The year continues to progress with the young men of U19’s WPLFC stretching their capabilities in becoming better footballers leading into the tail end of the season. We must say that the boys have been in great form beating some very strong sides within the competition in Greensborough, Eltham and Bundoora. Our depth this year is very sound as we have had up to 12 of our players being unable to play due to injury at various stages throughout the season and yet being very competitive and consistently winning games.
We have a total of 34 players on the list with the ratio between the older age and younger age players being 1:3. Based on our performance to date this is an exceptional result. The older players are leading by example and taking the younger brigade under their wings. The future of this side in the coming years will be extremely strong as long as the flame of determination continues to burn.
The theme for 2014 is to transition from a good football side to a great football side! The boys have been playing effectively together as a team, particularly in their ball movement which is very exciting to watch and makes the opposition side question their game plan and strategies on matching our run and carry brand of footy. Our intensity and commitment to the ball is second to none as we are fierce at the ball and certainly have been intimidating the opposition. All in all, it’s been a solid year but we must continue to stamp our authority on the competition and build the ever increasing confidence in playing our rival Montmorency in the last game of the season which will be a ripper!
Each and every player has certainly grown in stature over the season and we are very proud to be coaching a side that is made up of loyal and respectful young men complemented with skill and assertiveness at the footy which depicts the culture of the West Preston Lakeside Football Club.
The support staff around the club has also contributed to our success on the field with fantastic trainers in Elise and Annie, our statistician Tony, our wonderful umpire escort Kevin and the multitude of family members taking on the role of timekeeping – Thank You!
The Coaching staff has identified some “nick names” for each and every player which highlights their character, the manner in which they place their stamp on a game and their passion for this football club! Our captain Daniel V “Skip” off the half back has been leading from the front and has been playing some fantastic football, drawing in the opposition and giving off those great handballs which has also given him the opportunity to experience senior footy. Brendan D “Buckets” our centre half forward has been a strong presence up forward and has been marking and directing traffic in the forward line. Youi - “Rabbit” has been controlling the wings and giving every opportunity to the forward line and also sneaks in a goal or two. Big Adrian D “leet” is controlling the ruck contests and is tapping straight down the throats of our on ball brigade. Matty V “scooter“ is crumbing packs and scoring goals from all over the ground with opportunities playing Senior footy. Adrian C “Jaguar” with his silky skills is breaking the lines and tackling anything in his way. Declan G “Decks” is spoiling forwards and continues to be strong around the ground. Tony K “2Speedy” is applying forward line pressure and does everything he can to convert and maintain the ball in the forward line. Carl Adams “Smads” is elusive and suave and marks the ball like a contortionist and has also experienced some senior footy. Marcus Fox “Foxie” is a game changer and can kick multiple goals in minutes. Dom Ottina “Giraffe” when leading from the front is near impossible to stop with his reach. Alex Weatherly “Weathers” is a utility that can play all over the ground and doesn’t let his team mates down with his effective decision making. Jaylon T “J” is a high flying marking forward with silky skills and a great goal sense. James Tadd “Bull” is a strong, hard player that will always be at the bottom of the pack and usually comes out with the footy. Chris H “Halal” on the wing commands the boundary taking on the opposition with his aggression at the footy. Daniel Franco “Silky” reads the play extraordinarily well with his skill and will kick a goal or 2 when it is needed. Julian M “Jules” is a Big strong forward who is leading the goal kicking in the competition, near impossible to beat one on one and even two on one in the square. Stef B “Juddy”, skilful player both sides of the body, is another of our on ball brigade that has the capacity to change the momentum in a tight game. Matty B “Bell” has had a solid year with his inclusion in the senior team on a number of occasions with his tagging capability, hard running and heavy pressure brand of footy. Tyson W “Tys” ever reliable defender whose decision making and skills in switching the play has provided countless opportunities to his mates in the forward line, Andrew C “Cento” hard running defender who breaks the lines and has the courage to take the game on, Aaron D “Dal” the general in the backline who controls traffic and has a tremendous spoiling capability which certainly frustrates the opposition forwards, Isaac C “Zac” a straight line runner who has the tendency to break open a pack running the ball out of defence, Andrew S “Sass” strength in tagging and always will mitigate the best influential opposition players, Ali M “Ali” continues to work hard at applying pressure to the opposition with a prestigious left foot, Sherrin M “Sheeza” a utility that can defend superbly and also the capability to be dangerous up forward with his side step tricks, Liam E “Brick Wall” nothing phases Liam as he continually eliminates key forwards in scoring goals with his tackling pressure, Joe K “Joey” a utility that can play at centre half back or centre half forward and does damage to the opposition wherever he is, whether it be spoiling marks or kicking goals, Will D “Doors” a solid defender who has the ability to control the tempo of the game and provides countless opportunities to his team mates around the ground, Hemi K “Hemi” a strong lad who has the courage to break through the opposition attack, Andrew B “Burgo” very skilful tall who can run, ruck, mark and kick and will be sadly missed due to injury for the remainder of the year, Mick S “Sibi” talented footballer who plays extremely well along the wing with the ability to defend and score goals when required. AJ “Majack” is playing some great footy with his run and carry and his presence in the ruck. Aaron L “Lanning” reads the play so well with a great pair of hands and precision kicking.
As you can clearly see we have a side that is really going to shake up the competition. We are extremely excited about the prospect of playing finals in 2014. We currently are sitting 3rd on the ladder, equal 1st, out by percentage.
We certainly have the capability, confidence and endeavour to reach the premiership for 2014 as we continually strive for excellence with persistence and hard work. The difference between possible and impossible is determination and this is what will make us or break us.
We capitalise on our strengths, we minimise our weaknesses, and we stamp out any threats and make the most of our opportunities by enjoying our footy and are proud to call this wonderful club home!
Go, Roosters.
Coach: Sandro Cirianni
Assistant Coach : Niall McDonagh
Team Manager: George Hallal
8th of August 2014
Last Modified on 20/01/2016 11:47