Sidebottom's perfect 10 puts Bushies on top
Emma Quayle | September 27, 2008
EIGHT years ago, Amon Buchanan played in a TAC Cup grand final for the Geelong Falcons. He hadn't had a brilliant season, but kicked 10 goals in the last game of the year and found himself drafted by the Swans a few months later.
Steele Sidebottom was always going to be drafted before the Murray Bushrangers thrashed Dandenong in last night's junior decider. This year, he has proven himself as one of the better midfielders on offer, a big ball-winner who can sweep the ball out of contests, run hard and kick goals.
But if Sidebottom was a probable first-round choice before the Bushrangers' 81-point win and a possible top-10 pick, he moved a little further up the order last night.
Single games don't define where players are picked, but in the biggest game of his career he played the best game of his career, equalling Buchanan's record and making sure his side won.
Playing on the ball, he read the ball well in the centre square and, if he didn't clear it himself, he opened paths for teammates. He kicked an excellent off-balance snap seven minutes into the quarter, to break Dandenong's two-goal start and score the Bushies' first goal.
He scored his second two minutes later, grabbing a mark at the back of three opponents and kicking from the boundary line. His third came just before the quarter-time siren, but it was in the third term that he took the game over.
With the Bushies five goals up, "Rusty" kicked five goals for the term, gobbling marks on the lead, finding his way to the front of contests he didn't seem in, marking balls that seemed too high for him, playing on whenever he could and kicking straight — he kicked his first nine goals straight.
It was only then that some nerves kicked in. Sidebottom's 10th shot, from a tight angle in the pocket, hit the post, then he missed two more set shots and one scrambled snap before finally hitting double figures midway through the quarter.
"I suppose the nerves started to kick in," said the 17-year-old from Shepparton, a member of this year's AIS-AFL Academy and All-Australian selection for Vic Country at this year's under-18 championships.
"I started to cramp up a bit in the end as well. I was getting real nervous, but it's an awesome result, unreal. I don't really know what to say. I think I just had one of those nights."
As well as his 10 goals, Sidebottom had 32 possessions and 14 marks, and pumped the ball inside 50 11 times.
Sam Wright was also impressive across half-forward for the Bushies, who won by 142 points to 61, while Jamie Sheahan grabbed 20-plus possessions and Tom Rockliff bobbed up with four goals. His contested marking and nous were a highlight and he will be an interesting proposition come draft time, with the question for recruiters being whether he can run in the midfield as well as play as a small forward.
Jack Ziebell, another top-10 contender, was less prolific, but played in a few different parts of the ground, including centre half-forward and on the ball, and his powerful kicking, smothers and constant effort were impressive.
Tom Scully's clean skills and smart running stood out for the Stingrays, particularly early while they were still in the game, but clubs must wait another year to get their hands on the midfielder.
Sidebottom would like to turn himself into a midfielder one day, but he didn't mind proving he could also play in another part of the ground.
"After tonight I wouldn't mind going forward a bit more often," he smiled. "It was good."
BESTMurray: Sidebottom, Rockliff, Wright, Sheahan, Tiller, Priest, Ziebell.
Dandenong: Scully, Smith, Doria.
Medal: S Sidebottom (Murray).
http://www.realfooty.com.au/news/news/sidebottoms-perfect-10-puts-bushies-on-top/2008/09/26/1222217519291.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1
