The weekends matches vs Kinglake FNC saw some absolutely quality sport from both clubs, and was seen by one of the largest, and most vocal crowds seen at Olinda Reserve for many, many years.
The day commenced with the U18s destruction of Kinglake, and in particular, Blake Walter blasting his way to 19 goals. It was top vs bottom and to their credit, the young Lakers stuck to the task but were up against a pretty ruthless opponent. The boys travel to Upwey/Tecoma this Saturday in what will be, their greatest challenge of the year to date.
The Reserves were on a large run of wins and were vying for top spot should they come away with a win. It has been some weeks since they faced any serious challenges but at quarter and half time on Saturday, we were faced with a defecit and not looking the goods. However, the 2nd half saw a complete turn around in form and saw The Bloods storm away to a 7 goal win in tough, windy conditions to take top spot from Kinglake. This week, they take on a depleted Thornton/Eildon and should come away with the chocolates. Andy Greenall now sits just 14 goals away from the magical 100 mark.
In B Grade Netball action, Kinglake arrived en mass and in a bus ready to do combat ! And, in a show of dominance our B team was beaten. Strong centers passes from Kinglake lead to accurate goaling and although we had snippets of good play leading to goal, it was just not enough. A consistent game by Bernie Fitzgerald supported by Kelli Riddiford in the centre court.
In A Grade action, What a different team our A team was this week. With the lifting of intensity, and extra positive talking on court, we had dominance across the whole entire court. We literally tore Kinglake apart ! We started strong, goal for goal for the first quarter, took a slight lead at the end of the 2nd quarter, which lead to a very strong 3rd quarter, giving us an even bigger lead. With the Lakers stepping literally on the toes of our goalers, this did not deter our accuracy. Lucy Allman and Brooke Northey, with Natalie Sloan feeding, took focus, stood there ground against the overly close play of the Kinglake girls. With an accuracy and rebounding of 80- 90%, a definite match wining percentage. Our defenders stood strong and tall with their rebounding at a 100% bringing the ball then down with Bec Gray, Elle Rose, Bernie Fitzgerald & Fiona McNair double offering with excellent pieces of play. It was an awesome win.
LADIES LUNCHEON
During the afternoon, kicking off around 1.30pm, the OFCFNC Ladies Luncheon was attended by 72 guests of both Olinda Ferny Creek and Kinglake. Hosted by yours truly, we had one of the best days at the club in living memory. A three course meal was served with refreshments and was brilliantly supported by three of our U18 boys who dressed up for the day and served as waiters. To Dom Woodfield, Callum Beattie and Ryan MacNab, your efforts on Saturday were nothing short of sensational and were very much appreciated by all the girls in attendance.
The 1st lady (Robin Hayne) spoke beautifully about her time with Olinda Ferny Creek, and how she had personally evolved from being a "worrying mum" to how important this club had become for her boys and for herself. Good stuff Robby ! Louise Leone won the right to toss the coin for the start of the Seniors match and was a popular winner. We also invited Christine Wilson and some of the immediate members of the Wilson family for the day. Christine is the mother of our young star Michael, who tragically passed away earlier this season. It was a pretty emotional 5-10 minutes as I tried my very best to let Chris know exactly how we felt about "Willo". That the response to his passing was just a very true reflection on his wonderful personality and character, and that we miss him terribly. We were able to display the new jumpers that carry Michaels initials and number and that these jumpers were now being worn as "badges of honour" by all our footballers. Too many tears ! We sincerely hope that the Wilson Family enjoyed the day !
And onto the big one, 1st vs 2nd, Olinda Ferny Creek vs Kinglake in the Seniors. Any doubts about whether Kinglake were up for a contest evaporated pretty quickly when they took a 6 goal to 2 lead at quarter time. The boys missed a couple of easy chances but looked a step off the play. Not scoring in the second quarter allowed the Lakers a very commanding 5 goal break at half time and the boys whilst positive, just didn't look like getting back in it. With the aid of the strong wind in the 3rd, the Bloods held Kinglake scoreless but kicked 6 goals 8, again missing too many opportunities and not putting the match away when they had the chance. The Lakers responded in the last quarter with some outstanding footy, kicking 5 goals to 2 to come away with a brilliant 1 goal victory. The Bloods first loss for the year ! Kinglake 13.4.82 vs OFC 10.16.76. The Bloods travel to Thornton/Eildon this weekend and although The Boners have been down this year, they have played in the last couple of 2nd Division Grand Finals and our boys must be on their game on Saturday to get over the line.
Just an outstanding day up the hill. Our netball girls continue to improve with our A Graders in 6th spot, only 2 wins outside the Top 5, although face an up hill battle to make up the points with 4 games to go. All our football teams are currently sitting on top of the ladder which to this point, has been an outstanding effort by all concerned. We all need to continue to work very, very hard at training to make sure we all qualify as high as possible and give ourselves the best chance of achieving the ultimate success.
Cheers everyone
Tim Scott
Secretary
OFCFNC 2009
Last Modified on 21/07/2009 20:59