Tackers White Match Report
Round 4
Match Report:Round 4 Tackers White, May 11th, 2014
Opponent: Park Orchards B (Home)
Sublime conditions greeted the boys for their home game against another Park Orchards Sharks outfit on Sunday morning. First impressions can sometimes be misleading but the consensus amongst the coaching staff at the pre - game kick around was that this lot of Park Orchards boys looked somewhat smaller than their team - mates from the prior week and maybe wouldn’t be as good in the air. Well our first impression was wrong.
Co - captains for the day were Michael McIntosh and Tristan Sterry, who both impressed during the week at training and have been really solid in the previous three games. We won the toss and kicked to the Western End (Fitzsimmons Lane).
The Park Orchards team bolted out of the blocks and had snagged a goal before we had even had a touch. They kicked another couple of goals in the next five minutes and our thoughts were turning to a repeat performance of our first match against Beverly Hills. The Park Orchards boys were very good in the air constantly putting both hands up at mark attempts –and thus being paid the mark. They managed to also move the ball very quickly through the middle of the ground. Our boys looked a little apprehensive and in some cases we were guilty of ball watching. I’m not sure whether it was because all the Dads had the boys up early making Mum breakfast in bed to celebrate Mothers Day Conditions but the boys all looked a bit tired and there was a distinct lack of urgency amongst our boys at the start of the game (something we will look to rectify this coming week (more on that later). The second half of the first quarter showed some massive improvement as we got our hands on more of the ball. Tristan Sterry was providing a massive amount of pressure of the half-back flank and Mohammed was doing what he does best by tackling everything and anything that came his way.
The second quarter continued our improving trend. Park Orchards were able to score a couple of more goals (some of themwere pretty nice pieces of football mind you) but our pressure acts were a lot better and we kept the ball in the pockets and along the wing, preventing them from having direct shots at goal. At half time we went back into the sheds re-load. Smart thinking by our Assistant Coach Andrew saw him hand out the oranges a quarter early as we thought the boys were in need of a “pick-me-up” (thanks Fiona Henderson for the oranges). The orange trick worked, the boys picked up considerablyand the boys delivered on
Coach Ric’s ask to keep the opposition to only two goals for the half (Park Orchards kicked only one). While we did not trouble the scorer it was one of our best halves of football for the year (probably only bettered by the 1sthalf last week). Our pressure was good, we put our hands up at the marking contest (and were awarded moremarks in the second half) and we put pressure on the opposition by standing the mark and again having our hands upwhich gave us a number of mothers
Our pressure on and off the ball was highlighted by two acts deep in the last quarter. The first one was when Tristan Sterry came through the pack and put a great bump on two Park Orchards players, allowing the ball to come into the clear for us. The second was shortly after when Tristan (again) and Oscar both went hard at the ball and unfortunately had a head clash (both boys are okay though). Those pressure acts are what Coach Ric is after from the team (not the head clashes though).
Coach Ric has nominated the following as hishighlights for the game; namely:
- Tristan Sterry’s overall courage;
- Harvey’s smother and general endeavour at the ball;
- Harrison’s chase and tackle;
- Oscar’s chase and tackle from behind on the wing (this is my nomination not Ric’s);
- Mohammed’s tackling and overall game.
Park Orchards handed out a medal for the day andit was no surprise to see them give it to Tristan Sterry. Congratulations Tristan.
Coach Ric also nominated Lochie, Mohammed and Harvey for their games.
Thanks again to our parent volunteers for the day namely Roger as Goal Umpire, Fiona for the Oranges,Darren Reukers as Time Keeper, Luca Staley (Michael’s older brother) and Dean Adams as Trainers.
Training
Training this week is at slightly different. It will start at 4.30pm and go through to 6pm. The club is running a Team Development program that will be facilitated by Aaron Bailey. Aaron has a teaching background and he is the current Community Development Manager for the Easter Ranges Region based out of the Eastern Football League. To support this weeks Football Development program the club are going to put on a “pizza night” for all Tackers players following this session on Wednesday night in the Rieschiecks clubrooms. Pizza’s will be delivered by 6pm so will be ready for the boys straight after training.
