The Mitcham Junior football Club was involved in Round 4 action over the weekend. The biggest news out of the weekend for our club was our Under 9’s winning “The Lightning Premiership” at Pinks Reserve in Kilsyth. It is the first “Lightning Premiership” our club has won in over thirty years and is a huge achievement for these boys. Well-done boys and more about that great result in the Under 9’s match report below.
Under 8 Mitcham Black were up against Montrose and Coach Peter Ajani sent in this match report – “Today we took on a very talented Montrose outfit. Our boys battled well for the whole game and really put all their efforts into being first to the ball. All the boys really tired their hardest and thus contributed to the game being a very even contest. Today’s co captains were Steve and Joel who both lifted for the match. Joel played some of the football that I always knew he was capable of, while Steve used his voice well, kicked out of the backline well and saved some certain goals from sneaking through. Both of the boys received the Mitcham Football Club encouragement awards for their great efforts. The ‘Mitcham Medal’ went to William who continued on from last week, winning the ball and running down the middle, great effort William. Other awards were ‘Panelen’s Healthy Nut Bar and Café for One Ice Cream Sundae’wentto Liam and Gus for their great contributions and enthusiasm in the game. The ‘EFL Encouragement Award - Mr Croc Star Award’went to Tong and Nay for their best games yet. ‘The Mitcham FC Canteen award’went to Gabriel for another great game. ‘The Mitcham Encouragement Award’ went to Aidan for continued improvement. It was a birthday game from Patrick and fantastic rendition of Happy Birthday, from his teammates, followed by the team song. Well done boys!”
Under 8 Mitcham Yellow took on North Ringwood and their coach Josh McConnell had this to say about their game – “Mitcham Yellow played a great game of football today against North Ringwood Red. Mason Porter was our Captain this week and played a great game from the first bounce to the final siren. All the boys played exceptionally well this week in the areas we had been working on - Getting in front, getting the ball first and running through the opposition. Today we saw some great defensive work by Alexander and Henry who were always looking at being in front of their opponent. The first Coach’s Medal this week fittingly went to Mason who played a great game taking some high marks and directing his team mates in the backline. Noah Quinlan also played a fantastic game and was also awarded a Coach’s Medal. In the backline he was in front, in the mid-filed he was getting the ball out to his teammates and when playing forward, was helping score goals. Noah was also awarded a Coach’s Medal for today’s game. The Mitcham JFC Encouragement award went to Will Serong for his hard working in the centre of the ground, always pushing the ball forward. Dylan Spencer-Yates played a great game in defence and took a very special mark, which earned him a Mr Croc’s Star Award. His ruck work was also of a high standard. Nate Evans was also awarded a Mitcham JFC encouragement award for his efforts to always play in the front in the forward line and in defence. Sam Chaplin is a great kid that is always trying for everything. His work playing in front in the backline is what earned him a Mr. Croc’s Star Award. Archer Kane has been playing well and trying hard each week. It was great to see him kick his first goal of the season, but more importantly his passing to a team mate on the half forward line saw him get the Penelen’s voucher award. We were all very proud again of how they put into play what has been practice. We look forward to a big training session on Wednesday, a great Family Day at Walker Park on Saturday and a big game on Mother’s Day at 9am against Kilsyth Black. Go Tigers!”
