Roving Roo Reporter
August 24, 2024
The DC Eagles, formerly part of the Baltimore/Washington combined club during the early days of the USAFL, flew into town for the first-ever clash between the clubs. The match was conceived at the 2023 Regionals when the clubs were able to capture the Division II Championship as a combined squad that smashed its competition that day. As part of the agreement the Kangaroos head to DC in 2025.
This was the final home game for the Kangaroos in 2024, with the game being played at the traditional stomping ground of Elmington Park at 2 pm. The early morning weather was terrific but as game time approached the temperature kept rising eventually settling in the mid-90s at game time. Secretly the Roos were happy for this as they train in such weather all season, but the Eagles have much milder weather up in DC. The teams did agree to have water breaks at the 10-minute marks each quarter, for player safety of course.
As game-time closed in, a few Hall of Famers for the Kangaroos were seen working for the club, with Adam “AC” Carter roaming the boundary line, Evan “Colonel” Ling at the commentary booth, and Jeff “Peeps” Persson pulling on the umpire gear along with former club President Grant “Whitey” White doing goal duty. Great to see the alumni coming out for the footy!
The first bounce went up and the Roos looked to take hold of the match early as Brett Philpott kicked his first career goal from 25 yards out, and James “Ty” Harden and Austin Philp (his first career goal as well!) adding to the tally. At the first break, the Roos led 3.3(21) to 1.4(10). The Eagles showed they were able to adapt to the conditions in the second quarter and controlled a lot of the play, reversing the dominance of the Roos midfielders and kicking three of their own, with only a single goal to the captain James “JD” Duty. At the major break the Roos trailed by a point Roos 4.6(30) to Eagles 4.7(31).
During the half-time break, the Kangaroos announced the five members who are to be inducted into the Kangaroos HALL OF FAME, with the ceremony taking place at the November 2 Awards Night. President Jeff “Peeps” Persson took time off from umpiring to announce to the 100+ fans the following inductees and their accomplishments:
· Luke Nemeth
· David Harris
· David Walker
· Justin Allen
· Grant White
Congratulations to these five members on their induction into the Hall of Fame!
After the halftime break, the teams got after each other with a ferocity to match the temperatures. The defense of Brendan “Touchy” Feely, Todd “Tj” Greenway, and Saul Camarena was phenomenal and the clearances to Cody McLain, James “Ty” Harden, Bill Comstock, and father-son combo Andrew and Austin Philp was terrific to see. The mid-fielders were often pushing the ball to the tall and rangy forwards of Luke “Bagman” Chadwick, Ian “Nilla” Eastwood, and Nick Chadwick but the shots on goal were just not going in, except for Duty getting his second of the match. The Eagles extended their lead in the Premiership quarter, Roos 5.7(37) to Eagles 7.9(51).
As the fourth quarter began, a 14-point deficit is not a death knell and the Roos were able to punch in their sixth goal of the game thanks to Cody McLain and make it a one-goal margin. Then the attrition of battle became evident. Thanks to tremendous gut-check efforts from Johnny Guider, Maurice “SloMo” Howell, Logan Vitovich, and ageless wonder, David “Frosty” Harris coming out of retirement on the day he was announced for the Hall of Fame, the Eagles were kept at bay with no goals in the quarter! The Roos had a couple of chances to level the score, but in the end, they fell short by a goal, with the Eagles prevailing, Eagles 7.12(54), Roos 6.10(46).
The loss drops the Roos to 8-4 on the season with a final road game in Des Moines on September 14 before heading to Austin, TX for the Nationals. With the final home game, the Kangaroos are proud to say THANK YOU to all the sponsors, members, alumni, and supporters for being there for the Kangaroos in 2024.
The Kangaroos still have their local teams, the Redbacks and the Wallabies competing in two final matches (Friday August 30 and Friday September 27, both games 7 pm at Morgan Park) so you still can come out and see the boys as they not only compete for the coveted Nashville Metro League championship, but secure bragging rights for the next twelve months! The September 27th Metro Grand Final match will be followed by the Nashville AFL Grand Final Watch Party, 11 pm at Homegrown Taproom. Come out and enjoy the game with the Roos!
Eagles 7.12(54) def Roos 6.10(46)
Nashville goals: James Duty 2, Ty Harden, Cody McLain, Austin Philp, Brett Philpott
DC goals: Nathan Blumenshein 4, Andrew Do, Jack Jacobs, Todd Greenway (yes, that one)
Field Umpire: Jeff Persson
Goal Umpires: Grant White, Jack Chadwick
Attendance: 100+
Injuries: no major injuries
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