The Mitcham Junior Football Club was involved in Round 11 action over the weekend and below are the match reports for all the games….
Under 8 Mitcham Black – Coach Peter Ajani
Mitcham Black played a very talented Mitcham Yellow in fantastic weather conditions. In a very even contest both teams really did play their hearts out in a very skillful game played in great spirit. Well done to the Mitcham Yellow team on a great game. Mitcham Black saw so many players contribute, that is was pleasure to watch. The Captains for the game were LeBron and Gabriel. Both players were given set roles. LeBron was set a run and carry role through the midfield, which he did brilliantly. Gabriel was mainly to contest down back but his last quarter was terrific with 3 fantastic nice long kicks. Great Captains game! This whole year has seen marked improvement from all the boys and this week the Mitcham medal went to two boys who have improved out of sight. Aiden won the first Mitcham medal for his terrific game marked by a centre wing contest where he held up the ball against two talented Mitcham Yellow opponents. Matthew had already taken a nice mark in the centre of the ground and really earned his medal when he contested the ball against three opponents to stop them scoring in the back line. It has been really enjoyable to watch Matthew come of age. The Panelen’s Healthy Nut Bar and Café Ice Cream Sundae Awards went to Noah and Declan. Noah was back to his best today kicking a couple of nice goals and playing well across the whole ground. Declan followed instructions by staying on his man and creating a contest. The EFL encouragement Mr Croc Start Awards went to Marco and Felix. Marco was terrific at following instructions and had a great last quarter in the centre. Felix who has starred for us the whole season finished the year off with a great game, which included several clearances and a nice goal. This was Felix’s last game for the year. Well done! The Mitcham Encouragement awards went to Gus, Liam and Charlie. Gus had a number of great long kicks and had a shot at goal from just outside the centre square. Liam nearly scored a goal missing by half a metre and had a couple of good possessions in the centre in the last quarter. Joel, Jett and Liam won the Mitcham Hot Dog and Drink awards. Joel and Jett were recognized for their great play and for all their hard work. They both had lots of possessions and were involved in many contests, especially Jett’s good mark and Joel’s great attempts to stop Mitcham Yellow running the ball with some unorthodox tackling! It really was a great game followed by a terrific team song by both teams. Well done to both the teams and the future really does look bright for the Mitcham Football club.
Under 8 Mitcham Yellow – Coach Mark Butler
With the start of School Holidays upon us, our list was without some of our key ‘Hard At It’ players in Ryan, Tyson and Archer, as well as our 2 pillars on the boundary in Head Coach Josh and Team Manager Steve. It was my pleasure to step in for the week and care take the coaches board while Josh is off sipping cocktails under the warmth of the Queensland sun (I’m not jealous at all). I was well assisted by our usual photographer Simon Serong who filled the enormous shoes of Steve Darmody and took care of business with aplomb. It was the much-anticipated return match against our Mitcham brethren played in perfect conditions. Our boys looked terrific in the yellow training strips and were pumped to put on a show. Our two captains for this week were James Watt and James Wilson. Both of these boys have been ultra consistent all year and well and truly earned the leadership honour. They started on opposing wings and gave us great drive and showed composure under pressure all game. James Wilson thrived on being a captain today and played his best game for the season. He was in everything. He really did play the complete game today and dominated all over the ground. This saw Willow take away the MFC Encouragement award. James Watt was a touch less gregarious, but no less effective. He too thrived on being a captain today and show cased his skill and determination by winning many 50/50 contests and kicking and hand balling to teammates with efficiency and accuracy. Well done boys on great, team oriented, leaders games! Before the bounce I asked the team to display the qualities we have been working on all season. Josh has done a great job in getting the boys to follow some basic team rules and we have been reinforcing these rules at training. They are:
- FIRST TO THE BALL
- PLAY IN FRONT
- SHARE THE BALL WITH TEAM MATES
- USE YOUR VOICE
- HAVE FUN!!
