Well after an arduous preseason in often sweltering heat on those Feb/March Wednesday afternoons, the season finally opened on 16 April. All parents since have had the joy of watching our two U12 teams giving their heart and soul to the Hampton Rover Guernsey over the first seven rounds. Whilst a weeks break courtesy of the long weekend has been refreshing for all, it’s reminded me of just how much enjoyment our boys bring to our Sundays , and how much we miss it when its not on. (However it did mean a free Sunday afternoon where I could watch my beloved Blues dismantle the Giants). We as the coaching group thought it was timely to reflect briefly on the season so far focusing on highlights and RFI’s (that’s the Caggs in me!), and aspirations for the remainder the season.
Season Highlights
– Fighting and spirited win against East Malvern – when we were challenged we were able to absorb pressure and remained composed
– Challenged top team Beauy, in fact outplayed them for more than 3/4’s (just unable to get the scoreboard reward)
– Displayed our rovers style footy against Ajax with quick ball movement, use of the handball option and switch kick to space
We should have belief in ourselves that we are able to defeat any team in the competition when we play our brand of footy (i.e. apply pressure, quick ball movement, hold our structure). But equally, when we are off any aspect of our game any other team could defeat us.
RFI’s
– Forward line entries and discipline to hold the structure
– Consistency of effort (i.e. over full 15min, over 4 quarters) in applying pressure to the opposition (particularly midfield)
– Protection (and avoidance) of “dangerous” areas (i.e. danger zone in back half, corridor space at boundary throw ins etc)
We are sitting on a 2-1 (W:L), after having the benefit of the restart after round 4 (but are well aware of the actual 3-4 reality and where that currently means we are at). As I keep repeating to the lads there are no easy games to be had, and we have a particularly tough run of games over the next 3 weeks leading into the school holidays. We need to aim to win all games, and we will reassess where we are at after round 10, with the run home after the school holidays of the final 5 games. We need to continue to carefully manage the squad in terms of number of games played, keeping several players qualified for both teams, within the rules of the league.
Ash & Sean
