Saturday's STFA All Age Men semi-final between the Goulburn Strikers and Stags FC was critical for a number of reasons, not the least of which was that the winner progressed directly into the grand final.
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However, those concerns became secondary issues when Strikers forward Ben Hartin was left with a gruesomely broken leg following an awkward tackle.
What followed were touching scenes of sportsmanship and camaraderie as both Strikers and Stags players gathered around Hartin intending to help.
"It was just awesome," Strikers coach David Albrighton said of the goodwill shown by both sides.
"The Strikers and the Stags are fierce rivals on the pitch, but we've all played with and against each other. We get a bit of white line fever but we can go and have a beer together and a chat.
"It's good that everyone pulls together, and at the end of the day we're in it together. There's more important things than a result."
Stags co-coach Craig Norris was similarly impressed, and praised Hartin for his good humour throughout what would have been a distressing ordeal.
"Nobody wants to see a player in an ambulance, but Ben was in good spirits considering the injury," Norris said.
"The guy who was involved in the tackle had played against Ben for most of his life, and Ben called him over and gave him a hug."
Hartin's class and composure continued to show even after he was taken to hospital. The day after the match, he commented on a Facebook post from the Strikers regarding the injury and thanked everyone involved for their help.
"Great effort from all involved. I can't thank you enough for sticking by me," Hartin said.
"These moments only felt like 5-10 minutes to me but I've been informed that this comradery was sustained for an extended period of time.
"Big shout out to the ambo driver Keysy, who took over after everyone's help, his performance was nothing short of the pinnacle of care and professionalism.
"A tragic accident that brought about a true display of sportsmanship from friends, teammates, officials and spectators. I will never forget everyone's help and support. Thank you."
The injury caused a roughly half-hour pause to the game, which in the end went the way of the Stags, 2-0.
While the result took somewhat of a back seat following the stoppage, Norris said the extra week off was going to be beneficial in allowing the Stags to overcome their own injuries before the grand final.
"We lost another player to an injury, Aaron [Swanson], our leading striker, did something to his groin," he said.
"Sometimes it can be hard, you don't know if we want the week off but I'm more than happy with it. At least now we know we've got 14 fit players and we might get one or two back from injury."
The Strikers are similarly burdened with injuries, which left them with no subs and a dwindling gas tank on Saturday.
"We were just down on numbers in the end, we had no subs and after Ben was injured another guy did his hamstring," Albrighton said.
"This week we get a couple of players back from suspension and one other bloke back that was away at The Everest. Even myself, I didn't play because I tore my quad, so I'm hoping to be back, if not this weekend, then the grand final."
This weekend's preliminary final clash will feature the Strikers against the Wollondilly Soldiers, who won the minor semi-final on Saturday against Crookwell Red, 3-2.
While Norris said the Strikers do not have a preference as to who they play in the final, Albrighton knows the challenge for his side will be to shore up their offence in light of losing Hartin.
"Replacing Ben, he's one of our best players so it's not possible to replace him like for like," Albrighton said.
"The good thing we've had throughout the year is a lot of goalscorers, but it's not just Ben's goals, he's a creative player for other people.
"It's a tricky match for us, given that we're low on numbers. We've got to find a way to get goals, we're confident in defence. We've got the team there that works for each other and gets the result, we just need the right mindset."
The STFA preliminary final between the Strikers and the Wollondilly Soldiers will be played this Saturday, October 24, from 3pm at Cookbundoon 2.
The grand final is scheduled to take place on October 31 at the Goulburn Workers Arena from 6pm.
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