With our 2 centres in Tom and Camdyn missing and our full forward Charlie due to injuries and sickness, our match against the ladder leaders was made that much more difficult I was jealous watching them rotate 5 players off the bench wondering what that luxury would be like. First quarter down by some 6 goals and all I could do is wonder.
However, I’m super proud of our team. The boys have improved this year, they have enjoyed playing with each other and I hope they continue to enjoy their footy. All we asked of them at the breaks was to keep trying, keep tackling, keep up the pressure and Dave and I did our best with positional switches to stem the bleed.
Although we didn’t score yesterday, the boys matched it with the top of the ladder team for 3 quarters. After giving up 6 goals in the first quarter, they only managed 4 more goals for the rest of the match. Undermanned, the effort, persistence and fight was there. We never gave up, and for that I thank them.
Orlando once again led from the front, but it’s been great to witness the improvement in players such as Zain, Nathaniel, Marco and Christian. Their pressure yesterday was relentless, with Christian in particular cool under pressure with some great marks and kicks.
It’s been a pleasure coaching these boys, they are fabulous young men and I’m proud of this team. The boys have become good friends and have really bonded in the face of adversity. For that reason alone, not necessarily the score board, our year has been a success.
Only and if only we could field a full strength team for one week only what we could be….
Rovers 0.0.0
St Pauls 10.7.67
Best: Orlando, Christian, Marco, Angus, Jasper, Luca, Mitch, Anastasi and Taro
