Hills face crunch time

By RUSSELL BENNETT
TALK about a nightmare game – The Endeavour Hills Premier Rugby side lost by just one point to Boroondara on the weekend, all but snuffing out any chance of playing in this season’s finals.
But it gets worse – they lost budding Wallaby superstar Cooper Vuna to a dislocated shoulder in the process.
Endeavour Hills football manager Archie Kennedy was at a loss to explain his side’s nightmare day on Saturday.
“You can blame all sorts of things in the end but we just weren’t good enough,” he said. “I guess you just can’t control the uncontrollable.”
Boroondara rocketed out of the games, storming to a 13-0 first half lead.
And when Vuna dislocated his shoulder early in the second half, the nightmare seemed to have reached epic proportions.
But Endeavour Hills refused to give in.
Taking to the field without their star playmaker, they roared back to within a point – ultimately falling in heartbreaking fashion 13-12.
“Boys kept trying after Cooper went down,” Kennedy said.
“It’s important that we didn’t become dispirited.”
But the result had a string of far-reaching ramifications. Vuna was in line to be selected in the Wallabies side for its upcoming internationals but now faces an extended period on the sidelines recuperating from his injury.
He was in his second week of a short-term stint at Endeavour Hills, following the end of the Melbourne Rebels’ Super Rugby season.
“This was the realisation of the worst-case scenario and it played out in the worst way,” Kennedy said.
Endeavour Hills’ game against Boroondara was one of three must-win clashes if the Casey side was to play finals rugby.
Now it must rely on results going its way and a drastic turnaround in luck if it’s going to make it.
“We set ourselves a goal of making the six this season – to make the finals – and it doesn’t look like we’ve achieved that,” Kennedy said.
“Now we just need to regroup for our next game against Box Hill and put it all on the line.”