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| I know because I was there! Peter Nick 1, Buffalos 4 West Pymble 1 |
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Happy Buffalos after the game: Garry, Dean, Peter L, Charles, Paul, Jerry, Con, Peter N, Tony, Ian, John
There was a Welsh comedian in the 1970s called Max Boyce who used to talk about rugby a lot. At the end of every long-winded story his punch line in his wonderful Welsh brogue was always ‘I know because I was there!’. The eleven Buffalos who witnessed events at Saiala this afternoon can all echo that feeling after taking part in the second extraordinary game of the year for the Buffalos.
To set the scene, the Buffalos were missing many of their strongest players as the middle weekend of school holidays hit hard and their ranks were reduced to 11 fit men, the only problem being that around 5-6 of this 11 were not actually fit at all. With 11 starters and an expected 7 or 8 finishers, it was a big disappointment on Saturday morning when it was discovered that proposed ring-in Mark Desa was not actually eligible as he has shifted from O35 to O45 this season, and while you can play ‘across’ you cannot play ‘down’. After a top level board meeting on the morning of the match Buffalos management decided to go with their conscience and stand Mark down so they weakened the team but did the right thing.
Jerry tries to explain to Ian and Dean why he shoudn't be left on the bench when we only have 11 players
Expectations were very low as the Buffalos took the field with 11, or would have had Garry showed up on time. All of these men, in varying degrees of Bandaged Buffalo status, would have to stay on the field the full 90 minutes.
Known injuries at the start of the game included Ian [torn stomach muscles], Charles [corked thigh], Peter L [broken bum], Jerry [achilles], and Paul [remnants of viral disease], and things were not looking good when Captain John pulled a groin [his own] midway through the first half.
The Buffalos started cagily as though they were trying to get a foothold in the game and really played fairly defensively throughout the first half. While they looked pretty solid at the back they didn’t threaten that much up front, with a couple of long range efforts the closest they came. After 20 minutes Garry replaced Dean in goal and played with confidence for the next half hour pulling off a couple of smart saves and generally commanding his area well.
The 4 Buffalo goal scorers: Con, Peter N, Paul, John
Three minutes before half time Peter L [playing sweeper due to incapacity] lost the [admittedly giant] striker he was marking from a corner and he headed into the top corner. At half time the Buffalos mindset was ‘well we’ve done pretty well here boys given the circumstances , let’s keep it up’, but as the second half started they began to move the ball around with more confidence at the back and in midfield, and really started to boss the game. As John said afterwards maybe it was because nobody could run that we played such a good passing game, and this seemed to ring true. However it looked for a long time that an honourable 1-0 defeat would be all the Buffalos had to show for their efforts. But, suddenly, with 20 minutes to go things started to magically go right for the Buffalos. First Con, way out on the right sent over what looked a bit of a speculator but it was hit with great power and accuracy and flew over the keeper and in off the back post. A stunning goal and very similar to one John scored a few weeks ago. A few minutes later John crossed after getting the ball back from a corner and Paul confidently headed home.
Then an amazing moment that we have all waited several parts of a lifetime for. The ball fell to Peter N, ten metres out on the right hand side of the goal and he volleyed. The keeper got hands to it but the sheer brute force of Peter’s shot meant he could not hold it and it carried over him into the right-hand corner of the net. For those not familiar with the history of the Buffalos, Peter Nick has played for us for 16 years, is 61 years old and had never scored. It was an unbelievable moment and he was mobbed by Buffalo players. Peter’s next goal is due when he is 77.
Happy chappy Peter N with Garry
Somehow West Pymble seemed to disappear from the game and didn’t really threaten from then on. It was left for John to add the icing on the cake with a sneaky soft shot across the goal from the left which completely fooled the keeper into letting it in.
It was one of those afternoons that will not be quickly forgotten. We thought we had no chance and ended up winning 4-1. Admittedly things went our way but they often don’t. One of our most loved and loyal players got his debut goal in an effort which shows that ‘if at first you don’t succeed….’. There is no greater servant of the Buffalos cause and epitome of the Buffalos spirit. Hat’s off all round!
The brave eleven Buffalos in formation
Dean
Charles, Peter L, Ian
Con, Paul, John, Garry, Tony
Peter N, Jerry
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| Wed Apr 2, 2025 |
| No events are scheduled. |
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