Round 4 saw a return to Weldon for all grades save the mighty under 19s who got a rest. It was despite the overcast weather a great day was expected. A team effort was required before the start of play to address issues with the cricket pitch block that had set concrete hard and was filled with more ups and downs than a Kardashian’s love life. Special thanks to Coach Brain, Norm Randall, Scott Pettersson and Dale Washington for their agricultural efforts.
First up was the Weldon Challenge with the Old and Bold showing again that retirement was wise, but having a game periodically is great fun. None of the spectators were left in any doubt about the vigorous personal fitness regime of the players as they moved with the grace and speed of the two toed tree sloth across the ground. Just occasionally a sparkle of the old skills and flair was apparent, this appeared to surprise the players as much as the spectators. Great fun and well played by all involved. This game should be sponsored by the local physiotherapists and chiropractors, who doubtless secure a great earn from competitors.
Second match was the Div 4 team who faced Sydney University. Div 4 has a wealth of talent, but as shown in recent weeks are still failing to click at vital stages. Most notably there is no clicking in front of goal. Against North Shore last week they kicked 1.15 (21) and unsurprisingly lost. Against Sydney Uni the accuracy improved and we scored 3.11 (29). A few of the less experienced players are hesitant with ball in hand, but in the final analysis, we simply have to kick a little straighter. If the boys can continue the improvement in accuracy by about round 7 we will be kicking more goals then behinds and making a run for the finals. Better players included Sean McCaffrey and the dominant talls of Bourkey and Hurls. Coach Fagan was very tidy cleaning up across half back. No report would be complete without mentioning the startling improvement to James (stinger) Stuart’s looks with a broken nose acquired during the game.
Next were the Div 2 boys, seeking to maintain the unbeaten status as they faced UTS. UTS have been a strong rival of our Club over the last ten years or so and there was no reason to think this would not remain evident this week. The Div 2 side is looking very strong and the depth in the Club is evidenced by having a significant number of players unavailable for one reason or another and yet we still had Jack Hunter and Craig Pridgeon returning from a break through the reserves. Coach Rawle also enjoyed having the opportunity of explain the team’s attacking philosophy (kick it to ME) to the U19s playing up in Mitch Bell (top picture) and Greg Burke. After overcoming initial resistance the team started to link up and score heavily. Burke and Bell were prominent in this regard and the team secured dominance around the ground. Jack Hunter was a clear BOG and started changing in the ruck and Full Forward and popped through four goals. The final margin was 75 and had many contributors with the running mid-field of Cal and Pilat cutting up, Pridge strong over the ball and in the contest and Razzle adding that little flair in the front half (how did the kick off the ground from 4 metres not go through??). Well done with another strong win.
The Seniors were starting at 2.30 and the crowd had slowly built up. With the bye in the Under 19s and a few players unavailable, two of the young guns in Jack parker and Tommy McCaffrey got a run. UTS has been a consistent mid-table finisher in the Premier Division and the Brains Trust was clearly concerned this was a risky game. We had a number of players missing for one reason or another and this allowed the coach to consider other options in various positions. It is a brave player that creates opportunities for others in the current playing group. Clearly for the first time in recent memory the Club has a depth that allows a group of 30 or so to be seriously considered every week.
While the UTS team put up stiff resistance in the first stanza and were particularly welcoming to Michael Atkinson, the pressure of the Giants on the ball carrier started to tell. Turnovers were created and the talking pressure and teamwork was winning the day. It is this brand of hard, uncompromising competitive football that wins finals and brutalises opponents. The dam wall cracked and the game was over in heartbeat. The second quarter was the last effort that UTS could muster and the Giants went on a scoring rampage. The midfield was completely dominant, Will Brasil ran the ball from defence and even Mr Koch got a run on the ball later in the game. Tom McCaffrey slotted comfortably into the half back line and Brayden Fowler teamed with Washo to dominate the aerial contests in the front half. It is not clear who should get votes as it was a very even effort. A dominant display that sets the standard of play for the season with intensity ending with a 137 point win. Gareth Benbow, (pictured 2nd above) put his claim in for mark of the year (he states the picture is when he is half way down).
The final match was the ladies and they were great. They faced the Randwick-Maroubra Saints, who were more experienced and a little larger physical presence. The crowd gathered to voice support for the girls and the nicknames started to fly. It was clear that many of the women’s players were unknown to the Senior team who watched in admiration. To ensure that all knew who they were describing they named the players for the Premier Division players numbers. It followed that Tiffany Linay (#29) was known as ‘Bosschieter’ after Nathan of the same number. Similarly, Alisa Carter (#12) became ‘Buncle’, though arguably she was taller, faster and got more of the ball. While the ladies lost it was very clear that they had the potential to win and at the current rate of improvement are likely to claim several scalps during the season. Sam Engel (pictured above being choked) was dominant for the team out of defence and with the same number of scoring shots the future looks bright for the girls. The big questions are can the improvement continue and will the new naming convention last. Noting that Alisa Kelley would seem hard done by wearing #18 and the moniker of ‘Chooka’.
A great day, made all the better by the spirit of the day of our teams and the extraordinary work behind the scenes of Deb and Norm Randall and Gary Wearne who appeared at the ground at around 0700hrs and was still on site to turn off the lights well after dark. As a club we need to all do more to support these crucial volunteers.
Last Modified on 28/04/2014 15:46