Floodlights shine through the darkness at the Koo Wee Rup football ground, it’s wet and only five degrees Celsius, the not so perfect setting for junior Aussie Rules football.  The opening bounce was at 7pm, and it was only going to get colder and wetter.

The Pakenham Under 13 boys were going into this match against Koo Wee Rup undefeated, but this game was different, everyone was fighting the cold and rain, as well as the opposition.

At every quarter break we had buckets of warm water for the boys to thaw out their frozen fingers, as well as towels and blankets.  As for the parent helpers, our team Runner and Goal Umpire volunteers had to endure the freezing conditions the most, but there was no complaints.

When the final siren sounded, Pakenham had suffered their first loss of the season, but the boys beat the cold and had a lot of fun. Running back into the change rooms, there was hot Milo drinks waiting for all the boys, courtesy of the Koo Wee Rup Junior Football Club.

You’ve got to love junior sports!