Michael Godden – Senior Coach Report
After the disappointment of the Norwood game it was good to see the team rebound with a solid effort. As I said in last week’s report we have a lot of things that the group are working on and need to improve, one of them was to play a full 4 quarter game. So this week we were able to put together 3 solid quarters, but we are still looking for that elusive full game.
In the pre match we talked about the value of persistence, we knew how competitive South has been recently and we thought this was going to be a very important ingredient. The game started well with the guys really committing to the contested balls and they were working hard on the style of play. The first half was a real arm wrestle with both sides trying to gain the upper hand; at the main break we once again discussed the importance of persistence.
The second half started with us playing some really good and some really ordinary football, so to score 6.2 into the breeze was great, but to give up 6.3 was extremely disappointing. With that said I was happy going into the last quarter with a 12 point break considering we were kicking with a pretty significant breeze. We didn’t really change much, the game just opened up a bit and we were able to get some flow, which saw us finish strongly with an inaccurate 6.7 to 0.2 to give us a much needed 53 point victory.
Apart from the ability to persist which was a huge positive, the main negative was once again our skills, it is something we will continue to address and I am sure with hard work this will improve.
We now go into an interesting period with the bye and a split round, so the way we manage this will be very important to what happens later in the year. Monday night we will have a light run and a review from the weekend’s game, followed by a rare week away from the Club and structured training. In the middle week we will have some very solid hit outs, but once again they will have the weekend off. The following Monday we return to prepare for the Port game on the Saturday, which like all games at this time of year is an extremely important one.
Craig Smith - Reserves Coach Report
It turned out to be a very successful day for the Club on Saturday. The Under 18’s played before the Reserves and watching them I could not help but be impressed with the brand of football they played as well as the individual talent on show. This is a good sign for the future of our Club.
The conditions were a little heavy but this did not stop the Reserves boys from approaching the game with enthusiasm and intensity. In the first quarter we had ten scoring shots to one, but due to our poor kicking for goal we were only 24 points in front. The second quarter saw us continue with our good ball movement, as well as maintaining pressure on the opposition. We went into half time in control of the game and leading by 45 points.
In a game like this the main challenge is to maintain mental strength and discipline and in the second half on Saturday we were able to do that pretty well. We kicked six goals in the third quarter and three in the last into the breeze. The final margin was 66 points. This was a reflection of our good work throughout the day.
It has been a good month for the Reserves recording three wins and one loss; that loss being a reasonable effort against the top side Sturt. More importantly it has been really pleasing to see the players playing an intense, hard running style of game. The players have really embraced the team focused approach that is becoming our trademark in the last month and hopefully this will continue after the split round break. The final five games will provide a considerable challenge and we are all looking forward to it.
Terry Hutton - Under 18’s Coach Report
Saturday morning – 1st game of a triple header - dew on the grass – fine conditions – cold northeast wind, soft muddy centre – all contributed to an initially scrappy game which saw lots of turnovers, many balls slipping out of the hands, scrimmages all over the ground. Players found difficulty adapting to the conditions; too many handballs given too quickly and missing the body, kicks that seem to slew off the side of the foot, easy marks dropped. Despite this the Eagles established early ascendancy with some clever play. Simple mistakes allowed South to score 2 goals. They were intent on clogging up our forward space then trying to run the ball out.
The second quarter saw the game tighten up even more. Again South scored two quick goals – ball over the back of the pack into space - South bustling their way through the lines. Too many of our players were sucked into the scrimmages, leaving the outside space far too open along with the check side areas, but gradually the better team work of the Eagles allowed Hobbs to score two goals with fine marking and accurate kicking. Broadbent on the wing was winning plenty of the ball. Sutcliffe either at half back or on rotation drove the ball forward. Again kicking appeared flat particularly the left footers, with very few penetrating drop punts. Von Bertouch was on fire with 5 goals before halftime – good leading and fine marking were very evident. His 11 goals were a match winning performance. Well done!
Muller and Easther were giving the onballers first touch often in the centre and at throw-ins. Clift and Toumpas as Under 16 players were playing solid football, attacking and winning many contests, courage under the bodies, effective kicks forward, reading the play and getting in position. Growden was outstanding, again notching up to 30-40 touches around the ground and in the centre. Bustling Sinor put in a very good team performance and his long raking left foot kicks proved valuable. Appleton as usual picked up many touches and is learning to use them more effectively and attack the contest harder. Harding is a very clever player when put into the rotation. His elusiveness and driving kicks usually found their target. Jacquier at CHF provided another excellent target, often breaking through the opposition with clever use of speed and agility. Pressure in the backline and in the centre prevented South from scoring in this quarter.
The 4th quarter saw the Eagles run out easy winners. Brusnahan again is proving a very positive captain with dashes from the back line, carry and run on play as well as directing voice. Cashel and Mansell on the backline elude opposition with their left foot turns, strong attacks on the ball and effective drives down the line. They are rarely beaten. Elfenbein had some difficulty in the first half handling the slippery ball but picked his attack up in the second half and played some good team football, harassing and pressuring South players. Drogmuller came into his first game for many weeks. At CHB, he took some strong marks, rebounded well and held the position against a strong marking player. Joyce and Poole as rovers were in and under the contest. Poole gave away some angry frees in the first half but proved more effective in the second half. His response when challenged by the coach showed a more positive frame of mind and responded to win many touches. Joyce again proved what a quality reader of the play he is but several of his LF kicks early in the game just seemed to lack power.