All of the boys displayed all of these qualities all game. I was extremely proud of the way the boys shared the ball by hand and foot, looked for teammates in better positions and brought each other into the game. They have come a long way since Round 1. Charlie Martin started the game in the ruck and did a great job of getting the ball to our runners and was pivotal in getting us off to a good start. Mason once again ruled the sky’s with is aerial dominance. As is the case each week, Heath and Ashton provided many highlights with their run and carry, excellent skill and football brains. Charlie T, Stephen and Alexander were important link players today and fought hard all game and propelled the ball forward on many occasions. Angus positioned himself well and got in dangerous positions to provide an option for his teammates and almost kicked a long goal from outside the arc. Harrison played all over the ground and knows where to position himself. He is an excellent user of the ball and is able to think his way through a situation and share the ball to our outside runners, which he did well again today. Daniel is an attacking machine who loves to run with the ball and make the impossible possible. Today he was given a more defensive job, which he carried out to perfection. After half time, I asked Dylan to play a special role at Full Forward. He had been working hard all game by playing in front and getting his hands on the ball, often pushing up the ground. His role was to remain at the true Full Forward position and get on the end of the play. He followed instructions to the letter and dished off a couple of goal assists before jagging a brilliant snap through the big sticks for his first goal for the season. This capped off a great game by Dylan and saw him receive the Encouragement medal. Henry also kicked his first goal for the season. Henry is like a little terrier around the packs and he was on the bottom of many today. He never shy’s away from a contest and has pace to burn. Great game today Henry. You well and truly earned the Penelen Voucher award. Another defensive demon is Noah. He is such a coachable boy who always listens, gives his best at every contest and shares to ball with his teammates. A terrific game from Noah saw him take home the Mr Croc Star award. Will Serong is a quiet achiever who goes about his business with no fuss. Will can win his own ball or get himself in a position to receive, as well as read the play and cut off opposition forward thrusts. The Ice Man took home the 2nd Encouragement Medal for his efforts today. Mitcham Black played a great game today and provided our coaches box with headache’s all match with their run and carry, strong defensive work and high skill level. They too played a good, team oriented brand of footy. The club has a lot to look forward to with the talent on the books at Under 8 level. The match was capped off with a passionate and highly in tune rendition of the club song, Mitcham Yellow arm in arm with Mitcham Black. Great Game Tigers. Next week we play Heathmont at 11:00 and Josh will be back to restore order. Our Captains for next week’s game are the H’s from Whitehorse, Harrison and Henry. Good luck boys, see at training on Wednesday Night.
Under 9 – Coach Brad Aujard
Well third time is a charm when it comes to playing against the Vermont Eagles. Another excellent team effort today well led from the two Captains with Cooper showing commitment to the ball by keeping his eyes on it and not worrying about who’s getting in his way, and Ethan who took home the chocolates with a dominant display in the ruck and kicking goals. Caylem played his best game for the tigers today and showed he is determined to be a presence when it comes to marking and getting the ball from the opposition. But without doubt today Rory Hume set the game alight with his toughness, marking and kicking goals and as a result he scored the canteen voucher, I hope you enjoyed the hot dog mate because you deserved it! The teamwork and commitment you all showed this week was great, ensuring you looked after your teammates and passing was hitting the target, it’s always great to watch.It’s the last game at home next week against the Waverley Blues; lets show them how to be tiger tough! See you at 415 Friday, make sure you have your helmets and mouth guards; they are now compulsory at training.
Under 10 – Coach Carlo Fanfulla
Our Under 10 boys travelled to Eastfield Park to take on South Croydon. Today our team was led by Sam Atherton and Charlie Webb and both boys showed great leadership qualities on and off the field. This week we welcomed a new player James McKelvey who played a brilliant first game by contributing in some great contests from the centre. Noah Melville was courageous in the first half with a strong tackle and won the ball to kick it well into our forward line. South Croydon did a good job in keeping us goalless in the first half as we struggled to keep up with their pace. For the second half we had to pick up our efforts and intensity around the contest and then we started to win some one on ones down the ground, which helped us put a score on the board with a captain’s goal from Sam Atherton. Our defence of Alexi Hopkins, Charlie Webb and George Molnar were outstanding in keeping the ball away from South Croydon's goal. Ned Dodds did not disappoint as he won a lot of contests in the ruck. I’m proud of the boy’s effort going into the last quarter by keeping up with the pace and never showing signs of giving up. Well done boys!
Under 11 – Coach Jason Philactides
Another big loss, but we also had some significant gains. The boys did not stop trying all day. Today was the first time the boys didn't seem intimidated or concerned to go in for the ball and that is a huge shift in mindset for us. We have different skill levels in the team however the one thing they can all be is leaders and the theme for the game was to be a leader and I thought this was achieved by everyone. Our 3 chosen leaders, Nathan, Dan N and Jack all stood up and led from the front throwing themselves at the ball and laying relentless tackles. Our backs were under a lot of pressure and did the best they good considering how fast the ball was coming in. I've been really impressed with Harry and Mason’s games over the past couple of weeks, not just with their improved skill level but also with their calmness around the footy. Both boys are listening and executing their roles fantastically. Over the last 2 games we've had the ball in our forward line quite a bit however unfortunately we haven't been able to capitalize on our chances so this weeks training we'll continue to work on the basics as well as fighting hard to keep the ball locked into our forward line to try and create scoring opportunities (please bring mouth guards). Todays awards went to Dan T and Denzell. Dan T has had a brilliant year to date and has been very consistent. I love seeing Dan get the ball, his determination to run and bounce is brilliant and when he chases down opponents he has the look that nothing is going to stop him from winning the ball. Dan is also a wonderful overhead mark and again we saw this many times on Sunday. Great game Dan! Denzell more recently has been given the opportunity to play in the ruck. Wow what a leap! He is always up against someone bigger than him however this has never stopped him from winning the tap and giving our mids first use of the ball. He did this many times Sunday and also won his fair share of the footy around the ground. Denz is a beautifully skilled player with a great future ahead. Well done to all the boys, keep your head up and be very proud of how far you have improved. Go Tigers!