Next Game
As indicated we are not sure when or where our next game is. We should know in the next couple of days. There are some items to put in your calendar though:
- Team Photos - this Sunday morning. We need to be there at 7.50am and please have that form that I gave you completed and with correct money when you get there. All players will need to be in the Game-day jumper, have purple shorts on and clean boots! For those without forms Coach Ric will hand some out at training on Wednesday.
- Tackers Day – Sunday 25 May
Every year the Yarra Junior Football League puts aside a day to celebrate the participation of our youngest age group -Tackers White and Tackers Purple -with a round-robin football carnival held at the League’s headquarters at Bulleen Park (opposite Marcellin College). This celebration is known as Tackers Day.Tackers Day 2014 will be held on Sunday 25 May commencing at 9:00 am. Each team will play 3 or 4 games of 2 X 7 minute halves.
I will send out more details shortly but for now pop Tackers Day Sunday 25 May in the diary! We will require parents to help out on the day and also provide certain items but again I will send something soon on that.
In terms of our next game we may try and get the boys a bit more excited when they run out on the ground. This may include a Coach’s rev up but also (subject to parents being okay we may hand out some jubes or snakes (from The National Confectionary Company) pre-game. Could parents let me know if they are not comfortable with this approach.
I have been advised by the Club that hoodies, singlets and bags (orders and later sales) will available at the end of May latest. Please let everyone know and the club is very apologetic for the delay.
Finally could all parents please ensure that their boys are registered on Sporting Pulse as it is important we have them officially on the team sheet. Please contact me if you require assistance.
Have a good week.
General Informationf or Round 4
Captain: Tristan Sterry, Michael McIntosh
Opposition Medal: Tristan S
Awards: Mohammed, Lochie, Harvey
Paul Burke, Team Manager
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Round 3
Match Report: Round 3 Tackers White, May 4th, 2014
Opponent: Park Orchards W (Away)
Conditions were tough as the boys made their way onto Stintons Reserve for an
8.45am away game against Park Orchards. In what was a new experience for the
boys (let alone the parents who had to get their boys there by 8.00am) they were
faced with their first ever “winter-like” conditions in competitive football, namely
temperatures in the single digits, a strong southerly breeze, intermittent rain and an
oval whose gradient was somewhat suspect. Notwithstanding this however the day
will long be remembered as the day we reached our goal (of not only scoring but
kicking a goal!! (more on that later).
Tristan Wenborn was Captain for the day, reflecting not only his great attitude at
training but also recognising the support and encouragement he had given to his
fellow teammates in the first two weeks on the ground. Park Orchards won the toss
and it was no surprise that they chose to kick downhill and with the wind (I think they
were under Coach’s instructions!).
Our first quarter was difficult but the boys were resolute. Some of the taller Park
Orchards players managed to win the ball in the air (not surprising given one of
them was about 6 feet tall) and the Sharks kicked a couple of early goals. Still our
pressure around the ball was excellent, again highlighted by Mohammed’s tackling
prowess. Lucas did really well in the ruck (using the left-hand palm taught to him by
Coach Ric) and Oscar and Anthony were mopping things up around the ground.
The second quarter saw us control the ball for most of the period (the downhill slope
and the wind was a huge assistance). After an early surge into our forward line Park
Orchards managed to get the ball down their end where we thought it may stay for
a while. But with William and Lochie combining well and the ball being won in the
centre by our midfield we managed to clear it and get it forward. Oscar managed to
snag our first ever score (a behind) and then the boys fought really hard to keep it in
our forward line. We were rewarded when seconds before the siren Parker Dixon
took a great mark 15 metres out from goal (with him lining up his Dad, Andrew,
turned to Dean Adams and yours truly and mentioned that perhaps he should have
spent more time in Parker’s formative years teaching him to kick better) but
whatever you did Andrew it worked a treat as Parker calmly slotted our FIRST EVER
GOAL as the siren rang out. It was a great kick Parker! There were celebrations
galore as the team came off the ground. Our backline were high-fiving each other,
our midfielders walked off arm in arm, and the forward line players ran to celebrate with Parker.
