Sydney Hills Eagles’ Under 18 Division One coach, Peter Steer is looking for a different result in this year’s Grand Final when his side takes on Illawarra.
This time last year, the Eagles who were hot favourites, fell to St Ignatius’ College Riverview in an entertaining contest.
Steer feels things are different this time this year.
“The big difference this year is the focus and commitment from the playing group,” Steer said.
“They have done everything asked of them and more.
“We have received very good support from our senior playing group and several of them have been training with us which has helped raise the intensity.
“Generally, our preparation has been excellent and we are confident we have prepared well and ticked all the boxes to give ourselves the best chance of winning.”
A mix of experience and new players to the Under 18 competition have helped the perennial achievers book another Grand Final on the back of an undefeated regular season.
“The team are pumped for the game on Saturday and we have a good mix of players from last year, and players new to Under 18 footy,” he said.
“The loss last year has been a motivator for several players but more importantly the confidence levels are high and our training has been very good during the finals.”
Illawarra pose a real threat having played out a draw with the Eagles earlier in the season before again challenging the competition favourites in the Grand Final qualifier only to fall short in the final quarter.
Steer hopes his game plan stands up come Saturday.
“We need to win across the ground with hard work and smart play, but there are two areas specifically,” he said.
“Firstly our midfield is particularly strong and if they can get on top, it will give our forwards more opportunity to score.
“Secondly, our forwards have kicked around 100 goals more than any other team, so we are looking to them to continue their good form and kick a winning score.”
The Whiteboard- with Peter Steer
The key players for the Eagles- The stand outs are Jake Famularo and Nick Crowe. Jake has kicked 101 goals this season and has been a focus point up forward, while Nick has dominated the midfield all season. They were recognised at the Phelan Medal presentation, where they were joint runners up in the Kealy Medal. Dean Wright in ruck is key to our success as he has given us first use of the ball consistently at centre bounces and stoppages around the ground. Finally, we have a very strong spine and we are looking for those players to provide the on-field leadership and win their respective positions.
The dangers posed by Illawarra- Harry Dobson has been a very consistent performer for the Lions and has provided a lot of drive through the midfield so we think he is a key player. In addition, Kuaim Anu in ruck has been the Lions key tall and has racked up plenty of possessions during the finals. Illawarra have a strong midfield so we will need to shut down Green, Roebuck and Forst if we are to be successful on the day.
Last Modified on 19/09/2012 12:29
