It was time to open the 2016 season at home. All three Ottawa based teams were in action at the Manotick Polo Club. It started with a clash of the Rideau Shamrocks and Carleton Warriors and then the men took on the Toronto Eagles.
The first contest between the completely re-drafted Carleton Warriors and the Rideau Shamrocks probably was not what the coaches had in mind. Before the season started, coaches Chris (Rookie) Lockhart and Charles (Chuck) Bernard divided the Ottawa players into two evenly matched teams, then randomly selected who would coach each. The results on Saturday were unexpected.
The Shamrocks were affected by the absence of several veterans, and further plagued by injuries. In a game that was already reduced to 7-a-side, the Shamrocks were forced to play six on the field in the final quarter. On the other side, the Warriors have discovered their team chemistry early in the season. Coming off a decisive victory the week before, they continued to swiftly move the ball around the field, producing another barrage of goals.
The game was partially redeemed by strong individual performances on both sides. Trying out the forward line for the first time, Warrior Beth Sheffield brought persistence to the offensive end of the field, kicking 4 goals and 9 behinds. Look for her to be a force once her accuracy improves. Shamrock rookie Rebecca Gomez also showed enormous potential, using her height and power to dominate the ruck. While the final score shows a lopsided victory for the Warriors, this rivalry promises to evolve in interesting ways as the teams return to full strength and rookies come into their own. Warriors 12.21.93, Shamrocks 2.3.15.
The men learned lessons from their Round 1 lost and at home they recoreded their first win of 2016 against the Toronto Eagles. On display were better structures and set ups, good fast and direct ball movement, and a more clinical finish around the goals.
Even with some big names out due to injury, the Swans were able to rotate around and remaining players proved that they could step up and fill the voids.
Morgan Whyte had a turn at ruck, allowing Jordan “LeBron” Harcombe to slip into full forward and net 6 goals. His performance resulted in him being honoured as the Players Player this week. Defensively the Swans continued with the solid work displayed in Round 1. It was great to see Ronan Shaughnessy sweeping across half back repelling most of what the Eagles advanced forward.
At the final horn the Swans had come away with a convincing win, hopefully a home game tradition for this season. Swans 14.14.98 to Eagles 5.3.33.
Last Modified on 10/06/2016 11:29