As one parent remarked all you could see from Coach Ric was his shiny
white teeth reflecting his grin from ear-to-ear. Pleasingly the Park Orchards
supporters were just as happy for us as we were which was great to see.
After a lively ½ time address the boys came out and again put a lot of pressure on
the opposition. With the rain settling in it became hard but Park Orchards only
scored one goal in that quarter. Tristan Sterry played really well in that quarter as
did Seth O’Hearn.
The final quarter saw us again utilise the conditions to our advantage. We scored
another goal (by virtue of the aforementioned 6 foot Park Orchards Player who was
playing for us in the quarter) but the highlight was Max McLean’s mark and
subsequent shot at goal deep in the final minutes. From where we were standing on
the sidelines it looked really close and must have just travelled over the goal post.
Another highlight was Anthony’s run and the four bounces he took (a record which
will be hard to match this year). Towards the end of the game Park Orchards
regained some of the ascendency but despite our boys getting a bit tired (and cold)
they never gave in. The boys should be really pleased with their efforts.
Similar to previous weeks it has been great to see the boys had listened to Coach
Ric and were focused on kicking the ball long and wide out of defence. This week at
training we will again focus on not only getting the boys to man up quicker when the
opposition has the ball but also ensuring that they watch the game as it unfolds in
order to run into position when the play comes their way.
Park Orchards didn’t hand out a medal for the day but Coach Ric has nominated
William, Lucas and Parker for their great displays. Lucas did a great job rucking the
first 3 quarters, Parkers goal is so far a season highlight and William was great
around the grounds. Coach Ric will hand out some awards for this game (and last
week) at training this Wednesday.
Thanks again to our parent volunteers for the day namely Clyde who stepped in at
the last minute as Assistant Coach, Mark as our Timekeeper (he managed to stay
out of the wind and the rain in the timekeepers shed), Matt and Bill as our Trainers
and also Teresa for the oranges.
Our next game is at home against another Park Orchards team. We have a 10am
start so if the boys could be ready at 9.15am, with Purple Shorts that would be
great. Training this week will be at the normal place at the normal time.
General Information for Round 3
Captain: Tristan Wenborn
Awards: William, Parker, Lucas
Goals: Parker Dixon (1), Park Orchards 6 Footer (1) l
Paul Burke, Team Manager
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Round 2
Match Report: Round 2 Tackers White, April 27th, 2014
Opponent: Doncaster W (Home)
Our first home game for the year last Sunday saw 6 players (Hayden Parkin,
Harrison Tindall, Harvey Burke, Seth O’Hearn, Tristan Sterry and Lucas Frangiosa)
make their debuts for the Doncaster Heights Junior Football Club. Playing for the
first time at home, on the larger Number 1 oval, there was great excitement
amongst the group.
Michael Staley was Captain for the day, following his excellent training efforts the
previous Wednesday and we had a new Assistant Coach, Andrew Dixon, who did a
great job patrolling the field helping out Coach Ric.
Similar to our previous game we managed to improve in every quarter, which was
especially pleasing. The Doncaster W boys managed to get the ball out of the centre
quite easily in the first quarter and a half (some could say their coach was
employing an offensive flood) but importantly we managed to stem the tide in the
last 2 ½ quarters such that while the ball spent a lot of time in Doncaster W’s
forward half the pressure our boys put on them made it increasingly hard for them
to capitalise (and score).
It was comforting to see the boys had listened to Coach Ric during the break and
were focused on kicking the ball long and wide out of defence. This week at training
we will focus on getting the boys to man up quicker when the opposition has the
ball. Our pressure efforts though yesterday were great to watch.
In terms of the boys Anthony got the opposition medal for his display on the day.
The dash he showed running out of the back line was impressive. The team was also
well served by Oscar, Lachie and Hayden whose running all day was terrific while
some of the marks that were taken deep in the backline (Max, Harvey and Michael
M) was great to see.
