It was a severely undermanned Jets side that traveled to Asuza to take on the Beachside Sharks on Sunday, with only 9 players left standing at the end of what was an excellent game of Australian Rules Football. With ruckman Sean Nievaart (ribs) and key defender Ryan Lorseyedi (hamstring) out with injuries, gun midfielder Ben Vadasz away on business, and some other players unavailable, the Jets were forced to take the field with only 10 players. This meant there was only one man on the bench, and, tragically, there would soon be none. Half back Robert Alexander, who had been having an outstanding season so far, went down early in the game with a serious knee injury. Early tests point to an ACL tear, but he won't know for sure until the knee is scanned once the swelling goes down. It was a terrible blow for Robbo, and for the Jets. He is very popular at the club and has improved his game out of sight over the last year, developing into a very good defender. The club is hoping for the best and that it is not a tear, in which case we could see Robbo back on the track in time for the Bombers season.

So it was that the Jets were down to 9 players. Although new recruits Korbin and Turbo showed up just before the game and got dressed and were ready to play, the coach felt that the rookies weren't ready to be thrown into the pressure-cooker that this game was, especially since they could play full games for the Swans, who were short a few guys, in the following match. Turns out that game was just as intense, and the rookies did themselves proud, so maybe the coach got that one wrong...

The Jets started the game well, kicking the first goal of the game inside the first minute, but from there it was all the Sharks as they slammed on 5 goals in a row. With Robbo going down and the Sharks running rampant, the Jets were rattled while their opponents were settled. The end of the quarter couldn't come soon enough, but when it did the Jets regrouped, made some positional changes, and after some inspirational words from skipper Qemal Shalaholli, went out to try to get back in the game.

They did exactly that by booting 2 goals 2 behinds for the quarter while keeping the Sharks to just 3 points. The defensive work of KB Nelson and Seb Aguiari was outstanding as we've come to expect, and their efforts kept the Jets in the game all day. But it was a surprise defender who really stood out. Mike Hertstein, a consistent forward who had already booted 3 goals to half time, was asked to go into defense and he rose to the challenge. Hershy's drive off half back was crucial, and his delivery into the forward line was perfect, hitting up makeship full forward Andy Treanor with some beautiful passes in the third quater and bringing the Jets within striking distance.

Meanwhile Kelly Nelson was doing his thing, dominating the midfield and frustrating the opposition, while Brad Wetherall and Mark Harrison were combining nicely coming off the wings and pushing into the forward line, and together they created many scoring opportunities. Captain Q continued his amazing form and led from the front, while Andy Treanor played all over the field in his best game of the season so far.

While the Jets were able to win the final 3 quarters, they were unable to peg back the 4 goal break they gave the Sharks in the first quarter, eventually going down by 5 points. The Sharks were focused, well drilled and very impressive overall, with Simon Sweeney having an outstanding game and leading his side to a well deserved victory.

Still, the Jets played some great football, and showed some grit under difficult conditions. As the captain said after the game, "maybe this is the loss we had to have."

Time will tell...

(Note: a good team effort all round, no passengers and good performances from all players.)