Michael Godden – Senior Coach Report
That was the result we certainly needed going into a bye week. The last few weeks have consisted of a lot of hard training and meetings, but Sunday was all about actions not words. I asked the group for nothing other than an effort that was un-compromising, and even though the final score was close we took some big steps forward with our defensive actions against a side which can really move the ball quickly and get in behind you.
The game started with a lot of contested ball situations, which I thought we won, but it wasn’t really showing on the scoreboard so it was important that persistence was our key objective. Once we lost a couple of midfielders with injuries it became a lot harder on the group, without rotations it was tough on the players to continue to chase and harass a team like Port, but to their credit they fought hard and dug deep and when the game was there to be won the group stood up and displayed what we had been asking for. The one disappointing thing is the unevenness of our performance, the last few weeks we have left too much to too little and although the majority of the group has fought hard the rest of the group need to lift, because for us to be a very good side we need our group to be more even in their contribution.
From here the players are going to get a well deserved break, and the coaching staff can take stock and review the first 10 games and look at our deficiencies and our good qualities in order to produce the best football we can in the second half of the year.
Craig Smith – Reserves Coach Report
It has certainly been a very disappointing month for the Reserves. There is no doubt that there has been many changes to the Reserves team and this has made it difficult to maintain continuity, but to use this as an excuse would be to gloss over some deficiencies that we have as a group. Our supporters can rest assured that we will be working hard during the bye week to address and improve in these areas.
The statistics from Sunday’s game make for some baffling reading. We went inside 50 on nine more occasions and won the stoppages. Normally this is a good starting point for success. But both our handball receives and effective tackle counts were well down on the levels we set. In truth we didn’t play with any flow or urgency all day and our skills continually let us down when we moved the ball inside fifty.
The bye has come at the right time of the year for everyone. We have a lot of players whose bodies will benefit from a week off and it will give both players and coaches a chance to recharge their batteries for the following five weeks. We have five games before the next bye and I am confident that we will all be very focused on improving and gaining some good results.
Terry Hutton – Under 18’s Coach Report
In dewy, slippery conditions at 8-40 in the morning, two balanced sides fought out a tight hard match. Port included six U19 players in their side, the Eagles included five U16 players. Both sides played hard aggressive football with many scrimmages occurring. The stronger older Port bodies were able to break free and score.
The Eagles responded in the opening of the 2nd quarter with quick goals and they were back in the game. Poole was in and under, pushing the ball forward and scoring 2 goals. Elfenbein used speed and determination to rebound from the back pocket. Very good team work emerged, for most of the quarter a struggle developed with neither side able to get on top. Cunningham was very strong in the fullback line.
In the third quarter the lead changed several times. Tackling and pressure was strong and a feature of the Eagles side. Growden appeared to be everywhere with strong rebounds down the grounds. Huppatz played positive and aggressive football in the ruck and in marks around the ground. Luke Dunstan ( U/16 ) was cool and calm , using the ball effectively.
Joyce read the flight of the ball well and continually drove his side forward. Harding was an elusive target at full forward scoring three goals.
The last quarter saw two good sides battling it out. An easy chance to score a goal in the first minute of the last quarter was missed. The ball rebounded quickly to put Port further ahead. Sutcliffe picked up many touches when he was on the ball. Appleton used speed and directness to attack and pressure Port’s defence. Daniel Polec showed glimpses of speed on the wing and Clift was hard and tenacious in the scrimmages. It was a very good contest which saw Port run out winners by 7 points and so hold onto top position in the competition.
Though it was a loss, it was a very good team performance. Courage, determination and spirit were the qualities that emerged.