U9

After a weeks break we played Sth Croydon at home, and after training this week I was hopeful of having 18 players as Jordan from the U9's decided to play up this week with his brother Josh.

Unfortunately school holidays played a part and we started with 16 - but all players were determined to have a great game with the sun shining through the clouds and a not a drop of dew on the grass - yes the Sth Croydon players looked shocked to see grass!!.

We started well and our attack on the ball in the first half was fantastic, we were able to regularly get the ball into our forward line but did not manage to score any goals due to rushing our kicks and the taller Sth Croydon defenders.

We kept the pressure up in the third quarter and matched Sth Croydon point for point with neither team scoring a goal. It was going to be all or nothing in the last quarter, we were down to 15 on the ground and Sth Croydon to their credit made the most of it and scored a little more freely than us and managed to get ahead.

The boys never gave in and fought it all the way to the final siren as they have all season - we may not have won today but we definately took another big step forward in our teamwork and ability to play the game of football.

BJFC v Glen Waverley Rovers

This week, the Under 11s played Glen Waverley Rovers, who are on top of the ladder, at home. Rain was due in the afternoon, but it was mostly oOK for our game. There was a swirling breeze, and even though Max (our Captain) lost the toss, we kicked to the Railway end.

Glen Waverley Rovers had been ‘warming up’ out the back since 10.00am, and our boys seemed a bit worried knowing they were on top of the ladder. They had not lost a game, but had 2 draws – our focus had to be on playing hard at the ball, getting in and under the packs, and running the ball through the middle. I told the players that there are 2 teams out on the ground, and anyone can be beaten, so enjoy the challenge.

In a tight first quarter, Jake C - playing up forward - scored a great goal from the boundary line. Our backline was tight, playing in front and giving us plenty of run on the rebound. Josh was giving us first use of the ball in the Ruck, and Tito was controlling Centre Half Back. We kept Glen Waverley scoreless, with Tom playing well in defence again and backing his judgement to take marks.

We managed to keep Glen Waverley scoreless again in the second quarter, with Josh and Riley both kicking goals for us. We were still dominating in the centre, with Tito in the Ruck, Ben Roving and Kyle in the Centre. Jaycob was also playing well on the Wing, despite a sore ankle. Ryan, Sascha and Brad were giving us some great contests up forward, and Atilla was playing well in the backline. Despite his cold, Max was tight in the backline and Jack was giving us some rebound across Half Back with Jake K. We were up by 3 goals at half time, but we had to remember that there was another half to go!

We didn’t manage to score in the third quarter, but we continued to play well and had plenty of the ball. Corey was doing well in the ruck, and Riley was giving us some drive from Half Back. Adam was also playing well and making sure we worked the ball out of our backline via the boundary. Zac was working hard as the Ruck Rover, and pushing back to help in defence. Drew was getting in and under playing on the Wing, and Sean was presenting as an option across Half Forward, pushing up the ground when required. Glen Waverley Rovers 2 goals game from long kicks that got over our defence. Our players continued to play hard at the ball, and some great tackles went unrewarded.

We were only a goal up at three quarter time, but I felt we had control of the game and deserved to win. Tom and Jake C were winning against their opponents, and continued to get the ball out of our backline while keeping them scoreless. Kyle and Tito both kicked goals in the last quarter, and our accuracy helped us to a 3 goal win. It was a great TEAM EFFORT, and showed our players that if we keep playing as a team, going hard at the ball, and back ourselves, we can beat anyone.

We must remain focused for our last game at home this week, against Heathmont.

Bayswater 5.1-31 def Glen Waverley Rovers 2.1-13

Goals: Jake C, Josh, Riley, Kyle, Tito

Best Players: The Whole TEAM – this was a great Team Effort and everyone deserves credit for the win.

Coach: Chris

South Croydon V BJFC

Playing at Eastfield Park is always fun as it is a mud heap although that didn’t really dampen the spirits of the boys. Unfortunately there are too many bystanders and passengers in the team so too few are made to take up the brunt of the workload. At Under 12 level this is understandable considering nearly half of the team still qualifies for Under 11’s but disappointing when we can beat each other up at training and when it comes to taking on an opposition player we sometimes shirk the issue. I think next season will be the beginning of a really good football team as with (hopefully) a decent pre-season and 100% commitment from all players and parents we will be looking at playing in a finals series.

By the way, I can understand why the boys were excited about ‘that’ passage of play because I agree it is the best I have seen so far. If you didn’t see the boys running the ball out of defence with a chain of 6 handballs, each of them creating extra space to run then I suggest you come and watch!

South Croydon 9.4.58 def Bayswater 0.1.1

Best: Sanden, Andrew, Matt, Jamie, Luke and Billy

Coach: Greg

Round 13 v Ringwood

Q1: What was a very cold, wet and windy day we knew we were in for a very tough contest as Ringwood bet us early in the year. We wanted to come out and make a statement by being first in for the ball and attack the contest very hard. Unfortunately it was the opposition who looked liked they wanted the win more as they were battling for a spot in the top 5. We struggled to handle the slippery conditions and let Ringwood run away from us around the congestion, luckily the scoreboard did not suggest the dominance of the opposition.

Bayswater 0.2.2 - Ringwood 0.3.3

Q2: We addressed the situation at quarter time and it was a much better performance by our team as we started to get on top in the centre clearances. We started to run and link up without over using the ball too much as it was very hard to handle. It was a complete turnaround as we dominated the quarter only to kick poorly but still gain the advantage at the main break.

Bayswater 3.7.25 - Ringwood 0.3.3

Q3: I made a few moves at the break to try and get others involved as we wanted to test some players in different positions. We went back to playing as we did in the first quarter and the ball was coming out of our forward line with ease. Ringwood got a sniff of victory and they started to get well on top as we stopped running and going in hard to win the ball.

Bayswater 5.9.39 - Ringwood 4.4.28

Q4: We needed to lift and we had to get back to our running game and believe that if we did the hard work it would pay off. The first 10 minutes of the last quarter was fantastic, you could see the intensity lift all over the ground. We won the ball at most centre clearances and worked so much harder to keep the ball in our forward line. We kicked 3 goals in that first 10 minutes to put the game in our favour as the rain started to get heavier and heavier. It was great to see that after we were challenged we found a way and worked hard to get over the line in what was a very scrappy game.

Bayswater 9.13.67 defeated Ringwood 6.5.41

U15