Hampton Rovers Juniors

For Boys and Girls

Footy Manager’s Report – Round 9

by

PASSION TEAMWORK FUN RESPECT

I witnessed several great sporting moments over the weekend and a few I would like to forget.

Let’s start with the first half by Carlton at the freezing stadium at Docklands, my lads wanted to go home at half time, I told them we need to see what Carlton serve up in the second half. Answer: 7 goals Blues to 2 goals Freo, nonetheless, we were smashed.

Now the good stuff. With the World Cup on and International Rugby also in the air I needed to press way beyond that to find several feel great stories. Let’s start with:

  1. Seeing Amy at Castlefield setting up with me at 7.45am, wet, wet, wet and cold, 4 degrees
  2. “Can I on behalf of Ajax JFC u16s thank you and congratulate you and your team for a magnificent display of sportsmanship and what I would describe as competitive decency. Everyone had a ball out there today & I dare say learned quite a lot … and this resonated through the staff parents & supporters.
    Congratulations and appreciation to all.
    Wishing you and your team every success.
    Kind regards
    Ken”

    This text is from Ken Sheldon, 3 time AFL Premiership player with Carlton and coach of St Kilda in the 90s. Ken coached Ajax U16 D1 yesterday and found himself with a list of 14 players. A few Rovers lads played in Ajax jumpers and had a great time in muddy conditions at Princess Park, Caulfield.

  3. “GET LOW AND GO HARD” said Trent Hotton to his U14 D1 lads at 3 quarter time. They did and they got the reward with a win in the most wintery conditions imaginable at Chisholm Reserve. The Rovers had 16 to start the game with a few injuries witnessed at school footy the day before. Well done to the following lads who I thought played the full 4 quarters with great effort, Olli H, Zach, Jamie, Hozza, Luke N-S, Jim Bob. Never turn up and just think the result will just happen, the Zebs boys also played very well in trying conditions. At one stage we saw lightning towards the east not far from Chisholm, the clap of thunder was loud and everyone started thinking about abandoning the game, I was asked a few time what the policy was, I told them to keep the children on the ground until the scoreboard shows the Rovers in front (just kidding).

    Trent in full “war cry”

  4. U13 D1 played top of the tree, East Malvern, at Boss James. D1 have had few and far between highlights thus far as every other team seems to have grown physically in leaps and bounds. The boys lead all day until late in the 3rd, we kicked against the breeze in the last and the score was all tied up with 15 mins of play to go, our boys dug deep against the clearly taller team, we used the oval well and every lad played their role. Elliott Brown kicking the sealer with 80 seconds on the clock.
  5. The U17 lads are still on a hot streak, 1 week at a time boys.
  6. Under 11 D1 over East Malvern on the Boss, wonderful stuff. I watched a half of this and thought what a wonderful thing for these lads to play full ground at Boss James and have a win in front of the faithful.
  7. Under 12 Girls enjoying Boss James, although wanting extra space, let’s see what we can do.
  8. Under 16 D2 had another win, Greg has the boys primed for a huge back half of the season, not beyond a chance.

I ended the day watching Richmond v Geelong in a local bar, listening to the last minute of a Rovers game that was played 2 hour earlier that I wasn’t present to see. Several dads were up and about, talking about all the kids, the skills the spills, the mateship, the social fabric that our game offers. I witnessed 11 games on Sunday at 5 different venues and not once all day did I see any player, boy or girl in the most trying conditions throw themselves on the ground expecting an umpire to award a soft free, unlike the French team at the World Cup 22 hours earlier.

I love our club and our sport.

GO ROVERS
Caggs