Hi to all our supporters,
Last weekend saw Division 1 finals action commence and the OFCFNC competing in 3 huge matches. The Seniors, Reserves and C Grade netballers all chasing wins whilst our 18s enjoyed the week off.
In the Netball action, our girls took to the Healesville court against 2nd placed Wandin, having shared a 1 all record with them this year. Despite the fact that this side is in its 1st year together, and has very distinct lack of finals experience, you would never have known as they hit the ground running and opened up an early lead. They worked particularly hard defensively, never allowing Wandin an inch to move. This was frustrating the opposition, who began to give away undiscplined penalties, and this certainly lifted our confidence. At halftime in a tight contest, we led 9-3. The 2nd half saw the match open up a little, especially as Wandin began to lift itself back into the contest. We started to turn the ball over with errant passes and the run began to dissapear. At 3/4 time, we still held a 4 goal lead but the momentum had begun to swing Wandins way. The last Qtr was a real battle of attrition. Caz Fuerst and Alex "A-Bomb" Wall were absolutely sensational in defence, Emily Dunn ran herself silly in the mid court and the girls up front (Elise & Kristy) provided terrific avenues to score. The game went right down to the wire with our girls prevailing 20-18 and setting up a 2nd Semi final showdown this week with top placed Upwey/Tecoma. Highlights included Caz's continual breakdown of the Wandin offence, repeatedly intercepting passes. Elise Tanzens contribution of 18 of our 20 goals, and Beck Scott's pivotal turnover in the dying minutes, to win back a ball that she'd lost, which saw us score a crucial goal and turn the momentum back in our favour. Anyone who thinks these girls are just here for a social game, think again. This win was built purely on determination and a refusal to give in, and was an absolute privelidge to watch. It will hold them in good stead for this weeks match up. Sammy "Super Coach" Royce has these girls in good form at the right time of the year !
The Reserves travelled up to Alexandra to take on 3rd placed Warburton and unfortunately, right from the start, looked like they were going to be chasing tails all day. We struggled to get our hands on the ball, and when we did, we just couldn't seem to find any space to work into. Strange really when you realise just how big the ground is. Staring at an 8 goal to 2 defecit at halftime, coach Keithy was more than entitled to be pretty annoyed with the state of play, and certainly made an empassioned plea to his players to lift and work back into the game. The damage had been well and truly done though, and Warby continued to close out the game for the remainder of the day. Final scores were OFC 5.9.39 to Warby 13.9.87 Alex Taranto, Stevey Flutts and Stevey Gannell were better players on the day. Skipper Adam Borg contributed 3 of the 5 goals. The boys have 7 days to prepare for an Upwey side that has hit some good form. They'll have to lay it all on the line now or it will be all over for 2010. C'mon boys, I back you from here !
And finally, the Seniors took on Mt.Evelyn at Alexandra in an Elimination Final. This match was expected to be a real tussle and so it proved to be. Its always important to get off to a good start in finals and both sides settled down pretty quickly with early scores on the board. We certainly were getting plenty of the ball and creating opportunites. Tregoning, Broomhall, Rosier and co were causing plenty of headaches through the middle. Benny Day was having a great contest with his opponent, and Garratt McDonald was mopping up beautifully deep in defence. At halftime, we trailed by only 8 points but were more than happy with that position, feeling that we would be strong through to the end. The 3rd term again was a see-sawing affair, Mt.Evelyn though had begun to gain a slight advantage in Fwd 50 entries and had squandered some chances, kicking 5 goals 5. On the flip side, we kicked 5 goals straight which kept us right in the hunt. During this term, we'd played with one man short. Scotty Tregoning was sent off in what can only be described as "a very bemusing decision". It was always a free kick but nothing anymore than that. The boys played outstanding footy through this period and were to be commended for that effort. At 3/4 time, the difference was 2 goals and we still felt strong. Mt. Evelyn skipped away in the early part of the last qtr, bombing their forward line relentlessly, but still not taking its chances. We lifted through the middle part to get back within a couple of kicks but the opposition steadied and went on to record a 14.22.106 to 13.4.82. Garratt McDonald, Pat Rosier and Andy Greenall were outstanding over the day, whilst Blakey Walter got 4 goals, as did Glenny Stevens and "The Fox" added 2. Whilst we were certainly thrilled to make the finals in our 1st year back into Division 1, the boys were pretty shattered with the result and feel like a real opportunities been missed. Sensational effort by Mick Scott and all the coaching staff though. Some massive steps have been taken and there's alot to look forward to in the coming years. Having said that, be warned; its not going to happen without a lot of hard work. We are still a considerable way off being in the same league as Woori Yallock so there is still much work to be done !
We'll have another newsletter out later in the week. This will confirm the matches and the venues for our teams for this Saturday. At this point, I can tell you that our U/18s will play Healesville for a spot in the Grand Final. Our C Graders will play Upwey/Tecoma for a spot in the Grand Final.
And our Reserves will play Upwey/Tecoma for a spot in the Preliminary Final.
Good luck to all our teams and please keep an eye on the website (below) for all the latest news on teams and results.