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Kangaroos Take Titles in Second Annual John Harrell Cup
On an unseasonably cool and very windy afternoon in Louisville, the talent of the Nashville Kangaroos proved a little too much for the home team Ohio Valley and the upstart Columbus Jackaroos. The clubs again played both a Seniors and Reserves ('A' and 'B') competition, providing everyone with plenty of game time.
Kangaroos Remain undefeated in John Harrell Cup History
Nashville Kangaroos vs. Columbus Jackaroos
Columbus won the toss to take advantage of what seemed like a three-goal breeze, and the teams took the field for the first game of 2010.
Nashville jumped to an early lead with goals by big Luke "Brawny" Stockdale and Dee "Weeman" Vsetecka before Columbus scored their only point of the first half. Although the strong wind caused inaccurate shots at goal, the Roos won the kick-outs to keep the ball in the forward area for almost the entire half. After Ricky "Taz" Laning and Damian "What's" Serong "With That" made the most of their scoring opportunities, half-time had the Roos leading 4.6 (30) to 0.1 (1).
The second half continued the scoring domination, while the Kangaroo defense held the Jackaroos to a single goal. Ben Vaastra showcased his skills and was rewarded with the first goal of the second half. Coach Marty "Thommo" Thompson's move of Travis "Quigs" Quigley to the forward line paid dividends when Quigs passed accurately to Captian Luke "Ooga Booga" Nemeth, who scored from within the goal square. Vaastra was again in the mix, roving a tap from ruckman Stockdale to snap Vaastra's second goal of the match. Vsetecka was not to be outdone, scoring his second major from a similar opportunity. Laning marked directly in front and joined the trio of two-goal scorers, and the Roos finished with a nine goal win, 9.9 (63) to 1.1 (7).
Kangaroos 9.9 (63)
Columbus 1.1 (7)
Goals: Rick Laning, Ben Vaatstra, Dee Vsetecka 2, Luke Nemeth, Damian
Serong, Luke Stockdale
Nashville Kangaroos vs. Ohio Valley River Rats
The winds remained strong when the Kangaroos lost the coin toss to home team Ohio Valley. The River Rats seemed to be up to the challenge, but inaccurate kicking cost them dearly. Ohio Valley sprayed three behinds before Nashville�s Vsetecka kicked the first goal of the match. The first half developed into a back-and-forth tussle with goals hard to come by. Ohio Valley continued to earn scoring chances, but failed to capitalize until at last scoring a goal with less than two minutes remaining in the half. The half-time score line showed the River Rats had squandered a precious opportunity, leading by only a few points with the second half remaining against the wind.
The Roos came out firing on all cylinders in the second half. Nashville snagged two quick goals, giving them a strong position with the wind advantage. Ohio Valley quickly responded with a goal, but never regained the lead. Three more unanswered Roo goals provided a decisive victory and the John Harrell Memorial Cup. The Kangaroos are now a perfect 4-0 in Cup history.
Nashville 6.6 (42)
Ohio Valley 2.5 (19)
Goals: Ben Vaastra 2, Rick Laning, Gilberto Ortiz, Damian Serong, Dee
Vsetecka
Nashville Reserves Come Alive to Win Honors
Nashville Kangaroos vs. Columbus Jackaroos
The Roos Reserves, playing in the 9-a-side Metro format, struggled with the windy conditions during their opening game against Columbus' Reserves. Kikcing into the wind in the first half, with disposals frequently falling short or wide of the target, they fell as much as five goals behind. Taking advantage of the breeze in the second half, a heroic comeback brought the Roos to within a few points. Unfortunately, the clock beat them and at the final siren, Nashville 4.6 (30) fell to Columbus 6.7 (43).
Nashville Kangaroos vs. Ohio Valley River Rats
The second game saw the indefatigable and optimistic Roo Reserves face the Ohio Valley team that had earlier defeated Columbus by 17 points. The River Rats were understandably confident. With the wind in the first half, that confidence appeared well-founded. However, they failed to capitalize on their opportunities and led by only a small margin at half time. Coach Thompson had some strong words to say at half time about the indirectness and indecisiveness of their play. With team leaders such as Quiqley reinforcing that advice, the Roos played an inspired style of football in the second half. The almost miraculous transformation of rookie center Kenny Wells was key. Although he had earned possessions all day, that skill was now matched with decisive and effective disposals. It was raining goals in the Roo forward line, and every goal hog on the team was enthusiastically grabbing their share. The result was a decisive win, Nashville 8.2 (50) to Ohio Valley 2.6 (18).
With each team in the Reserves pool finishing 1-1, the result went to scoring percentage. Due to the wide margin of their win, the Nashville Reserves joined the Seniors as tournament victors.
The Nashville Kangaroos next travel to Austin, Texas for the first time ever, where the team will play in the Austin tournament with a flock of birds, the Austin Crows, the Dallas Magpies and the New York Magpies, on May 22nd.
Tournament Final Scores
Pool A
Nashville 9.9 (63)
Columbus 1.1 (7)
Nashville 6.6 (42)
Ohio Valley 2.5 (19)
Columbus 3.12 (30)
Ohio Valley 3.5 (23)
Pool B
Ohio Valley 7.7 (49)
Columbus 5.2 (32)
Columbus 6.7 (43)
Nashville 4.6 (30)
Nashville 8.2 (50)
Ohio Valley 2.6 (18)
