Recap

Mikael’s major milestone in Dirty Reds Defence Academy demolition

By CHRIS GORDON

The records tumbled and the Goulburn Dirty Reds delivered an emphatic challenge to the ACT first division competition with a 76-0 demolition of ADFA.

But that score could also be read as Mikael Webber 36, ADFA 0 in a match that saw the point-scoring whiz put on a clinic, setting a new club record for most points in the game as he passed the 2,500 milestone along the way.

Not that he knew that going into the match.

“I knew 2,500 was my next milestone but I didn’t know how close I was,” Webber said.

Going into the match, Webber needed 25 points. After securing 19 in his first match of the season last weekend, that score seemed reachable, but not at all certain.

As the game progressed and word passed around first club officials, then the bench, then the crowd, they started ticking off the points remaining. Fourteen to go, seven to go, five to go… and in devastating touch, unbeknownst to Webber that he was doing it, he brought up the 2,500 with one of four tries he scored on the day.

Putting that in perspective, in Goulburn Rugby’s entire 149-year history, no other player has even come close to 1,000 points, and 2,500 points may even be approaching an Australian Club Record.

Coach Ben Pearson described Webber’s milestone as a fantastic achievement for a player.

“To score that many points is remarkable and I congratulate him on that achievement,” he said.

“I was thinking that he was fortunate in some respects to be a part of a very successful era of Goulburn rugby, but when you look back at his accomplishments in that time you can see he’s a big part of why we have been so successful.”

Webber said he was touched by people’s appreciation of his achievement.

“It’s been an emotional week… first the Friends Reunion, and now this.”

Actually, he didn’t say that. Would have been funny if he did.

What he actually said to his team was “we’ve got a premiership to win, people.”

Which is a reminder that, in amongst all of the hoopla, there was a game of rugby played and a pretty good one from Goulburn’s perspective.

The scheduled reserve grade match was forfeited to Goulburn on the day because many of ADFA’s troops were playing in armed services representative rugby matches elsewhere.

Outmatched, the ADFA team never threw in the towel but the Reds also didn’t take the assignment lightly and submitted a disciplined and confident performance.

By half time Goulburn had notched up 38 points. And, with bench players brought on early in the second half, they repeated that feat in the second half with another 38 for a final tally that included four tries to Webber and two each to Adam Lachlan and Harry Newby.

Coach Ben Pearson was particularly pleased with the performance of the reserves who maintained the momentum when they came off the bench, and with the side keeping ADFA scoreless.

“It was a good performance… if I was to pick one thing to work on it would be concentrating on the small things,” he said.

“With the standard of the competition and the teams we’re playing we need to do all of the small things well.

“I’m wary of Royals and Gungahlin who we haven’t played yet, and we need to be ready to play tightly contested game against teams that will put us under more pressure.”

Pearson also expressed his disappointment his reserve grade side didn’t get an opportunity to play.

“I can remember a few seasons back when we travelled away with just 16 players who backed up and played two full games,” he said.

“So I’m a bit annoyed that they couldn’t provide two teams, when they entered three teams in the competition which forced a lot of byes and disruption on the other clubs.

“I’ve been an advocate of doing what we can to accommodate ADFA in the competition but I’m starting to wonder.”

With that win, Goulburn retains the lead of the competition.

Next weekend first grade has the bye. Reserve grade, who picked up a bonus-point win via their forfeit from ADFA, will battle it out with Uni Norths fifth grade side, the women’s team will play Royals and the Under 18s will play Daramalan.

Unsurprisingly Mik Webber picked up 3 best and fairest points, the players player award and the Garpole Award. The other best and fairest points went to Ben Cheetham (2) and Ben Todkill (1).

Goulburn 76 (Mik Webber 4, Adam Lachan 2, Harry Newby 2, Ben Cheetham, Jordan Wilcox, Abe Kara, Eric Brown tries; Mik Webber 8 conversions) bt ADFA 0.

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