Skipper’s milestone one to forget

AJAX lost its first game of the year at the weekend, going down to a fast-finishing Rupertswood in a heart-stopper 17.5(107) to 15.13(103).

Promising youngster Josh Mendies had a chance to win the game for the Jackas after the siren, but missed from a tight angle. In captain Gary Bleiden’s 150th game, AJAX led all day and took an 18-point advantage into the final term, but Rupertswood refused to lie down in a thrilling fourth quarter that saw several lead changes.

AJAX was eventually made to pay for its profligacy in front of goal, the side booting 3.5 to Rupertswood’s 5.2 for the term, the latter overrunning the uncharacteristically patchy Jackas.
The match started with great intensity and pressure, as Blieden led from the front in his milestone game, tackling hard and creating opportunities.

AJAX burst out of the blocks piling on four unanswered goals and looking in total control, before Rupertswood took advantage of some defensive errors adding two of its own. After conceding the lead, the home side hit back as the match developed into a shoot-out. Each side kicked six goals for the term, with Jake Lew and David Fayman snaring two apiece, and singles to Ollie Ford and Jason Samuel. At the first break, it was the visitors by a solitary point.

AJAX dominated the second term adding 5.4 to Rupertswood’s lone goal. Jason Ritterman was causing problems for the opposition with pin-point delivery into the forward line and Ari Lewski was doing his best to lift the team. Rubin Winograd started to find the footy and Corey Jankie was providing drive from the back line, with Evgeni Routman the beneficiary on one occasion, bouncing twice before nailing a superb long bomb on the run. Lew kicked three goals for the term, taking his tally to five in a dominant first-half display, while Fayman was the other goal-scorer for the term and at the break AJAX was four goals to the good.

Winograd extended AJAX’s lead to 29 points early in the third term, but the visitors hit back with the next two as AJAX’s team defence and accountability began to drop off. Fayman kicked his fifth from a down-field free, before Rupertswood again responded adding the next three. Ford snapped a great goal to give AJAX a 17-point lead at the last change. AJAX should have been further ahead except for their poor conversion.

Rupertswood kicked the first three goals of the final quarter to take the lead, before a Blieden/Routman gang tackle wrested back the lead for the Jackas.

With three minutes to go, Rupertswood goaled to regain the ascendency, leaving it to Mendies, who marked on a tight angle, to get his side out of jail. But it wasn’t to be, his shot just missing and consigning AJAX to its first defeat for the year.

The Reserves doled out an astonishing hiding, winning 17.29(131) to 3.4(22), while the Under-19s were on the receiving end, losing 21.19(145) to 1.1(7). The Club 18 side smashed Hampton Rovers 12.17(89) to 6.6 (42).

AJAX plays Essendon on Saturday June 18 at 2pm. Frearson Oval (Melways: 70 G11)

PETER KAGAN