Reader warning – a touch of politics in this week’s report given it’s an election round!
The last round of grading saw us play on the exceptional grounds at Beaumaris Secondary School. The turf felt like carpet and the changerooms smelled sweet; far from the stinky boy smells ingrained from generations of an once male-dominated sport.
Despite the freshness of our surrounds, the girls were a touch lacklustre. The Beauy girls looked strong and held the ball down their end for most of the first quarter. We held them to a point however, and at this stage, the contest looked evenly matched. Marks from the Mia’s (K and S), Daisy and Liv, and good tackling from Tilda were highlights.
At the break, Coaches Josh and Leigh called for “making space”, “running into the play” and encouraged the girls to talk to each other more.
And the girls responded. A goal by Squiz put us on the board, and gusty tackles from Lizzie, when the opposition looked like scoring, lifted the spirits. Beautiful marks and kicks by Aliyah and good pick-ups from Mia K, Abbey and Claudia saw us prevail at half time.
But the winds of change blew in and Beauy ran all over us, raining four goals. Tilda rallied and scored a goal. Batman tackled with superhero determination, but they were too good.
Despite the scoreboard the girls pressed on and their game improved. Shanti and Daisy copped knocks and with only three minutes to go the mood was somber. But the girls never gave up and in the words of the recently defeated Tony Abbott, “We might be losers [today], but we’re not quitters.”
We certainly couldn’t work a ScoMo ‘miracle’ this week but there’s plenty of footy still to come. The girls are steadily getting better each week and that’s what matters.
Coach Josh had strong words about being committed to turning up to training with the right attitude; listening to Callum and Josh is key to improving each week.
Awards to: Elicia for being a vocal and encouraging captain; Shanti for playing her best game so far and getting up when she was knocked down; Mika for not having her best game but for her ongoing effort. Best on Ground deservedly went to Lizzie for her courage and brilliant defence.