The Under 9’s played the in Lightning Premiership at Kilsyth and their very proud Coach, Brad Aujard spoke with pride as he described the day his side won the Lighting Premiership in their division - “Well, normally I only have to write up 1 match report but this week we have four and what a way to finish. Unfortunately, two of our young guns, Ethan and Felix, were struck down with the chicken pox early in the week, meaning they couldn’t be out on the field with us today but their spirit carried us over the line. Our first game was against South Belgrave and the boys worked hard putting into action the teamwork we had practiced at training. I was pleased to see as much effort from those without the ball with lots of shepherding through the middle and leading in the front line making sure the ball carrier had a clear run and plenty of options to kick to. This teamwork saw us come out with a win. The second game against the host club Kilsyth was a physical encounter that took every ounce of courage from our boys to get over the line. Thankfully we had a long gap for lunch and recovery time after this game. At half time in our third game against Donvale, the boys found themselves down by 1 point. They all ran into the half time huddle and as always listened to what I had to say. To their credit they went out in the second half hunting the ball in packs and coming home strong for their third win. The fourth and final game against Upper Ferntree Gully saw us with a real chance of winning the premiership. You could see the tension on the faces, of the parents and coaching staff, but the kids remained relaxed and confident. After a long day and some hard fought matches it was amazing to see the kids continue with their run and carry and ‘will’ themselves over the line for the win and the trophy. As far as standout players, where do I start? Do I mention how good Joshy was running into “Joshies Paddock” to kick goals, or do I start with Tynan running out of full back, having a bounce and kicking long or perhaps with William’s excellent shepherding of the ball. Perhaps I’ll start from the middle where the game starts. Ryan O jumping high in the ruck and tapping it to Lachlan who busts open packs with ease, and who handballs to Ben who kicks goals from everywhere, all whilst the three show off their silky skills. Samuel showed how he isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty with some great efforts at getting the ball out of the packs and making sure the best Donvale player didn’t get a touch. Ryan P running in straight lines to get the ball not worrying about who was in his way is great to see from a back man. Gruff was filling the gaps, taking marks kicking long…is there nothing this pocket rocket can’t do? Leo was going in so hard he copped a bloody nose in the first game but he toughed it out to be a fantastic competitor. It was great to see Rory flying for marks and running out of the centre, with Jack running the wings and then kicking goals. I loved seeing Christian chasing the opposition down causing turnovers and showing what a real team player he is, along with Jacoby they held the backline together for the middle two matches. You could tell they both preferred the forward line once they got back there! The ever reliable Daniel continued to prove he is can play in any position and get the ball. Luca also showed some dash and flare out of the back line. Last but by no means least, the toughest kid in the side, Seb, who hurt his arm and got up and just continued as if nothing had happened. I would also like to thank my assistant coaches and the team manager Jamie who puts in a power of work for this footy team. I would also like to thank all the parents for your contributions today and support of this awesome team on and off the field. Boys you have achieved something that no other under 9’s team has done at the Mitcham Junior Football Club and that is win the EFL’s Lightning Premiership. I could not have been prouder of the way you all behaved and played on a very long day and to come away with the trophy is something you should all be proud of too. Your teamwork and helping of your teammates is getting better and better every week! WELL DONE BOYS - 2015 UNDER 9’s LIGHTNING PREMIERS!!! WOOHOO!!!!! GO TIGERS!”
The Under 10’s were at home and Coach Carlo Fanfulla had this to say about the game – “Our Under 10 boys played at home on a great sunny morning against Donvale. Today we were captained by James Fanfulla and Stephen Burton. This was one of our best starts of the season so far with George Molnar kicking the games first two goals. Our ball movement across the ground certainly has improved with the boys listening to instructions and understanding our game plan to clear the ball out of our defence. Charlie Bamford impressed in the midfield with his ability to hit his targets while kicking on the run. Hamish Gill played a good defensive role in the second half with great marking in front of goals. Elijah Kwah was unstoppable today and his speed with the ball created a lot of hard chasing for the opposition. Encouragement awards where given to Robbie Baleisuva and Elijah Kwah, which were most deserving. A great effort today boys, showing our skills are improving week by week. Go Tigers!”
The Under 11’s travelled towards the hills to play Boronia (Millers Reserve) at The Basin. Coach Jason Philactides sent in this report - "Today we played Boronia and I was really optimistic about our chances of winning a game of footy. Unfortunately our boys came up against a pretty good opposition that made our opportunity of winning a lot more difficult. There were some positives to mention. Dan N was fantastic. He tried hard all day and never gave up and as a result was awarded best on ground. In the last quarter, it was good to see the boys listened to what I had said at 3 quarter time, and started to try and pick the ball up and play on at all times. Although Mac got caught with the ball trying to play on, I was pleased he listened to what I had asked at the 3-quarter time break. Well don Mac! Although we are not winning games, I don't want the boys to lose hope. I want the boys to see this as a chance to get more and more motivated to get our first win. It will come!”.
