Some nights in football just hurt. There is no dressing this one up.
Green Gully travelled to Kingston Heath and for 45 minutes competed. Bentleigh’s Scott Hilliar had opened the scoring early, converting on 11 minutes, but one goal down at the break is a scoreline you can work with. The Cavaliers were in the contest.
The second half told a different story. Whatever structure held things together in the first 45 dissolved in an eight-minute spell that turned a difficult evening into a painful one. Yerasimakis Petratos made it 2-0 on 71 minutes, Hilliar added his second five minutes later, and Cooper Head’s own goal on 79 completed the rout. 4-0. A scoreline that does not reflect the competitiveness of the opening hour.
The one genuine positive from the night was the return of Michael Weier and Matthew Crooks to the starting lineup. Weier resumed in goal and Crooks slotted back into the side after time on the sidelines. Having both available again is important for what comes next, even if this was not the night to celebrate their return.
Six rounds into the season, the Cavaliers sit 14th with a single point from six matches. The numbers make for uncomfortable reading. But rounds seven through twenty-six are still to play, and the gap between where Green Gully are and where they need to be is not as wide as the table suggests. What it demands, though, is a response. Not words, results.
The season turns when it turns. The job now is to make sure that happens sooner rather than later.
