With many heavy grounds still about the coast strong legs will be needed again this weekend, some legs earlier with a swag of Friday night Maroochy RSL Club AFL Sunshine Coast Juniors youth footy at Fish Park then 16 games over 5 venues on Sunday. The “woods” will see just the one game of AFL Sunshine Coast Juniors action which after last Sundays mud bath will be a sigh of relief for most players. In saying that the Caloundra and Noosa fields are still heavy, the cattery should be in top nick, while the “Jungle” saw no traffic last round.
Local Match Play will be the source of Friday night entertainment at Caloundra’s North Street and Glasshouse Hinterland’s Jungle for 8’s and 10’s respectively. For all the northern and central LMP teams their action destination is Pomona’s “Den”, young legs will show those 50 year olds due to start at 1.30pm that it is a young man’s game.
Friday night youth action is at the home of the Roo, Fishermans Road and it will have mobs of Roos going at each other, Roo v Roo games in three (12’s div 1, 14’s div 1 and 2) to warm up the locals on a predicted cold evening. Kawana Park will visit as the opposition in a 12’s div 2 and a 16’s game. Results in all games will be interesting as we near the second half of the season, time teams settled in game plan and consistency to the cause or finals action could slip by. For some the season is very much about player development and friendship, the Jensen Roo 14’s enjoying grazing with beach activity and pizza.
Saturday sees under 18 action back after last weekend with all South East Queensland under 18 football postponed due to the state of grounds in particular flooded venues on the Gold Coast and in Brisbane. Nambour & Hinterland and Noosa 18’s will be at home on Sunday with 2pm starts whilst Caloundra are on the road to the Western Magpies.
At the “Woods”, prior to the Nambour & Hinterland 18’s game we have a 12’s div 3 game of the home team Blues v Noosa Gold on offer, both these two teams have settled into some positive development. Last time was a cracker of a game; four points at games end separated the two teams which were played on a small field due to our LMP season opening carnival day. This time, wider wings will see each teams runners get better space to move in which should bring another interesting dimension to the game.
At Noosa’s Weyba Rd after a week of no training we hope that the field has bounced back to host an interesting Sunday’s entertainment with 2 x 12’s and 2 x 14’s games leading into the 18’s tussle. In the div 2 games of 12’s and 14’s Noosa Red will host the Caloundra Panthers whilst Kawana Park will visit to renew acquaintances with the Blue Tiger.
All four games played at Weyba Road should bring close results, with teams of combat evenly placed on the ladder in most cases. The 12’s div 1 game, Noosa Blue v Kawana Park Gold has both teams from seven starts on five wins with percentages within a short pass, is home ground advantage the deciding factor here? Or as history shows us their round 5 clash saw a 13 point win to the visitors of round 8, the Eagles. The Eagle also visits in the 14’s div 1 game, here the task will be difficult for the visitor as the Blue Tiger to this point sits undefeated, and from last start have bragging rights of a seven goal win. The 14’s Eagles will welcome back a few whom missed last start when Caloundra knocked them over and of particular gain will be Lincoln High, the big body and big kicking they lacked to clear the way last start.
Caloundra in their games are also evenly placed, 12’s div 2 both teams have two wins with the Tiger of Red just behind on percentage. Whilst their bigger brothers in the 14’s div 2 sit on top of the ladder in this competition with five wins a piece, a healthy percentage giving the gap, but a win either way will set a clear ladder leader into place. In round five these teams of Red Tigers and Panthers met, the Red Tiger getting the chocolates in the 14’s whilst the 12’s went the other way to the Panther, both games some five plus goals. What will the game deliver this time?
Whilst two Caloundra teams visit the north of our great coast, three Caloundra Panthers teams will sit at home waiting for prey to arrive. Nambour & Hinterland 12’s and 14’s will be there for the earlier games whilst a Noosa Tiger team will take on the might of Caloundra in an under 16’s game sure to please the football purist. Caloundra were strong last week against the Eagles whilst Noosa Blue did it in a canter on home turf. This week both teams should be nearing full strength and will be keen to set the tone for the remainder of season 09, the Tiger sits undefeated at this point but Caloundra do fancy themselves.
The Nambour & Hinterland 12’s are traveling well with five wins whilst Caloundra appear competitive most weeks whilst coming up short on a number of occasions. Last time these two 12’s teams met we had a cracker of a game with the Blues getting over the line by four points only, albeit with Caloundra having one more scoring shot. No doubt the 12’s Panther of Caloundra will have learnt much from last start against the Blues and on home turf will be primed for the points. The 14’s div 1 game has the two teams of Caloundra and Nambour & Hinterland Blues sitting outside the top four and a game that promises much for either team to chalk a much needed victory. The result last time gave the spoils to Caloundra with a score of 6.14.50 to the Blues 4.3.27 in round 3; the bookies have the Panthers just in front for this game due to home ground advantage.
Across the Bruce and into the hinterland Jungle of Glasshouse Hinterland we have a four game card with all Lions youth teams on home turf. At 9am the host plays Maroochydore Gold in the fun development and participation competition of 12’s div 3. The following match has the Pomona Demons as the visitor; this game will tell us much about the restructured div 2 12’s competition. At 11.35am the bigger Demon steps out to do the Sherrin dance with the local Lion, they have met this season albeit in round one of the higher division, both teams post grading rounds deemed to be fighting out of their weight moved back to div 2. When they met in round 1 the Demons did it easy, and with the centre structure of big ‘Forbesy’ in the ruck feeding frenzied Mahony’s, the Lions will need to be very close checking at centre bounces if victory is to come their way. Finally the 16’s will see the foe of the previous two bouts come together in the combo Lion and Demon outfit, up against the Pool B yardstick of Noosa Red. I do expect this game to be a dire struggle as those “combos’ have become very competitive in the past few weeks.
The final venue to discuss Maroochy RSL Club AFL Sunshine Coast Juniors action of round 8 is way up the Bruce at the Cattery, home of the Gympie boys. Four litters of Cats take to the field with the newly birthed Cats 12’s div 3, a couple of tough gigs these little cats have experienced to date but whilst out chasing the Sherrin and learning the art of AFL all should be well at a young development age. The Cats visitor for three games is the Breakers of Coolum Beach, they also have a new 12’s team competing in div 3, but this team did taste success last week, watch out for the fabulous five is the warning to the cats – they kick like girls! In the other 12’s game we see teams at both ends of the spectrum collide, Breakers on top of the ladder whilst last start for the Cats it was disastrous and they must bounce back. The Cats have returned to div 2 after a season start in div 1 and should be stronger than the walloping the Panthers dished up last start. The 14’s div 2 game sees a week in week out ever improving Breakers outfit fresh from a draw last start keen to taste the real spoils of victory, so beware Cats. The Cats of 14 will be keen to get the chocolates this start to keep them in touch with the top four. Returning to the team this week will be school boy players in Jack Clouston and Harry White, whilst strong support comes from other Cats Power hopeful in Haiden Rogers. Expect a bottler of a game this one ‘Gympieites’ – no point hanging at home on Sunday morning this will be the hottest act in town this month! The Gympie 16’s taking stock of their season welcome Nambour & Hinterland to the Cattery for a 12.50pm game.
So from Gympie in the north down the Bruce to Glasshouse Hinterland in the south, up the coast from Caloundra to Noosa we have all corners covered for your Maroochy RSL Club AFL Sunshine Coast Junior action this weekend – get out and enjoy what will be some fantastic games of footy. We predict a few more draws and some nail biting games going down to the wire – go you good things!
Last Modified on 09/06/2009 11:20