Purple Shins - Postgard Soccer Tournament

To keep with the current sporting theme I'll mention in passing the portgrad soccer tournament at ANU - the Purple Shins. This year I once again joined the RSC (Research School of Chemistry) soccer team. In the past we have performed quite poorly, in fact rumour has it that RSC finished last in 2007, but 2008 was the dawning of a new era.

Jim moving into attack (we're the Black and White - like Collingwood except people like us)

In the beginning, we lost. In fact we lost quite a bit. There were not many games we won, and this was (understandably) disappointing. But then something happened. We don't really know what it was, but somehow we started playing as a team. Goals began pouring in. Our defense became a brick wall (that's me!). Our midfield fluidly transferred defense into attack.

Joey, the centreback, keeps us steady

We were a team. the good teams struggled to score, mediocre teams fell before us, and the bad teams trembled when we strapped on our pads. In a massive turnaround RSC owned the second half of the season, losing only one game (in which we were forced to field injured players due to much of the team attending conferences).

Rowan pushes up the wing

We have now entered finals footy! Can we win three games in a row to take the flag? We will be eliminated in the first round? Luckily for me the race to the flag doesn't begin until I return from Vietnam, and then RSC will stand against the best soccer teams the ANU faculties can thow at us.

Myself in attack, this is a sure fire way to ensure we don't win any more games