Thanks again to our parent volunteers for the day namely Andrew as Assistant
Coach, Roger as our Timekeeper and Dean (and his daughter and her friend) as the
Trainers. Special mention must also go to our goal umpire Matt Staley who had to
run the length of the field and back at the start of the 3rd quarter (as the picture
below indicates) when he realised he’d left his flags at the other end. Fortunately he
made it back in time before our opposition scored.
Our next game is away at Park Orchards at Stintons Reserve this Sunday. We have
an 8.45am start so if the boys could be ready at 8am, with White Shorts that would
be great. Training this week will be at the normal place at the normal time.
Parents can we please ask you however to ensure that you or another adult who
you have nominated are there at 5.30pm sharp to pick your son up at the
completion of training. We don’t want to put Ric in a position whereby he is not sure
if he can leave training or not if a child is yet to be picked up (given some of them
were mingling with the Purple Team). This is especially important as it is getting
darker earlier now and the safety of your son’s is paramount. Also it would be
wonderful if any parent is able to help Ric out at training.
Finally for our next home game we will be playing on the No 2 oval as yesterday was
just a once off in terms of playing on the big ground.
General Information for Round 2
Captain: Michael Staley
Awards: Oscar Carafa, Hayden Parkin, Lachie Reukers
Opposition Medal: Anthony Scardamglia
Goals: Nil
Paul Burke
Team Manager
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Round 1
Opponent: Beverley Hills N (Away)
Our first game last Sunday saw 14 players make their debuts for the Doncaster Heights Junior Football Club. The players and parents alike were very excited at the prospect of donning the Doncaster Heights jumper for the first time. With a debutant coach to match (ably supported by debutants in nearly every other match day official role (with the exception of Katie McLean as Trainer)) the players all arrived early at Beverley Hills to prepare for their big day and one they will no doubt remember for the remainder of their playing careers.
The jumpers and training tops were handed out prior to the game with the boys all excited about the numbers they had been allocated. Not surprisingly single digit numbers were all the rage, although Buddy’s famous Number 23 was also in demand. Special thanks to William who had requested Number 3 but when presented with Number 34 was more than pleased as it had a 3 in it!
After a rousing warm-up speech by Coach Ric the players hit the field, no doubt inspired by the coach’s call for the players to have fun and enjoy the game. Our Coach Ric, and Assistant Coach John both did a great job out there on the field marshalling the troops in hot conditions.
Playing a second year tackers team, who were slightly bigger and far more experienced, from Beverley Hills was always going to be challenging for the boys. Very pleasingly however the boys improved in each quarter. There was tremendous morale and support for each other out there. Some of the chasing and the tackling when we didn’t have the ball and the shepherding and protection given when we had the ball was superb to watch.
There are some areas of improvement which we will work on, namely kicking the ball long and wide out of defence and the need to man up quicker when the opposition has the ball. We will work on these over the course of the next couple of training sessions.
We have a two week break now over School Holidays. Our next training session will be on Wednesday 23rd of April at 4.30pm. Our next game is on Sunday 27th of April (time and venue to be advised). We will also have another 3 debutants for our next game.
Thanks to our parent volunteers for the day (Matt Staley and Katie McLean as Trainers, Michelle McIntosh for the Oranges, Nat Scardamaglia for timekeeping (you had the best seat in the house!) John Scardamaglia as Assistant Coach, Darren Reukers as Goal Umpire and Jess Carafa as Football Director (taking notes to support Ric as he was on the field, having our theme song printed out and also making the white board).
Special thanks also to Greg Aldous (Secretary) and Dale Rees (VP) for helping us get organised and on the way with Season 2014 for Tackers White.
General Information for Round 1
Captain: Lachie Reukers
Awards: Mohammed Sidaoui, Anthony Scardamglia, William Rossimel
Opposition Medal: Oscar Carafa
Goals: Nil
Parents, please contact me if you have any other questions or queries. Enjoy School Holiday’s.
Paul Burke
Team Manager
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