Compared to the Round 1 game, the weather conditions were much better for Round 2. The players, coaches & support team were prepared for game 2 with structured game plans for the 4 quarters to be implemented, based on observations from round 1.
At the start of the 1st quarter (Q1) bounce, the opposition moved the ball to the wing & down the half forward flank through to the forward pocket with a fortunate bounce to get them on the board. During Q1, the ball was primarily in the midfield & our backline. It was evident that we were facing a team that had better team cohesion, as a result of playing together for 2 seasons. In contrast, U9 pink are a newly formed development team, with each player learning not only their own abilities/skills but importantly each teammate’s abilities. The boys withstood a barrage of attacks during Q1 with our back line consisting of Tom W, Lucas & Parker taking some good contested marks. While Jack P, Edward & Louis put a huge effort in the midfield with some great tackling & possessions.
Q2 was similar to Q1 with the ball primarily in the midfield & our backline. The entire backline consisting of Harry, Caelan, Finn, Anthony, Baxter & Kieren did a tremendous job to withstand the opposition with a massive work rate in their back zone with contested marks & possessions. In the midfield Jack T & Harrison played a great quarter with a high work rate in the trenches.
Q3 saw a significant turnaround, with all the boys across the field lifting their work rate. It was the best quarter for the team with clean possessions resulting in the ball being moved fluently across the entire length of the ground. The entire midfield consisting of Harry, Caelan, Baxter, Kieren, Finn including Anthony, all played well with some great contested possessions. Lucas took several contested marks in the forward line, whilst Edward, Jack P, Isaac, Thomas C & Mannix worked hard in the backline to stop the opposition from putting more points on the board. The entire team gave us a glimpse of not only their individual talent & skills, but also the team’s potential when we play with cohesion, which only comes with more game time & skills development during training towards building team cohesion.
In the last quarter, the opposition finished the game stronger. Regardless of the result, the backline & midfield again had a stand out Q4. Harry, Caelan, Anthony & Baxter worked hard with good contested possessions. While Jack P, Isaac & Edward put in another solid quarter.
A special thank you to Spencer & Zac from U8 for volunteering & helping the team to field a full squad. Spencer played a great game at both ends in the forward & back line with a high work rate. Thank you to all the volunteers & parents for your effort & support on game day.
The best on ground, in no particular order was awarded to Harry Jones, Jack Polllio & Caelan Foran.
Regardless of the result & final score, the team should take a lot of positives out of the game. All the boys have tremendous enthusiasm & passion towards playing the game with great effort put in every time. As a relatively young team, we are constantly learning, including the individual strengths & importantly each other’s skills/strengths & how each team member plays. The coaching team is constantly learning & adapting to assist the players improve & develop as a cohesive team.
