A DAY TO REMEMBER FOR A CHAMPION TEAM
2018 HAMPTON ROVERS UNDER 18s ARE A CHAMPION TEAM AND PREMIERS.
What a fantastic way to finish a year of football with the opportunity to fight out a grand final and ultimately come out on top as premiers.
You are a very deserving team of the win.
It’s extrordinary to think that with two such capable teams playing on a dry ground that there wasn’t a score in the second half.
The fact there was no score is not a poor reflection of skills but an illustration of the fierce determination by both sides not to give their opponents the slightest opportunity. I saw two teams desperate to win.
Reflecting on the game and our chat in the change rooms afterwards I realised there were many heroic moments I failed to mention.
The main thing that sticks in my mind is just how hard everyone fought in the the first 10 minutes. It was exceptional. I asked that you give it everything you could and as a team you did.
Compared to the week before when St Kilda played Oakleigh and St Kilda’s midfield dominated, on Sunday it was as hard as nails in the middle and we won more midfield contests than any game this year.
Ella’s and Buddy’s work made it so difficult for St Kilda.
Our backline were exceptional in crushing the St Kilda forwards. There was a contest in the third quarter Ciara just had to win. If St Kilda got through her it was there best opportunity to score. It wasn’t going Ciara’s way but then she dug in and produced more effort while other Rovers players came into help and it stopped a goal.
In the last quarter our forwards may not have been scoring but they wouldn’t let the ball come out of our forward line for nearly the whole of the last 6 minutes. St Kilda were desperate but we were more so and finally they began to realise time was against them.
I should also mention Polly’s poise to kick our first goal. She again showed that poise in the second quarter moving freely and collecting the ball driving deep into our forward line on more than one occasion.
As a team you may not have realised it but you were yelling support at each other, setting up the wall and committed individually to every honest effort to get us through that last 17 minutes.
I know I have failed to mention other moments some that I can remember and others that I missed in the intensity of the game…. or maybe bad eyesight! But what stands out was that every moment of the game contained a moment of honest effort from one of you.
I also forgot to thank Jacko for being the best coach both on the day and throughout the year.
To Dave Lever and Andrew Grant who got out there to the team on match day and delivered messages and water.
And to Justin Pickering for working hard to keep balance to time played, as best as possible, while I made changes on the fly.
Thank you Eva Hume who came down to support despite being injured and missing out on the game.
I am a believer that a squad gets a team to a Grand Final not just the team on Grand Final day. So to Eva, Mia, Phoebe and Imogen thank you for the part you played in our success.
Thank you girls for your cheer for the coach at the presentation. That was a great buzz knowing you could cheer having had such a great day and victory.
Thank you finally to all the parents for your kind words of encouragement and appreciation.
Richard – Hampton Rovers under 18 girls premiership coach 😉
