By RUSSELL BENNETT
IT all comes down to this: if the Pakenham Silverbacks win their final regular season game this Saturday against Ballarat, they’ll make a fairy tale journey to the playoffs in their debut season in the Gridiron Victoria competition.
The Silverbacks climbed within just two points of the Falcons in the battle for the right to take on the Gippsland Gladiators in the Division 2 Championship decider.
Pakenham toppled Gippsland on Saturday for the second time this season in a commanding 27-12 win at Maryvale Reserve in Morwell.
Back at the scene of their miracle, last-gasp 7-6 win over the Gladiators back in Week 10, the Silverbacks started superbly on Saturday with Elyon Brown and Adam Kolinksi forcing a safety after the first of a series of bad snaps by Gippsland.
History repeated just minutes later for the home side after great pressure from the Silverbacks’ defensive line. The ball was kicked over the dead ball line for a second safety – putting the visitors 4-0 up.
After the first quarter the Silverbacks hit some impressive passes and some Felix Brown brilliance on offence complemented their great all-around team defence, getting good field position.
It seemed as though Pakenham was about to run away with a huge victory when returning fan-favourite Aaron Verbakel made a catch in the end zone, putting the side 10-0 up. It was again the combination of the two men who had given the Gladiators nightmares in week 10 – Jimmy Kane and Steve Mclean – taking the ball to within inches of the end zone before Mclean ran in a QB keep for his first touchdown of the year.
The Silverbacks were 16-0 up late in the second before Brandan Nobels stole the pick and took it all the way for six points before Adam Kolinksi caught a two-point conversion, increasing the margin to 24-0.
But the Gladiators came out hard, as expected, and desperate to slash the Pakenham momentum. They scored twice in the third-quarter to cut the deficit to 12 points, 24-12, before Tobias Currie – the hero from Pakenham’s previous game – did it again with a monster 48-yard field goal to seal the victory 27-12.
Big man Richmond Stowers put huge pressure on the Gippsland snapper throughout the game, while second-gamer Evan Solodchuck put in a brilliant performance at full-back with Brandan Nobels a menace on the defensive end with three telling interceptions.
The Silverbacks’ biggest game to date will take place this Saturday from 1pm against the Falcons at White Flat Oval in Moyle Street, Ballarat.
