time for the Grannie, as they quickly filled up Bimini’s. Despite an early threat by management to cut off the boys after a certain Cougar foolishly decided to through a wet towell at one of the barman, some quick words by Slim smoothed the waters and the night continued on…
The night continued into the wee hours with a few of the boys even kicking on to Doolin’s, the traditional 2nd home of the Cougars.
Even more mayhem…
If Saturday wasn’t enough, the post-premiership day celebration was held at Malone’s in Kits for even more bevvies as the boys sadly watched Leyton Hewitt go out in straight sets at the US Open. Two Cougars who definitely did not get bundled out so easily were Stewy Green and Bobby Marshall who basically did not stop drinking from 4pm on the Saturday to about midnight on the Sunday – great effort boys.
Thanks
As always, it takes a lot of people to put together such a magnificent game.
Thanks to –
• The Cougars committee for all their hard work throughout the year;
• Dr.Khan and Arnie Parmer for their Umpiring;
• All Cougar players who sacrificed playing time to help boundary/goal umpire;
• Slim for his tireless Pie Cooking and other behind the scenes work;
• All the girls for their support and Pie selling; and
• to all the wives/girlfriends/kids and supporters who came out to watch the games throughout the year.
What a year it’s been. The start of the year saw sweeping changes to the Cougars board. None was bigger than former Prez “Chops” McGrath retiring from duty and heading home to Australia. He was aply replaced by the dedicated President Cooper; Happy Freeman assumed coaching duties after former SuperCoach Grills was ungraciously sacked and sent to Australia for a year of coaching councelling - a direct result of last year’s Grand Final Loss; More Canadians continued to join the club and play our great game; Mike McFarlane continued to grow the kids footy, which is exploding into humongous numbers; The Cougars being stripped of their BCFooty Cup title for the first time, by the Alberta Magpies; The rise of the Victoria Lions, surely a force to be reckoned with next year. The only thing left was the Grand Final.
Could the most successful on-field year of the Cougars, (with a 7-2 record), be topped off by winning the NWPAFL title, so cruely snatched from them by a determined Seattle Grizzlies last year?
As always, the hype leading up to the Grand Final was monumentus. With Thunderbird Stadium booked again, the boys were pumped for a huge day. After resounding victory’s in only the two times these teams had met this year, the Cougars were determined to polish off the Grizzlies to maintain a perfect season record, and to win back the Premiership.
So what would be the outcome….time as always would tell.
Pre-Game
Unlike previous big games at Thunderbird stadium, there were no big dramas this year. The goalposts and other hardware arrived and were erected in plenty of time, the trophy was not lost in a Langley Trophy store, and the Pies were hot and tasty before the first bounce.
As game time approached, the crowd was reaching formidable numbers. Despite having a few injury woes, Seattle came up to Vancouver with 17 players and newboy Benny agreed to volunteer to play for Seattle to give them a full 18. RookieCoach Freeman on the other hand was blessed with his biggest turnout for the season, with a team of 25 players, 11 of which were non-Aussies, insuring Vancouver could play with at least a 50/50 split at all times. Not only that, Freemo was blessed with the services of one Peter “Phantom” Campion. Having controversially played with Seattle in last year’s Grand Final, Campo suited up for the Cougars determined to be the only player to play in 4 straight NWPAFL premiership teams.
As the players left the change room, the Cougar banner was raised. This year it celebrated the milestone achievement of 5 players who had cracked the 25 game barrier for the Cougars – Goalsneak Stratford, HandyMan Hilton, GlamourBoy Vargo, President Coops and “Manboobs/Morgs/Might and Fury” DeChalin.
Before the first bounce, the club managed to once again secure the services of Melissa to belt out rousing additions of the Australian, US and Canadian national anthems. The crowd and players were brought to fever pitch, ….it was time for the game.
Quarter 1
From the start, Vancouver looked strong, but Seattle proved they have good memories of Thunderbird stadium and slammed home the first goal of the game. The Cougars however had started the game with its strongest centreline of Glamour, Bobby, Shep and Fremmo, and they quickly wrestled the game back into the Cougars favour. It wasn’t long before they were getting the ball out of the centre time and time again.
As the ball went forward, from the start the Cougars forwardline was switched on. Randy Dick was proving very elusive and took some great marks up forward, one of which lead to a goal. Goalsneak Jase and the Farr-train were causing headaches for the Seattle backman and slotted home a couple of goals between them.
It was all Cougars in the first quarter as they managed to hold the ball in the forwardline for most of the quarter. Bobby and Glamour controlled the centreline wall, repelling anything that came their way. At quarter time, it was a surging Cougars who assembled for the quarter time break.
Q1 Cougars 4.5.29 to Seattle 1.1.7
Quarter 2
After some inspiration words from the RookieCoach, the Cougars headed out to the field determined to continue the barrage. Once again, from the start the Cougars looked strong out of the centre, but the game was quickly about to take a major turn. Seattle began to crank up their play and put the pressure back on the Cougars. Two undisciplined plays by the Cougars resulted in two 50 metre penalties that allowed the Grizzlies to score a couple of goals and suddenly they were right back in the game. The mood was contagious amongst their players and with their travelling support crowd going berserk, they were making a solid game of it.
As they have done for the whole season, it was now time for the Cougars backline to kick it up a gear, and that they did. As always, Coops and Pete Taylor lead their charges from the front with some strong marks across the CHB line. Teddy Bundy continued to impress (as he has all season) with his disciplined play and hard straight lines at the ball, while Special K and The Rock Bannan seemed to be having a tackling contest, as they crunched their opponents deep in the pockets. After Goalsneak slotted home a steading goal for the Cougars, the craziness began.
