ARCHIVED MATCH REPORTS

Round 6: FJFC versus Balwyn Y (June 3rd, 2007)

The Balwyn team were going to be short of players with only 17 for most of the game. In the spirit of the game it was important that we balance out the teams, so Melita and I agreed with the Balwyn coach (Richard) that we would provide three of our players. This would have the benefit of making sure they were not playing short of a full team on ground and also provide all players with more ground time. A massive thankyou to James Andrews, Theo, Aengus Topping (first half) and Angus Ponsford, Henry B and Hugo (second half) for the courageous effort of donning the opposition jumper and putting in a good honest effort while on the ground. This earned huge respect from Richard, the Balwyn coaches and parents, and the umpire commented on our good sportsmanship after the game. Well done boys!

To the game.

The boys held them well in the first quarter as they kicked to the scoring end of the ground. James B roved well and got a couple of clearing kicks away from the centre of the ground. Angus P was involved in some good clearances from the pack, Louis was providing good push from the half back line and Ray was solid at full back. Lucas E did a wonderful shepard to protect one our players and Josh took a couple of good marks in the defensive half of the ground. We held them to only two goals, but did not manage to post any scores.

Otis scored a great goal in the second term and we prevented Balwyn from scoring – great job to the backmen!!! Eddie was strong at CHB, Devin added some height and strength to the defensive half and James Miller was playing some good football on the wing. We went in at half time with a little more than a goal in the game.

Unfortunately the back line was peppered in the third quarter and Balwyn used the scoring end well posting 5 goals. Riley played strong in the packs and got some excellent clearances this quarter. We went close to scoring a number of times this quarter – but struggled to finish it off.

The challenge was set for us to get two goals in the last quarter – we scored one with Hugh putting it through the big sticks. Theo was roving very well this quarter and got into the play a number of times. Devin had a good long kick from the half back line, Emy applied some great pressure and tackles up in the backline. Riley continued his strong game. James Miller did a spectacular run, chase, tackle and won the ball in a gutsy effort – well done James!

Great captain effort from Eddie playing a very solid game, even with tonsillitis!!!

While there is no training this week I strongly encourage everyone to get out in the yard and kick the ball around. Concentrate on your kicking and marking skills in preparation for our next game.

Round 5 FJFC versus Park Orchards (May 27th, 2007)

Our first game after re-grading to Blue level, but up against one of the stronger teams who had only lost a single game. We kicked against the wind in the first quarter and while we didn’t manage to score the backline held out well and restricted Park Orchards to three goals. James Butler played well on the half back line and was picking out the red jumpers in his play. Louis layed a marvellous tackle, Riley was strong at full back and Emy was moving the ball well in the centre of the ground. James Miller was involved in a clean piece of play that drove into the forward line, but we did not manage to push it through for a score. Theo took a great mark in the middle of the ground.

We outscored them second quarter with Eddie and Joshua putting the ball through the big sticks. Ray had a great piece of play showing clean hands and Otis continued to lay some pretty fierce tackles on a couple of the Park Orchards guys that dared to take him on.

While against the wind in the third, we had a great piece of play that had Harry taking a mark and then putting it nicely out there for Ray to take a strong grab. Ray kicked well and posted an important goal early in the quarter. Lucas E had a great tackle this quarter. We were down at the three quarter break but had the wind coming home in the last and were hoping to make a close game of it.

The team pushed hard numerous times into the forward line, but we had some challenges converting up forward. Jack B took a great mark and showed some great chase in the Rover position. James Butler continued his great game on the half back line and Eddie put in one of his classic runs. Jack B and Ray both chipped in with a behinds, but unfortunately we could not close the gap on Park Orchards and they held on for the win.

Good captains game from Theo.

Round 4 FJFC versus Bulleen (May 20th, 2007)

Many had heard about us coming to do battle with Bulleen and the car parks were full. No warm up required for the players after some of us made the 1.5km journey from the nearest parking spots to the ground. Once again the boys got off to a flying start. Henry had a great run out of the backline and Ben was roving like Kevin Bartlett from the forward pocket. Jack Bradley showed us all how to tackle, chase and tackle again – brilliant play from CHB. Ben’s strong roving was rewarded with a well earned goal. Josh followed up with a snap on the end of a good push from the half back line. Hamish had a strong mark in the middle of the ground and held well in the ruck. Tom got our third goal for the quarter with a fantastic torpedo punt that curved in with the wind perfectly to put us in the lead at quarter time.

