The Melbourne music community was once more electrified this past weekend by the famed and beloved Reclink Community Cup, held at Victoria Park in Abbotsford.
The excitement in the air was positively palpable in the lead-up to the big game, with the who’s who of Melbourne music and a sea of punters braving the cold to celebrate what is swiftly becoming the music scene’s all-inclusive equivalent of Christmas Day.
An incendiary lineup including Whistle & Trick, the Vovos and Ross Wilson & The Peaceniks kicked things off in style, with Ross Wilson & Co holding off the rain with a stirring rendition of his classic anthem Eagle Rock. The Megahertz, composed of presenters from Melbourne’s dual cultural cornerstones PBS and Triple R, have enjoyed a string of victories in recent years, so there was much talk around town of The Rockdogs, made up of a colourful gang of local musicians, finally breaking their losing streak.
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The Megahertz came on strong in the first half, defending their title with vigour and enjoying a small lead at half time, however The Rockdogs came back with renewed strength in the second half, clawing their way to a one point lead by the fourth quarter. Despite the athletic expertise of those on ground perhaps leaving a lot to be desired, highlights of the match included a sports-drink cocktail bar popping up on the sidelines, PBS’s resident Scotsman Chris Pearson proudly rocking a kilt during the match and particularly memorable performances from veteran Chris Gill of the Megahertz and the Rockdog’s formidable ruckperson Chloe Worley of the band Spunk.
Audible gasps filled Victoria Park in the final quarter as, with the Rockdogs desperate for a victory and one point ahead, the clock mysteriously disappeared with an abstract amount of game time remaining. This was somewhat suspiciously foreshadowed by an energetic rendition of The Timewarp at half time, performed by both team’s zestful cheer squads.
Miraculously, just enough time apparently remained post-clock disappearance for the Megahertz to score one final point, levelling the scores mere seconds before the final siren blew. So with a humorously low final score of 3.2.20 apiece, the Reclink Community Cup was called a draw. The slightly suspect but highly endearing result was a perfect send-off for the day’s unofficial underlying theme of Unity.
Both teams united to run the Palestinian flag across the field during the game, a welcome sight that garnered much applause and further cemented the feeling of a community coming together for the sake of those less fortunate.
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Whilst a draw can often feel like a loss for both sides, the real winners of the cup were the swarm of elated punters that came together for the big day, along with of course Reclink Australia, whose work providing sport and recreation programs for communities facing disadvantage is what the fantastic annual event is all about.
This year’s official theme song was quite aptly chosen to be Insufficient Funds by Eddy Current Suppression Ring, so hopefully with a little help from this event, those doing it tough in our community will get a bit of the extra help they need. With great Abbotsford establishments like the Retreat, The Yarra and Lulies Tavern filling up swiftly post-match, one can only imagine it wasn’t just the players who were feeling a little sore this week, but then hangovers hurt half as much when earned in the name of a good cause.
Find out more about Reclink Australia and the amazing work they do here.
