Cambodia vs. Singapore: Learning to Do What I Preach
After the Hong kong game we were left licking our wounds. I had had a rough game running water and I’m guessing the game was tough for some of the people who played in it as well. A couple of our vets opted to sit out the last game, and it looked like I was going to join them until I told out bench coach that I sat out last game voluntarily, not because I was hurt. So there I was, back in my pocket.
I gave the back line a little speech before the game. I told them that Singapore’s entry kicks were money and if we got behind the guys we were covering at all, we were going to be in trouble. Beat them to the spot and use your body.
Man, I wish I had followed my advice. To be fair to me and the rest of the backs. It was difficult to see where the kicks were going to come in from. Singapore could go down the line or switch fields or work through the middle. Kicks came from many angles. I was getting schooled. The team wasn’t doing too badly field position wise but the score was beginning to look very out of hand by half time (and it looked like we were playing against a lot of their second-stringers as they were already guaranteed a spot in the semifinals).
The second half I stayed in. We were running out of healthy bodies itching to get on the field and I was having fun getting owned. While my guy did take a couple of marks in the second half, I played a lot better. I know because in footy, I have come to find, if someone slams you off the ball, it’s often because you are doing something right. And I got slammed a bit. A few times, just as my guy was beginning to make a lead, I would put my body in front of him to impede his route, and stay in his way. When I did this effectively, he was reduced to smacking me in the head and trying to fight his way through me. Getting smacked in the head… success! I asked him after the game about the legality of what I was doing and he told me that I was just doing my job and doing it well. As long as I didn’t hold him I was ok. Sweet.
Anywho, we lost pretty big. They were about to win the whole tournament though, so it doesn’t feel too bad. And actually they beat Hong Kong in the finals. And Hong Kong beat Vietnam in the semifinals. Ya hear me? We lost to the two best teams and another semifinalist. That makes a 1-3 record not quite as bad. We still wanted to do better though…