Bulleen used the wind and kicked 5 goals in the second quarter to wrestle the lead away from us. Riley chipped in to score from a set shot and Eddie had a great goal. Aengus Topping showed some skills and put his body on the line from the half back flank.

Hugh was excellent in the 3rd quarter, laying a great tackle and putting constant pressure on the Bulleen team as they pushed forward at the non-scoring end. The backline worked hard to keep them to a single goal and Harry was a rock in defense. Eddie and Ray put their bodies on the line a number of times, and there was a brilliant piece of skilful play from Lucas M to Ray to Josh for a Magic Daicos like goal. Henry continued to run hard out of the backline.

We unfortunately faded a little in the last quarter with Bulleen bombarding the goals and kicking something like 3 goals and 10 points –pressure from our backline causing them to miss on several occasions.

Our team was well lead by Lucas M who had a good solid game with some good runs down the ground. Once again the team shows improvement in skills, commitment and game awareness. Good job to all.

Round 3 FJFC v Preston (May 13, 2007)

It was a beautiful Sunday morning and we played out first game at the home location of Alfred Cres. The Bullants had the scoring end in the first quarter and pulled away with a couple of goals. Henry took a great mark in front of two Bullant players. Josh did a good job in the back line and cleared well to Ray on a number of occasions. However, we struggled to get the ball deep into our forward line and only got a single point of the quarter from Hugh. Otis had some good spoils and Ben took a good mark in front of the pack. Eddie put in a solid bump that sent the message to the Bullants that we were tougher than when we met in the practice match.
We had a 2 goal second quarter at the scoring end, but the Bullants managed to snatch a goal and two points in this quarter as well. Michael got involved in the play at half forward and Nick took a strong mark to then pass to Harry who converted in front of goal. James A chipped in with a well earned goal from good play at the front of the pack. Henry put in a great tackle, Devin had some great play from the back line and pin-pointed a pass to Ray that showed our team has some good skills. Jack T had a good quarter Ruck-roving and was able to get involved in a number of passages of play pushing into the forward line.
The Bullants pushed hard with the wind in the third quarter and kicked three goals and three points to open up a pretty challenging lead. Lucas M had a 1 on 3 situation and came out with the ball - well done!! Eddie showed us a great run down most of the ground and had the Bullants chasing him all the way. Harry put in a great tackle and did a good job rucking.
The instructions were clear for the last quarter - get the early clearance from the middle and kick long with the wind. The boys executed the plan to perfection and we snapped a couple of quick goals. The momentum was with us and the Bullant fans from the sideline started to go quiet as they watched us pile on further goals. Tom, James Miller and Louis all finished off some great attacking football with scores through the big sticks. However, we were unlucky to run out of time.
The last quarter shows that we are improving every week and a win is probably not far off if we can string some of our strong play together over the duration of the game.
Well captained by Otis playing most of the day from the middle of the ground.
FROM DEAN

Round 2 FJFC v Doncaster (May 6th, 2007)

A magnificent day out on a big oval at Doncaster. What a first quarter the boys had - we were off to a flying start. Louis was running strong off the half back line. Some great work with big kicks into the forward line. Goals to Lucas, Eddie, Louis and Otis in the quarter had us up with a strong lead kicking to the scoring end of the ground.
However, we only managed one more goal in the second quarter and Doncaster took advantage of the scoring end to peg back our lead. James Butler had a strong quarter and Hugh Philips put in a great effort with a defensive smother. Jack B played well from the middle of the ground and provided some good clearances into the forward line, but we probably didn’t take as much advantage of the forward moves as we could have.
The third quarter is where we should have probably pushed harder to take advantage of the scoring end, but we only managed a single goal from Eddie. Ben was strong in defence and Angus P had a good quarter of football on the wing. Hamish took a great mark on the CHG line and Emy was providing some strong spirit in the ruck and had a couple of good clearances.
Unfortunately Doncaster came over us in the last quarter despite some good work from Louis at half back, Angus P having a great run with the ball and Emy and Otis both applying some great tackles.
The boys played a good hard game and it showed with some injuries to James B, Michael and Louis - all of the boys showed strength though and put in a great team effort. Unlucky to not come away with a win after having such a strong start to the game.
Tom lead well as captain.

