After receiving a wildcard to play in the Gala Day for the Greater Sydney Finals of the Paul Kelly Cup, Wyvern could have been forgiven for simply feeling happy to be there. However, this group of Wyvern boys had a steely determination to make an impact after feeling a little disappointed at losing their semi-final in the previous regional gala day. In the end, the Wyvern boys took all challenges in their stride only to fall agonizingly short of a remarkable victory overall. It was a day of 5 tough, physical matches. With each game the boys improved and kept setting higher standards of play. The boys quickly learned to play their role in the team and take advantage of their team-mates strengths. Prior to their first match against Moriah, the boys were nervous about what to expect but made a commitment to compete hard at every contest regardless of the score and to not be afraid to make a mistake. This positive attitude paid off with a convincing but hard earnt win.

Despite the setback of losing Curtis Palmer to injury early in the second game against St Agatha’s, the boys all lifted and once again managed a confidence boosting win. Flynn Leung-Nicholson was terrific carrying the ruckload in Curtis’s absence.

Wyvern qualified for the quarter finals in second place on points for and against so had to play the top side Cherrybrook from the other pool. Wyvern were behind at half time but produced an inspirational second half led by Atticus Bertrams and Connor Corcoran to overrun their opponents. In the semi-final Wyvern were scheduled to play the top team from their pool in French’s Forest and the match was almost a carbon copy of the quarter final. This time Angus Ole took countless pressure relieving marks and the mosquito fleet of Alex Solomou, Jackson Sumich and Tom McCoubrie dominated the midfield. The result was an exhausting win built on courage.

The final against Forestville was a great spectacle. Forestville boasted a team of highly talented and athletic players while Wyvern played with the same ‘team first’ ethos that had carried them so well through the early rounds. Once again there were only a few points in the game at half time with Wyvern trailing. The Wyvern boys were clearly exhausted at half time but refused to give in. The wind picked up in the second half and conspired against the Wyvern boys, however, they refused to let that stop them and kicked to the lead early in the second half. Youngsters, Ben Crawford, Gaelen Dorigo, Lachlan Harmer and Stefano Ottavio never stopped trying along with Alex Rumi, Lachlan Walsh and Henry Goodfellow. In the end it was a case of ‘so near, so far’ as our exhausted squad were overrun.

While clearly disappointed after the grand-final, the boys were quick to put in perspective just how much they had improved throughout the day. Walking off the field they held their heads high and were quick to cheer up when they heard the news that Yogurtland were going to give them all a free frozen yogurt. Indeed this was the perfect remedy and certainly a good reward for their efforts.

Neil Brunton
AFL Coordinator

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