The Lions hosted St Clair Crows on Saturday April 5 under beautiful conditions at Dukes Oval in all five age divisions. Whilst 25 Auskickers showed off their skills at the northern end of the ground (see report in Auskick section), the Under 10's were too good for a committed Crows team. Coach Zeaona McDonagh was extremely happy with the teams performance, most of them playing their first AFL competition game.
The Under 11's never stopped trying against their bigger and older opponents with last years premiers being a hard "first up" encounter. They will derive a lot from the match.
The Under 12's got off to a slow start in their match but finished strongly and again are finding their feet with many players "jumping" an age divison to help out this year. It was the first "full field" match for a dozen of the team with Joel Batson and Brayden Saint-Barry posting goals for the Lions.
The Under 14's were slightly disappointing after a strong pre-season period in their loss to the Crows. The rust is sure to come off in the upcoming rounds with this big squad.
The final match saw the Under 16's take an easy win against an inexperienced Crows outfit of which many were first year players.Both teams were struggling to get numbers in the last month and it is a testament to both clubs that they were able to field good numbers in the 17 aside contest. Match Reports on next page.
Under 10's Match Report
A great game was had by all players in the first game of the AFL proper season. The Lions had 15 players show up on Saturday and ‘lent’ a couple of players to the Crows who only had 10. The game got off to a good start with the first points coming via a goal only four minutes into the first quarter. The remainder of the quarter saw a few minor points scored.
The Lions took control of the game during the 2nd quarter with the majority of goals being scored in the run to half time. The third quarter saw a few minor goals scored and the Crows managed to keep the Lions scoreless in the fourth. It was great to see the keenness and excitement amongst the kids for their first game. Dino awards went to Coen Brand and Lachlan White. Keep up the good work to all the kids.
Under 11's Match Report
By Sideline Scribbler
The first roster game of the season, and for many members of the newly
formed U/11’s team the first game in competition footy. A home ground
advantage is welcomed in any game but even more so against the
traditionally strong St Clair Crows.
Soon after the opening bounce the 11’s were having their defensive
skills tested and were successful clearing the backline after 3 solid
attempts at goal. The Lions went forward but could not penetrate past
the half forward line due to some good defensive work from the
opposition backs. After a quick rebound the Lions were caught out of
position and the Crows were on the scoreboard .The quarter soon
developed into a battle within the Lions backline and the overworked
backs and centres displayed some desperate tackling skills. Even though
the Crows had many opportunities they could only post 4 goals for the
first term ,goal line saves and some courageous chase downs keeping the
margin down.
After the short break the Lions went forward early but were denied a
goal by the rigid defense of the Crows, and again a quick rebound from
their backline had the Crows increasing their lead. The scoreboard was
ticking over regularly for the Crows and this continued throughout the
game with the mercy rule applied at three quarter time.
Despite this the 11,s never gave in and showed a lot of determination
and potential throughout the game. A series of good kicks and strong
marks from positive leads combined with some great chasing and tackling
showed the onlookers that the 11’s had potential and were building as a
team. With a few more training sessions and experience playing on a
larger field with no zone restrictions the 11’s will be able to adapt to
playing in the different positions. A positive for the team is that all
players never stopped giving their best and against a very accomplished
team were able to win the disputed ball. All players gave a good account
of themselves and we can look forward to a closer contest next time as
the team has great potential and a never give up attitude.
Under 12's Match Report
The U12 Lions faced the St Clair team at Dukes Oval today in the season opener, eventually going down 82 to 16. The St Clair team ran away to an early lead in the first half, but the Lions found their feet in the second half and matching it with the Crows.
Goal scorers Joel (1) and Brayden (1) carried their form from last season into this game, whether in attack or defence. As did Mitch, who followed the ball up and down the field all game, Steven was terrific in the centre square all game. Marcus and Brody showed some good attacking work especially in the second half as did Beau in defence. All the team displayed great team work along with handful of the U11 players who helped out and despite losing the game our team came out with a lot of confidence for the future.
Under 14's Match Report
It was an interesting start to the season for our Under 14 team. After 2 promising trial matches everyone was expecting a big performance in our first match. Things didn’t exactly go to plan. The Lions were very slow to start and St Clair took full advantage and had all the play in the first quarter with 8 scoring shots while the Lions were held scoreless. Pat Pope was very busy in the backline and Michael Kerr was forced to spend a lot of time in the backline to help out.
The second quarter was more of the same with St Clair controlling the game and the Lions having great difficulty getting the ball out of their backline. Martin Pope was working hard in the middle of the ground and while the Lions did manage to get the ball into their forward half a few times they were still unable to get a score on the board.
The second half brought new hope that the Lions could start again. St Clair again forced the Lions to play most of the time in their defensive half with limited scoring opportunities and again the Lions did not trouble the score board attendant. By this stage of the game it was evident that some of the new players to the club had started to find their feet. David Looyshelder played well all day in the ruck including a brilliant mark in the back line. Dan Kelly played most of the day at full forward and made the most of his limited opportunities. Jeremy Hardy and Hugh Arnold showed glimpses of brilliance and will only improve further with more experience. Chris Broderick was having a busy time at full back and made his presence felt.
The last quarter saw the Lions finally get their act together with the ball spending a lot more time in the Lions forward line, resulting in a goal to Michael Kerr. Ben Edwards was also very busy in the last half with several possessions in the Lions forward half.
Overall it was a good effort from the Lions in the first real game for the year.
Goal Scorers: Michael Kerr 1
Last Modified on 22/11/2008 07:04