Endeavour Hills full-back Mani Afua is just one of his club’s relieved players after its horrid Premier One season came to a close on Saturday.By Marc McGowan
THE misery of Endeavour Hills finally came to an end on Saturday, but only in the knowledge that it would definitely not lose this week.
In the last match of the season for the struggling local Rugby Union Victoria Premier One team, Endeavour Hills went out with a 93-5 thumping at the hands of the Southern Districts at Riviera Park in Seaford.
The defeat was the club’s 10th in 11 games, with the only respite coming in the previous weekend when a winless Geelong forfeited.
Endeavour Hills had little hope of doing much more than it did against Southern, however, with only 11 players suited up in the first 40 minutes.
The Mafi brothers, David and Ben, turned up shortly into the second half to bolster Endeavour Hills by two, but the damage had already been done.
Still two players down on the 15 allowed on the field, Endeavour Hills did manage to pull off a score after a great solo effort by Paul Ioane.
The result capped the disappointment of what gradually became a woeful year, but the club did receive some good news over the weekend when it found out no teams would be relegated.
Even with the heavy loss, coach Mark Thompson saw plenty to laud his players about.
“It was actually blooming good. We didn’t have enough players, but the guys on there gave all they had, so I’m all right about it,” he said.
“We had 11 warriors and then 13 warriors when the other guys turned up, so I’m very happy with the way they played.”
Thompson, who is hoping to be reappointed, has high hopes for 2008.
“I will go out and canvas some young players to play for next year and there are probably six coming up from Colts, so that’s a positive already,” he said.
“I will sit down with the committee (on 30 September) and say what I think and what we need to put in place to make sure this does not happen again.”
