Sorry this isnt as official as usual. Our IT guy is MIA. Hope you enjoy it! Panthers Continue to Pounce Monday Dec 8, 2014 Panthers 52 Old Red Eye 12 The first test of the season for the Panthers and many were predicting a loss. It was not to be for Brevard as Palm Beach came out strong and didn’t let up. Another bonus point victory as the Panthers put up 8 tries and besides ill discipline played a very solid game. A dominant forwards performance in set piece and around the field allowed backs space and time to run. Constant pressure had the Red Eye scrambling and they couldn’t manage to keep up with the multiple phases the Panthers kept putting together. The Palm Beach Panthers forwards were a feature of the first half as they kept the ball in hand and battered Brevard, scoring 4 tries. In his second game back from self imposed exile, Jesse Owen, let the Red Eye know what they were in for with a tremendous try, crunching over and through defenders to fight his way to the line and dive over. It was heart, strength, and determination and it was not the last time those attributes would be seen on the pitch. Five minutes later after more great work in the tight, loose forward James Robinson dotted down. It was to be his last bit of quality work on the day as his mouth got him into trouble. With the conspicuous British accent drawing more attention to the words the referee was onto him for his running commentary. Apparently the sir didn’t appreciate James’ constructive criticisms or accusatory statements and after many penalties and warnings showed the number 6 a yellow card. Unfortunately, once wasn’t enough. When the 2nd yellow card was given about 10 minutes after his return from the first, it led to an automatic red card. Luckily for Palm Beach the game was comfortably in control at that point and Brevard was already down a man themselves. The Red Eye had received a fairly harsh red card just before the end of the first half for hitting a player in the air. After another contestable kick from Brevard that drifted to the touchline, the Panthers wrecking ball midfielder, Ralph Stoothoff, went up with textbook form to claim the ball. Leading with his knee high, jumping, and turning his body Stoothoff won the ball but was tackled mid air and fell awkwardly to the ground. There was no intent or malice in the play. The Brevard player simply got his timing wrong but the referee was forced to give the red card. Just into the second quarter of the game Palm Beach was again mounting a challenge inside the Brevard half. Holding onto possession and controlling territory the Panthers continued to hammer the Red Eye forwards. Following a line out and a ruck the new Panther and prop, Clint Edwards, lined up for a crash and hit the line hard. He stepped the first two defenders, first right then left. As they chased flailing with arm tackles he stopped with the fancy stuff and turned up field. With good body position and leg drive he finished the final ten-meter try scoring run carrying two defenders as he fell forcing the ball down. It was a piece of individual effort and determination by the newly nicknamed Man of the Match. Henceforth he shall be called Gorilla Monsoon. After a wonderful first half of defense and countering Red Eye kicks, Justin Bossie was again under pressure and again cleaned up the ball. In the process however he took a shot to the face. As the claret streamed from his nose he left the field. His ability to recover and turn what seems to be a concern into attack was missed. Justin had made 2 from 3 conversions prior to his injury. Brevard stayed committed and had a sustained period of play inside the Panthers 22. Palm Beach stood up to the pressure, consistently making their tackles and holding up a Red Eye attempt at the line. On the resulting 5-meter scrum the Panthers won the ball from the Brevard put in but the ball squirted loose and an opportunist Red Eye player was there to touch it down and score. As the Panthers regrouped under the posts, hooker James Church chased the conversion attempt that was missed badly. Just before he went off Robinson took a line out throw beautifully and laid it down to halfback and USA touch national representative, Tim Oxenford, who threw a leading pass to the crashing Josh Tanner. The flanker exploded onto the ball at pace running a super line and easily beat the first defender with a fend then swerved right, cut left, and finished by running threw one last defender to score under the posts. As the first half came to a close the Panthers continued their running style and from a loose ball swung the ball wide. The pass out to the wing was catchable albeit a bit low. The ball went to ground and was kicked. A Brevard player was there to scoop it up and run it back to end the half with a brilliant score. It didn’t take long for the Panthers to get back into the try zone after the halftime break. First five eighth Bain Montieth had played a smart game organizing his backline and distributing the ball. He had also made some deft kicks that turned around the defense and helped the Panthers gain territorial dominance. Now it was his turn to put the foot down. Another strong run and try finish from the Palm Beach pivot. It’s an aberration of a game when the powerful Palm Beach midfield is held scoreless. That’s just what happened in Cocoa though as the immense power was checked but the quick hands, stepping, and offloading abilities were not. The firm of Stoothoff and Black was in full distribution mode. Second five eighth, Stoothoff, made his customary midfield incisions drawing defenders and running over others. This led to more space for quick ball to Tommy Black playing at center. Blacks footwork and timing on his offloads created opportunity for support players and wings. Every time the ball was spread wide the Panthers made positive meters and were put on the front foot. Along with their dependable hands Stoothoff and Black were influential on defense. Forming a wall of will and intent there was no road through the Palm Beach midfield. Their tackles could be felt by all and sent a message that this was no place for a ball runner to enter with out paying the toll. Black demonstrated the Panthers commitment on his last passage of play by making back-to-back tackles then chasing a kick and disrupting the Brevard player who gathered. He threw himself at the man and dislodged the ball. A nasty calf cramp sent him off. After 67 minutes of running around and leading his team captain Brett Stubbs got some reward with his 2nd try in as many games. Not as evident in the flow of the game, yet no less impactful, the skipper had been hard at work aligning defense and running in support. He managed a few brilliant offloads but on this run he dummied and stepped inside and made his charge for the line. Kyle Brooks, who took over after Bossies blooding, made the conversion. Brooks finished 4/5 on conversions. As the game wound down and the air billowed from the Red Eye sails, the Panthers reserves continued their push. Forward replacements Fabian Carmona, Christophe Abadie, Rodney Phelps, and Haywood Williams all showed strength and aggression in their rucking and tackling. This sustained pressure from the fresh legs found the ball sent wide to the left wing where another replacement Dave Lanier was waiting. Lanier had already defended well and in particular a courageous highball challenge to contest the ball and defend an almost certain try. Lanier had made a few cutting runs but hadn’t had enough space, this time the space was there. A great line attack by Montieth, who had been shifted to 13, to get through two defenders followed by a terrific pass put Lanier in the clear. He stutter stepped,b freezing a covering defender, then swerved to the outside and made the corner as the defender dove and tried to ankle tap him. Tip toeing the touchline he managed to keep his balance and speed down the field to score a 50-meter try. The game came to a close on an impressive chip kick over the flat Brevard defensive line. The ball fell just in front of the Brevard fullback who juggled it and dropped it. Chasing wing Noah Thrope was rushing into the space and the ball bounced right. Thrope gathered and ran the ball in under the posts. It was an impressive victory by the Panthers but did highlight key areas to work on, discipline being number one on the list. The penalty count was favorable to the Red Eye as Palm Beach continuously infringed with their actions and their comments. Fitness did not prove to be an issue but in a tighter game it may. There were many hands on hips in the final quarter. Having said that it was a dominant forward performance, excellent distribution from the backs, and successful implementation of the game plan. There is plenty for the Panthers to work on but also time to celebrate the win and enjoy a little time off as the FRU D3 teams take a six-week break. Panthers 52 (Jesse O, James, Clint, Tanner, Bain, Stubbs, Dave, Noah tries; Bossie 2/3, Kyle 4/5, con) Indian River 12 (2 try, 1 con) Halftime: 26-12
Posted on: Tue, 16 Dec 2014 13:13:45 +0000
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