The Mitcham Junior Football Club was involved in Round 13 action over the weekend. After a week of rain and very cold weather, it was great to see the sun out for the most part of Sunday. The Under 9’s traveled over to Livingstone Primary School to take on the Vermont Eagles. Coach Carlo Fanfulla sent in this report – “Although it was a cold start to the morning, we were lucky that the sun came out for the match. We were captained today by Ethan Hewitt who showed plenty of excitement to lead out the team and then followed up to play a really good game. The Vermont Eagles proved to be a very good side, particularly displaying how well they could move the ball freely with some very good handball; something that we are still working hard on at training to perfect. I’m proud of how our boys have improved, especially listening and obeying instructions on the field. For such a young group, it’s great to see how they are growing with maturity and discipline. Luca Orsini arrived not felling one hundred percent, but the thought of not playing certainly did not cross his mind. When he had his chance to run on the field with his mates after starting on the bench, he did not disappoint. It’s this enthusiasm and spirit to want to play that will drive these boys to succeed in the coming years. Darcy McCall showed some muscle towards his opposition by being rewarded with a free kick followed by great kicking to his teammates. Jordan Ede contributed in a great tagging role on one of their stronger players by positioning himself well and doing exactly what was expected of him. After being away on a long trip, Lachlan Gilchrist was back to his best form through the midfield. He amazes me how well he creates space when storming out of a pack with the ball in hands. Rory Hume’s good effort while playing forward was rewarded with kicking our only goal while weaving through opposition on the run. The MJFC ‘Player of the Day’ Footballs were awarded to Ryan O’Sullivan, Rory Hume, Leo Gigliuto and Lachlan Gilchrist. Well-done boys. Go Tigers!”
The Under 10’s took on South Croydon at home and Coach Jason Philactides had this to say about the game – “What a great game of footy! The last time we played Sth Croydon they gave us a football lesson and for parts of today's game it looked like we were in for another one, however confidence is such a powerful tool and I hope the boys have learnt something very valuable from today's game. In the first quarter the back line was absolutely superb! They were under constant pressure from Sth Croydon who were clearly enjoying dominating the quarter but we didn’t necessarily let them have it all there own way and our backs managed to restrict Sth Croydon to a couple of goals for the quarter. At the quarter time break there was plenty of praise given for our first quarter effort and you could feel from the genuine excitement that surrounded the huddle that if we continued to play like the first quarter we could be in for a close finish. Unfortunately in the second and third quarters we got a little ahead of ourselves and Sth Croydon kicked away through their sheer dominance in size and strength. Having said that, there were some great individual performances from many players! Matteo was running and doing a lot of hard work protecting his teammates with shepherds and second and third efforts. Josh and Mick, as they do every week were in the firing line putting their bodies in and doing the hard things that was helping us win the footy. I love the fact some of our smallest players are always on the bottom of the packs. Enter the last quarter and the momentum of the game changed. We got an early goal through Dan T and the boys all of a sudden had their confidence back. Damon was dominating the centre bounces and gave our midfield first use of the footy which was then pumped long into our forward line and resulted in us scoring 3 goals for the quarter. The confidence the boys played with was so pleasing to see and it proves that when they put their mind to it, they can compete with the good teams. Boys as I said at the start of the game "Don't be Defeated Before You Play". The last few weeks has shown some real improvement so let's take this into our last game and finish on a strong note. Congratulations to Damon, Josh, Matteo and Mick for receiving this week’s football awards. Well done to Will for a solid captains game.”
The Under 11’s took on Upper Ferntree Gully at Walker Park. Coach Leigh Walters filed this report – “The ground conditions were great considering the weather during the week. With a finals berth assured after a win last week, the boys went into the game trying to press ahead to try to claim a top three finish and the double chance. The first quarter was a battle of both backlines with neither side able to gain a break. For a nine-minute period of the second quarter the floodgates opened up with Mitcham able to slam on 4 goals with the highlight being Ben Petterlin scoring his first goal of the season. The last two quarters went back to the more defensive style of game with Upper Ferntree Gully the only side able to score a goal after half time. Despite some opportunities for Mitcham that went by the wayside, the tigers were able to hold on for a 20-point win in the end. It had been a tough week for another of our players with Sam Agius losing his grandfather. For Sam to be able to kick a goal and to see a lot of Sam’s family members in the middle of the circle as the boys sang the theme song at the end of the game was certainly a touching moment and went a way to prove that even though a game of football can seem important, the loss of loved one is greater…The under 11’s take on the 2nd placed Chirnside Park at Kimberley Reserve next week with a win ensuring a top three finish.”
Final Score: Mitcham 4.6.30 d Upper FG 1.4.10
The Under 12’s were away this week against Upper Ferntree Gully. Coach Marcus Webb posted this report - “In very muddy conditions the boys were competitive early but didn’t get the result on the scoreboard. Gradually Upper FT Gully got the better of us and gained in confidence as the game went on. It was pleasing to see the boys play with a bit more intensity this week and trying hard to do some of the things the coaches have been asking for. Sometimes the ball movement was very good. Luke B and Michael ran hard and competed all day. Corey and Bailey were handy through the middle and Lincoln, Noah, Luke S and Jarrod were all notable at different times for their tough efforts in close. Elijah also had a positive impact in the ruck. It was a tough slog and the boys stuck at it - good on you boys! We have one last game for the season at home and nothing to lose so let’s give it all we’ve got. Go tigers!”
Final Score: Upper FG 11.8.74 d Mitcham 1.0.6
The Under 14’s took on North Ringwood at home and Coach Cam Chivers had this to say about the game – “Was important for us to start well today but again the opposition got the jump on us early and realistically we were out of the game at half time. Again, the third and fourth quarters were better but we must get better at playing four quarters of footy. We do have a lot of injuries, which most teams have at this time of the season; we just have to find a few players to stand up and be counted! We will see who’s ready to stand up next week, as we will pick our best side meaning someone will miss out!!!”
Final Score: North Ringwood 18.6.114 d Mitcham 4.3.27
The Under 17’s played a must win game against Scoresby in their last home game for 2014. Scoresby were coming off an upset win against Blackburn last week that had improved our chances of making finals and win today would all but seal a finals berth. Luckily for us the 17’s got the job done to the tune of 56 points. Coach Gavin Ward had this to say after the game – “Scrappy sort of game today and we needed the win to secure a finals spot so from that point of view we are happy, plus to have 25 to 4 scoring shots was also pleasing. The real plus for our team is we got some game time into boys who have missed the last couple of weeks because of one thing or another and while we are not quite at full strength, we certainly are starting to head in the right direction. BIG challenge for us as a team next week when we take on Lilydale who are rightly flag favorites. We should get an idea of where we are at as a team!”
Final Score: Mitcham 10.15.75 d Scoresby 3.1.19
Last Modified on 04/12/2019 12:32