Midway through the quarter, the Cougars lost it’s major playmaker and Captain Bobby Marshall to a knee injury, which would see him out for the game as his knee swelled up to the size of a basketball. Moments later, Johnny Klump had a freak fall and after a player landed awdwardly on him, he ended up breaking his cheekbone and his nose. It was straight off to UBC Hospital for Klumpy. Things proceeded to get worse. Moments later, Punter Mitchell had a clash of heads with an opponent after going hard at the ball and ended up having his head split open. It was off to the hopsital to join Johnny and get himself 10 stitches. Surely that would be it.
Nope. Next, it was Shine’s turn. Never one to miss a big game, Shine made the trip all the way down from Cortez Island for the day. Unfortunately, going for seemingly an innocent ball, he fell awkwardly on his hand and ended up breaking his wrist!! At this stage UBC Hospital must have been wondering if they should just relocate to Thunderbird Stadium. With a few minutes left in the quarter, of course there was time for one more. Johnny Milleur - after doing his knee in last years Grannie and finally being fit enough to play after having a knee operation during the year, was playing his first game for the season. So what happened – he managed to fracture his collarbone. He now holds the auspicious Cougar record of - two games, two major injuries !! As half time approached, the Cougars limped into the changerooms with a narrow lead.
Cougars 5.6.36 to Seattle 5.2.32
Quarter Three
With the game taking such an interesting twist, it was time for the Premiership quarter. Within minutes, the injury woes continued as Glamour Boy Vargo copped an elbow to the side of the head which not only semi-concussed him, but as he tried (unsuccessfully) to stand up, he managed to roll his ankle as he fell back down. So with 6 players now missing from various position’s all over the ground, it was time for others to step up, and that they did.
The veteran - Guru Edmonds came on proved he’s still got it with some tough play across the backline. Cashie, Robbo and Morgs continued to fight hard for the ball in the back line and stop the Seattle players from snagging a goal. Stewy Green stepped up across the CHB and sent up many forward thrusts from the HBFlank. Shep really cranked it up a notch and was seemingly everywhere across the centre, using his speed to send the ball into the forwardline where the Farr-Train had begun to make his own. The big man was taking marks all over the place. Still, in a tight quarter, neither team could establish much attack and the scores remained tight.
Q3 Cougars 5.7.37 to Seattle 5.3.33
Quarter 4
So it was onto the last. It’s fair to say both teams were starting to look a bit tired but both could taste the premiership cup. The Grizzlies were desperate to claw back for the win, while the Cougars were desperate to hold on.
Goalsneak Jase was having a great Grand Final and slotted home his 3rd for the game early to give the Cougars some much needed breathing space. Handyman Hilton and Freemo had taken over the duties in the centre and both snagged a goal in the last quarter as the Cougars began to lift as a team, hungry for the Cup. Despite nursing an injury himself, the ever dnagerous Shevlan bagged a couple of goals for Seattle to keep them close. However, the Cougar were not to be denied on this occasion. Shep and the Farr-train continued their second half dominance into the last quarter, with the Farr-Train topping his perfomance with another nice goal in the last quarter to make it three for the game. Mike Setta continued to take some telling grabs in the pocket while the Wiz was fighting to the end.
Without a scoreboard, there was some confusion over who had won in the end, but this time is was resurgant Cougars who had dug down deep and cracked the title.
Q4 Cougars 9.7.63 to Seattle 8.4.52
Goal Kickers –
Farr-train (3), Goal sneak (3), Happy (1), HandyMan (1), Randy (1).
Bests (from) –
Farr-train, Shep, Randy D.
After match
The players remained on field for the presentation of the Premiership Cup. Once again, the Cougars managed to procure the services of special guest Lord Mayor Larry Campbell who presented the Cup to a joyous Bobby Marshall.
…so unlike last year, this time it was a jubilant Cougars that headed back to the change rooms and later the clubrooms for a couple of hours of post match bevies. An emotional Cougar’s coach Happy Freeman was quick to let former SuperCoach Stu Grills know via phone link up, that he’d managed to do the job and win back the title. (Happy clearly letting Grills know that his return to coaching duties is certainly not a guaranteed thing…). After the call, the obligatory ice bath was dished out to RookieCoach Freeman, who was wise to the ruse to trick him into it, but in the end, he happily accepted it regardless. This after being “assured” that the water was not freezing – yeah right son.
Even further after match
It wasn’t long before an increasingly jubilant Cougars headed off to Bimini’s for more and more post match bevies. The Cougars looked a treat in their new t-shirts which arrived just in time for the Grannie, as they quickly filled up Bimini’s. Despite an early threat by management to cut off the boys after a certain Cougar foolishly decided to through a wet towell at one of the barman, some quick words by Slim smoothed the waters and the night continued on…
The night continued into the wee hours with a few of the boys even kicking on to Doolin’s, the traditional 2nd home of the Cougars.
Even more mayhem…
If Saturday wasn’t enough, the post-premiership day celebration was held at Malone’s in Kits for even more bevvies as the boys sadly watched Leyton Hewitt go out in straight sets at the US Open. Two Cougars who definitely did not get bundled out so easily were Stewy Green and Bobby Marshall who basically did not stop drinking from 4pm on the Saturday to about midnight on the Sunday – great effort boys.
Thanks
As always, it takes a lot of people to put together such a magnificent game.
Thanks to –
• The Cougars committee for all their hard work throughout the year;
• Dr.Khan and Arnie Parmer for their Umpiring;
• All Cougar players who sacrificed playing time to help boundary/goal umpire;
• Slim for his tireless Pie Cooking and other behind the scenes work;
• All the girls for their support and Pie selling; and
• to all the wives/girlfriends/kids and supporters who came out to watch the games throughout the year.
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