Congratulations to the U15s for winning the premiership!
WAVERLEY PARK 11.12 (78) def ST PAULS 6.7 (43)
Goal Kickers – Jack 6, Cam, Chris, Harry, Al, Corey
SMJFL Best On Ground – Max Rundle
Best Players – Great Team Effort
Match Report
Our moment of truth couldn't roll around quick enough and finally some reasonable weather presented itself as we prepared to take on our semi final nemesis St Pauls.
Our thoughts were with Jimmy Deegan who after sustaining a broken ankle in our final home and away fixture was our only unavailable player. It was great to have Jim in the rooms before the game and once again we were a full team unit and we were ready for the challenge that lay ahead.
The first quarter saw us kicking against the breeze in front of a good sized crowd. The boys had come to play and we got off to a good start controlling the ball for some time, unfortunately we weren't able to get any of our opportunities through the big sticks. As the quarter wore on St Pauls showed that they too were up for the fight, they ran hard forward and managed to get in behind our defence converting a number of chances. The quarter time buzzer found us down by two goals but our work ethic and pressure was sound so we looked forward to our chance to make use of the breeze.
Both sides again showed that they were keen to flex their muscle with the resumption of the second quarter seeing some great tackling and desperate attack on the footy. After about 5 minutes of footy we finally got our first goal on the board and you could sense an instant lift in confidence. The boys proceeded to stack on another 5 goals 5 behinds for the quarter turning a 12 point deficit into a 29 point lead at half time. Much like last weeks third quarter we had turned the match on its head with some strong direct footy.
The third quarter of course meant that we would have to defend against the breeze, our aim was to outscore our opponents in an effort to completely shut out our opponent. Again like the first, the momentum shifted several times as the quarter grew old. St Pauls showed that they were not a spent force by continually banging the ball forward. Our defence and midfield worked hard to contain the damage, but with several minutes to go we found ourselves holding on desperately to a 15 point lead. We had thinned out our forward line to get numbers back but we were still managing to produce some great running passages to create forward opportunities and keep ST Pauls on their toes. Finally in the dying seconds of the quarter we managed to squeeze through a goal and take a handy 21 point lead to the break.
We were very confident going into the final term that we could ram home the advantage of the breeze, but again St Pauls were tenacious in their efforts to come back. We squandered some early chances and it was our opponents who took control of the game and managed to score a goal against the breeze to tighten things up. They continued with their efforts and the ball spent way to long in their attacking area. We new that if we could get that one goal on the board that we might be able to break their backs and alternatively if we allowed them to score another goal it would be back in the balance. Fortunately our work ethic never faltered and it was the mighty hawks that managed that crucial next goal. This again opened the flood gates with us adding a couple more for good measure finishing up commanding 35 point victors!
Congratulations to all the players on a fantastic performance, it was impossible to find a poor performance with all contributing in fine fashion. There were some great performances throughout the season also, an undefeated home and away fixture something to be very proud of.
Great reward for a lot of hard work, Well Done Boys as a coach I couldn't be more proud of the way you conducted yourselves all season. PREMIERS 2013!!!!!
Last Modified on 22/03/2014 10:45