Final Score GW Rovers 15.18.108 d Mitcham 0.0.0
Under 12 – Coach Mark Ross
The U12's had a top of the table clash with second placed South Croydon. Both teams put on a great game of tight, tough, contested footy. All credit goes to South Croydon getting the 4 points by the narrowest margin. In a low scoring game we were restricted to only 2 goals for the game. Our inability to convert scoring opportunities was the deciding factor. Our back line was strong once again. The midfielders tussled all day with a close checking opposition who gave us little room and space to run the ball. The Tigers fought hard all day only losing the lead in the last quarter. Boys don't be disheartened, our effort and attack on the ball was really good all match and the result could have gone either way. Our goal kickers were Callum and Sam Balman. It was great to see Sam Balman play the full game for the first time this season and was a deserved winner of this week's encouragement award. Only three games left and we still need to continue the train hard and develop our skills and teamwork. Go Tigers.
Final Score: South Croydon 2.4.16 d Mitcham 2.3.15
Under 13 – Coach Shane Dickson
What a great game of football today, the work rate of our players on and off the ball, the contests, endeavour and commitment was fantastic. Although we didn’t win, we were playing top of the ladder FTG and to only go down by 24 points was an exceptional effort. While there were three awards given out, every player contributed to a great team effort and every player deserves the credit. So boys when we listen and attack the ball with the intensity and do the things that we work on at training well, it shows that it can all come together. So keep up the great effort and keep working hard because you have proven that you can do it. I was very proud of the effort you all put in today, and I think everyone was proud of the way you all went about your football today.
Final Score: FTG 11.8.74 d Mitcham 8.2.50
Goals: Bailey 2, Nick 2, Luke H 1, Luke B 1, Dominic 1, Jayden 1
Awards: Jarrod, Harry, Kyle
Under 15 – Coach Cam Horsey
Back at home this week to take on Wantirna Sth for the second time this year. We spoke to the boys about the importance of a good start and try to get on top early. As predicted Wantirna Sth dropped down an extra defensive player and we counteracted with bringing Jules up forward to keep their spare player honest. We started strong with some good ruck work from Ben S palming the ball well to our mids but Wantirna had our forwards covered early and slingshot back into their forward line where they luckily only scored a minor. The coaching panel stressed the importance of scoring first and the team reacted straight away and got to work moving the ball well up the lines where we entered our forward line and scored a major. We stayed strong for the rest of the quarter and went into the first break with a small lead. I must point out that this was due to the backline working well, especially Jaydos who continually stopped any advance forward from Wantirna and made good decisions when clearing out of the danger zone. The second quarter we hit our straps, scoring heavily and not letting our foot off the pedal for the entire quarter. JP through the middle was strong as well as Keenan Hoare creating countless runs across the wing. Hoppo was everywhere, marking everything and setting up numerous goals giving us a handy lead into the main break. The coaching staff were happy with the way things were going but wanted the group to still play with the intensity of the first half and not allow Wantirna back into the game. Second half starts and Wantirna comes out with all guns blazing, kicking the first three goals. Something we can’t allow to happen. We need to be focused at all times and not allow teams into the game when we have control. Complacency can hurt and we can’t allow that to happen when we are nearing the pointy end of the season. We at least focused again and started to get ourselves back into the game and took control again, mostly due to our mids and wings and our forwards working strongly to keep it locked in. The last quarter I put it to the team to not allow Wantirna a score and we honoured that with a strong display across the whole ground. A few mentions go out as always to a few players who performed brilliantly on the day. Keenan for his unbelievably hard running all day, Hoppo for his work in the middle and up forward even though he was continually harassed all day, JP for his explosive running through the middle, Jaydos for his flawless display in the first half and the two Ben’s who worked hard in the ruck and giving our mids the first touch of the ball around the centre and stoppages. Well-done boys, a big game next week. We need to bring our best for the next few weeks.
Final Score: 15.13.103 d Wantirna Sth 4.3.27
Last Modified on 05/12/2019 08:36