It doesn’t seem that long ago that we were gathered at the home of the Noosa Tigers, Weyba Road for the past seasons Grand Final day. Now summer has come and gone and round one is upon us.
No doubt it is as early as we have begun to play our season, this due to the structuring of the season with Easter falling early April and the most important ANZAC day falling on a Sunday. To make use of the long weekends of April (Easter and ANZAC) and the natural youth competition grading process of our first four rounds of season 2010; we have two full youth rounds prior to Easter, a week off to take stock and then two further rounds (3 & 4) mid month prior to ANZAC day. We then get our head around grading with a weekend off for our youth competitions, as we then look to crank season twenty10 up to full throttle, from round 5 on May 2nd.
So hasn’t the weather been a bug bear in getting in plenty of pre season training? It has simply hammered down over many of our cherished fields of play, but as we look to the final days of the week prior to round one we see some of that dear sun shining down upon our grasses of joy. Unfortunately the odd scud of rain has drifted by sometimes undoing the good work of mother sun and what is that wicked cyclone Ului going to do this weekend? Hopefully its winds will also do their part in aiding the ground drying process.
I’ve just had a stretch of the legs over the Fish Park fields of play, and yep certainly some squelching as you move over the surface but generally not muddy due to a great grass thatch – more wind will bring them near to a good track standard for Friday night. Sunday’s condition pending what the bloke upstairs and Ului do.
So as we look to the footy, Fish Park gets things underway on Friday evening with four matches on the card – a couple of heavy weight draws in div 1 12’s will play across the small field whilst 2 under 14 games will be played on the main field. The Roos will host visitors from the Hinterland in Glasshouse and Nambour, kicking off at 6pm.
Sunday sees 17 matches consolidated to four venues, Noosa and Coolum Beach in the north coastal region, the Cats with four youth teams all at home in the far SC north and mid coast we are back at Fish Park.
At one stage the draw had a standalone 16’s match scheduled for Caloundra, but them goal posts have failed to grow in the off season (and that with all the good growing rains received) so transplants will have to take place as next week pounces on to the calendar – go Panthers as Sunday week is huge. So the Panthers of Caloundra div 1 16’s team has had to pick itself up and become host on the Fish Park main field with a game time of 12.10pm Sunday, visitors the Blues of Nambour & Hinterland.
Also on the card at Fishermans Road are four other games, including two under 12 games. One game at 9am sees the under 12 div 3 competition get underway – this competition in its first year as a participation program in 2009 was most successful. No finals are played in div 3 12’s and the competition is designed to see inexperienced youngsters new to our game or 10 year olds step into the fray to develop their skills and game sense without the real pressure of finals scoreboards. Such a “non-competitive” competition also lends itself to clubs forming extra teams particularly over the first month of play with opportunity to join a competition – div 3 12’s mandate is simply get out and play.
Also at Fish Park is an under 16’s div 2 match, this sees the culmination of hard off season work by Tony Kennedy, Paul Harris, Bruce Cantle and friends to take the Roos to the next step of fielding two under 16 teams. Plenty of junior numbers at Maroochydore and creating this player pathway is most important in youth retention, well done Roo’s.
Whilst under 16 bouquets are being handed out, a big well done to the Noosa Tigers who have opted for player development and competition structuring to place both their under 16 teams into the 16’s division 1 competition. Plenty of friendly rivalry the Noosa Gold and Blue 16’s games will deliver, that game won’t transpire for the first couple of rounds at least but come Sunday both camps will be able to watch (and maybe cheer) their club mates in action as the two teams respectively host visitors of Kawana Park and Maroochydore.
With six games at the Tigers den it is a super Sunday of junior footy, the main visitor is the Eagles who will soar in from Kawana Park with four teams in tow. Whilst our tenth league club, in the North Shore Jets take to the field for the first time through their under 14’s squadron.
The Jets of North Shore through club President Warren Selvage and his band of happy helpers have “reformed” a club at this Mudjimba Beach Road facility some five years after the past squadron came crashing down. As season 2010 is set to unfold the Jets look to field four teams (1 x 8’s, 10’s, 14’s and 16’s), hope is still held that an under 12 division three Jet team may emerge from the hangar as the season rolls into full flight.
The North Shore Jets 16’s have a flight trip up the main flight path, the Bruce to Gympie come Sunday, for their first serious hit out – good luck Jets. And isn’t it fantastic to see the development of playing opportunities continue to take place with the Catters of Gympie. Now four full and buoyant youth teams under pinned again by six under 10 “Cool Cats” teams. This year the Cats have opted to start their under 12’s in division 1 and see what grading delivers at the top level whilst they have underpinned this division one team with a division two team – fantastic.
The Panthers of Caloundra are also on mass at the Cattery for a show down of feline proportion. The fur will be flying with the first three games Gympie v Caloundra in 2 x 12’s and an under 14 game – yep the Catters starting the grading process at the top end of coast footy – good stuff!
Two games take at the education fields of Coolum as we return for year two of the Breakers stationed at Coolum State High School. No doubt on Sunday the visitors of Nambour & Hinterland and Caloundra will feel the full force of those cyclonic Breakers whilst the back ground din will be wild surf belting the coast across the David Low Way. Let’s hope those real waves won’t want to join the party as the Coolum Beach Breakers look to get their season underway.
For the Demons of Pomona they will field teams in 12’s div 2, 14’s div 1 and 16’s div 2 as season 2010 gets underway and for the mountain men and a few quality girl players they head to Fisherman’s Road as a mass blue and yellow army to get their round 1 kicks.
So after many months of planning at an administrative level by league and club alike, it is time to bounce the “St Clair Sheetmetal” Sherrin in the 2010 “Maroochy RSL Club” AFL Sunshine Coast Juniors competition. And with a word of wisdom to all those youth participants entering round one – make sure you get your “40 Winks” pre game and enjoy your footy – dream sheep but we ain’t playing for their stations!
Last Modified on 31/03/2010 12:26