Match Report from Dean- Round 1 v St Damien's

Who would have thought - Rain again!!! But the boys embraced it with enthusiasm and most were saturated well before the ball was bounced/thrown up for Q1. The St. Damien's team was a big outfit and I think have more competitive football experience than our team - however, our guys worked hard, were competitive and played the game in an excellent spirit.

The first quarter was solidly contested and we remained tight with the opposition. The back line held up well with Otis laying some great tackles and Lucas M taking on a boy twice his size and coming out with the kick. Some desperate play from Michael pushing the ball forward resulted in a good goal from Josh. Kicking off the ground was well used in the wet conditions but the boys have to remember that this is not allowed in the packs (only in the open). Hamish took a solid mark in defence and Lucas E and Aengus had plenty of work in the last line of defence. Ray, James A and Ben tried hard to convert some of our runs forward into goals but were unlucky not to get a score. A big kick from Ray brought us very close, but St. Damien's held out.

Harry had an awesome tackle early in Q2. Theo, Devin, Louis and James B worked hard in the middle of the ground. Eddie put in a strong performance in the ruck most of the day and had a good strong quarter. St. Damien's played well with the wind this quarter and kicked long to work up a bit of a lead.

Q3 is where Louis showed everyone how a hard run and long kick can make a huge difference on a wet and windy day - his two goals reflected this - well done!!! Henry did some fantastic running work from CHB and Lucas E took a great mark in a 3 on 1 situation. Nick, Riley and Jack B tried hard to force the ball through the goals, but St. Damien's were effective in crowding out our forwards and made it pretty tough going. James M, Henry and Otis had a tough job holding out repeated attacks on the half back line, but were solid and consistent in defence. Well done! Aengus took on two very big St. Damien's players and showed lots of courage.

The last quarter saw us fade a little and the gap opened on the scoreboard - but the boys finished with a positive spirit. Harry lead the defence well from CHB and Devin got some good possessions in the middle of the ground. Everyone kept trying all day and despite some tough knocks - our guys kept playing hard until the final siren went.

Once again the team continues to improve in their skills, play and competitiveness - well done to all.

Practice Match versus Preston Bullants

Entering the ground and watching the rain pouring down at 8:20am was somewhat worrying. However, the rain moved on. Every one of our 27 listed players turned up and the team played a fantastic game for the first run together. Many of the team have never played in a competitive game before and it was truly amazing to watch them enthusiastically embrace the game and give it a great shot.

The bullants got away to a bit of a start in the first quarter and I think our team took a little time to settle in on the big ground. However, once they got settled it was clear they could be competitive. Harry played a strong first quarter at CHB and took some great grabs. Otis layed a first class tackle as the backline got a decent work out with Nick, Lucas E, Tom, and Michael holding up well.

The second quarter was where our team really started to look good as players began to make out the subtle difference between the Bullant Red jumpers and our Roy colours. Players started looking for each other and pushing some strong kicks forward. Eddie played well at Full Back giving a lot of push out of the backline and holding strong in defence. Louis rucked well this quarter and provided a lot of clearing kicks. Ben showed a very clean hand-ball and a good chain of play resulted in Ray booting a goal in the forward pocket from a set shot.

We continued to play well in the third quarter and took the lead when Josh goaled with a sneaky kick from the pocket. Lucas M gave off a great handball to the fast moving Eddie. Nick White ran well at the ball a number of times from the half forward flank and was well rewarded. Henry also had a good number of possessions based in the centre. Devin held tight at full back and the Bullants did not get to score a lot. It was going to be a tough and close finish.

I think the team tired a little in the last quarter and the backline did a fantastic job in defending multiple Bullant attacks. Jack Bradley, Hugh and Hugo were strong on the back line, and Ray, Josh and Angus were able to drive the ball out from half back a number of times. Hamish had a good run down the wing and took on a couple of Bullants with a splendid effort. Despite our accuracy and the strong defence in the last quarter, the Bullants were able to post a goal in the last minutes to sneak the lead.

A great team effort by all our players and many thanks to the Bullants, the umpires and the parents for a very enjoyable game.

Looking forward to our first run next Sunday.
Dean.

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