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The siren sounded to start the game. The umpire threw the ball up. Dave Evans tapped to Ross LaRosa and he kicked a goal. Total time 5 seconds. And that was the early story of the game; slick passing by the Buckhead Bushrangers leading to easy goals. Against this, there was the dogged determination of the Downtown Dingoes.

The teamwork and center bounce domination of the Bushrangers got them the first three goals and it was a lead they maintained for the rest of the game. The Dingoes refused to give up after the initial onslaught and they deserve great credit for keeping the game close.

The Bushies rolled out some very experienced talent in LaRosa and Shane Dalton, both playing their first game of the season and you could tell they were fired up, even though Dalton was playing with a bung foot. The Dingoes had their own first timer in Daniel Searle, a smooth left footer and, once he got into the flow of the game, provided some hope that it wouldn't be all Buckhead this season. Daniel kicked three goals for the game and needs just a bit more fitness and game time to reach full potential.

Missing some of their star players (for the game and for the first quarter), the Dingoes struggled initially to keep up with Buckhead. Dave Evans had his way in the ruck and he provided great drive out of the middle and with LaRosa scouting around snapping up loose balls and feeding Benny Crist with handpasses and crisp kicks. The early pressure was absorbed by Wayne Kraska and returning Kookas stalwart Alan Mobley who, after a break to pursue marathon running, has now turned his attention back to footy. And it wasn't until half way through the first quarter that the Dingoes started to gel.

Late arrivals Ed Robinson and Mick Frost stiffened the Dingoes resolve and the game became a closer affair.

At the first break it was Buckhead  6.3 (39) to a Downtown 3.2 (20)

With Dave Evans having a break in the forward line, the center contests became more even. Dingo utility player Brent Kewley, playing in front of a familiar crowd, provided some scintilating runs into the forward line and kicked one of his two goals for the day. Judith Stein, playing her first game for the Dingoes, was able to get shots on goal under great pressure from Mike Roper. Mike is starting to understand the nuiances of the game and combined with this physical style of play, is going to be a force to be reckoned with. Judith is ramping up her training in preparation for the start of the Lady Kookaburras' season on May 2nd. The Dingoes crept closer in the second quarter, scoring 4 goals to the Bushies 3 and the game became a back and forth affair. Dalton kicked a couple of goals for the quarter, playing through the pain in his foot.

Mike Powers continues to fly in from around the country to provide the Dingoes with stellar defence. Mikey P always gives his utmost when playing for the Dingoes or the Kookas. Next week he gets to put his umpiring skills to the test.

At the half time break, it was still the Bushrangers 9.6 (60) to 7.7 (49).

Curtis Jones put his stamp of authority on the game by kicking a couple of monster goals to start the third quarter. The league's leading goal scorer has been a little hit and miss this season, kicking 2 goals 6 in the first week and then 5 goals 1 in the second. Not being a natural forward, but wanting to come forward at every opportunity, Jones can kick goals from the center square when he is on his day and, on this day, it was a mixed bag. Scoring 5 goals from long kicks, but missing 3 from easy distances. Curtis is proving to be an enigma to the coaching staff; a natural Center Half Back, he has designs on scoring goals. It'll be interesting to see where he ends up when playing for the Kookas.

Shane Wamsley, while looking a little gimpy on his repaired knee, nevertheless was nigh-on impassable in the last line of defence for the Dingoes. Repulsing attack after attack, he even slipped forward to score a rare goal. The coaching staff hope that the gimpiness is not lasting as Shane is a central part of the Kookas defence, especially as Nick Miklowski will not be available for the season.

Adam Grist showed that he can play anywhere on the field for the Dingoes, with strong play in the middle, getting back on defence and chipping in for a couple of goals. All without much fuss, Adam just gets the job done. The Bushranger's Simon Davis also continues to impress, also without being obvious. He quietly goes about collecting kicks and delivering accurate passes to the forwards. Davis kicked 2 goals for the game and gets stronger with each outing.

At three quarter time, the Bushrangers maintained their lead - 13.11 (89) to 10.7 (67).

It rained goals in the last quarter with Buckhead and Downtown combining for 10 goals. Unfortunately for the Dingoes, it was 5 goals a piece and that's NOT how you come from 3 goals down to win games. A tiring Ross LaRosa showed flashes of brilliance with long accurate passes to Eric Baker. Eric managed to kick 2 goals and maintain his second place position on the goal scoring chart. Benny Crist had a quiet but effective game and wasn't called on to control the game like last week as he had plenty of talent around him. Brian Lucy has shown that he is more than capable of keeping offensive players out of the game with strong marking and excellent bodywork.

The Dingoes' Mick Frost played a very contolled game and contributed a couple of goals to their scoreline. Mick has played more AARFL games than anybody and his durability is a great asset. The venerable Wayne Kraska continues to defy the experts who say that footy is a young man's sport. At 48, Wayne still has the skills to play any position on the field. Yes, he does take longer to get up after a tackle (given and received), but he will still be one of the first players selected for Kooka's games. His 'banana kick' goal in the last quarter was a joy to watch. Ed Robinson had a quiet day for the Dingoes and missed a couple of makeable (for Ed) goals from set shots, but making one impossible goal while turning the corner with defenders draped all over him. Normally a driving force for the Dingoes, Robinson's off day will certainly alert the Bushrangers for next week.

The final score was Buckhead by 22 points - 18.13 (121) to Downtown 15.9 (99).

Best man on the ground went to Brent Kewley, who was strangely quiet (verbally), but let his actions show everyone that he is at his playing the best football of his career.

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