Stirling Districts were eager to snatch three points in the opening round of the season. Under the guidance of new A grade manager Stephen Spencer, the Aces wanted to set a winning precedent for the year.
With ideal conditions, the stage was set for a highly consented battle against Sturt Marion. The game began with a high tempo style of football with both teams laying a number of tackles early on. As both teams traded attacking blows, a Sturt Marion player struck goalkeeper Jarrod Thrun in the head with a late challenge. After treatment to stop the bleeding, Thrun bravely returned to see out the remainder of the game. The defensive four continued to counteract Sturt Marion’s advances as debutants Brian Stephens and Kaylem Short showed confidence alongside Simon Dawe and Lewis Coulls. Collectively, the Aces looked dangerous with a number of attacking opportunities. Both Martin Nitschike and Richard Dawes provided bursts of speed on the wing and this attributed to Stirling’s overall momentum. Following a terrible passage of defensive play by Sturt, Jonathon Gomez won a contested battle to allow Nitschike to fire away a thunderous strike. The Aces compounded the pressure against Sturt through the work rate and tenacity of Michael Henn and Joel Byrth in the midfield. Josh Hill supplemented the Ace’s overall attacking movement through his speed and awareness. Stirling entered the half time break with confidence.
Unfortunately, the second half did not reflect the first and Stirling found themselves falling victim to three goals from defensive corners. This was beyond disappointing for the playing group but all 11 players on the park maintained an incredibly high work rate. Late substitution in James Laughton and Luke Marquis provided final burst of energy but it was to no avail. Late in the second half, Gomez found himself in a scoring position to open is goal count for the year. Although a sub-optimal start to the season, the Aces can take a number of positives from the encounter.