Final Score: Boronia 10.11.71 d Mitcham 0.0.0
The Under 12’s were at home and Coach Mark Ross had this to say about their game – “Our round 4 clash saw the U12's take on South Croydon at Walker Part. I think it was one of those days you could sense even before the game started that our boys were not fully switched on. This reflected in the way we played today. The opposition applied strong pressure on the Tigers all day, which made it very hard to handle the ball cleanly. With both teams having scored only 1 goal each at half time, the boys were asked to concentrate on picking up the ball cleanly. We did improve after half time kicking 2 goals 5 points, thanks to Ethan Wu and Alex, to South Croydon's 3 points thus seeing us win a very hard fought contest by 17 points. Once again the backline played very well keeping the opposition to a low score. I hope the boys learn from today that if you don't come switched on it makes it very hard to play your best footy. Having said that, it shows that this group of boys still found a way to get the job done even though they didn't play at their best. Well done again and enjoy a free Tuesday afternoon off training. Congratulations to Remi and Callum for winning this week's encouragement awards.”
Final Score: Mitcham 3.8.26 d Sth Croydon 1.3.9
The Under 13’s traveled to the hills to take on South Belgrave. Coach Shane Dickson posted this match report – “Today for the first time this season we had a full squad of 24 players. We came out firing at the start of the game and kicked the first 3 goals in the first quarter. The players were attacking the ball well, like they had at training this week. There was good movement out of the middle, starting with Bailey’s ruck work always tapping it to our advantage. The mid field were also running hard to get the ball moving out of the middle. After making a few changes for the second quarter, South Belgrave kicked 6 goals to our 2, which gave them a 1-point advantage at half time. We worked harder in the second half and managed to take back and then extend the lead. To our boys credit they continued to keep the pressure on South Belgrave and 70% of the time it was in our forward half. Luke S and Josh’s efforts were great in bringing the ball out from the back line. At the opposite end, Jac & Jayden worked courageously to get the ball and kick some great goals. I am really proud of the commitment that the boys gave today, as it shows that they can all work together as team, to produce a great result. I continue to see improvement in different parts of our game each week, and know that we can still achieve more. Thanks for your efforts today boys!”
Final Score: Mitcham 11.11.77 d Sth Blegrave 9.5.59
Goals: Jayden 3, Jac 2, Bailey 2, Jarrod, Luke B, Luke S, Cory 1
Awards: Luke S & Bailey
The Under 15's headed down the highway to take on Norwood. Coach Cam Horsey had this to say about the game – “Heading out to Norwood today the focus was to be aggressive and committed to each and contest. This game was always going to be a test of where we stand as a playing group, especially backing up after a win from the previous week. Our preparation was put under a bit of pressure with the facilities not being up to standard, but nonetheless, we stayed focused to the job at hand. The game started with Norwood taking the early lead, getting out of the blocks with hard running and clean use of the ball. This pattern continued for the first part of the quarter, until we settled and stemmed the flow of ball into their forward line. We slowly pegged back their run and got ourselves back into the game. Our mids were instrumental in forcing the ball forward, where we were able to close the gap, and make it a real contest. Norwood threw everything at us including the kitchen sink, but we were disciplined enough to withstand this and truly work as a team who believe in each other. Josh Hopkins showed why he is the captain with a gritty display all around the ground, setting up and taking any forward chances he could get. JP worked unbelievably hard in the middle and around the ground, while Stinger was faultless across halfback, thwarting any forward entries, as well counter attacking at any given opportunity. Even though today was a real team effort, I would like to make some other special mentions. Jared N for presenting all day; you are now becoming a big problem for opposition defenders! Jules for working unbelievably hard across halfback, TK for being the ‘Rock’ that he is - unstoppable all day and Tails for working so hard in the ruck. Ben S, Kev and Coop for doing exactly what we asked without question. So proud of this win boys, but we must only look at this as another step in our journey of 2015. Bar is set high. Let’s lift it next week”
Final Score: Mitcham 11.12.78 d Norwood 8.3.51
A remonder that team photos will be taken this coming Friday night (May 8) at the club rooms for all teams. The timetable is below and it is suggested that everyone try to arrive at least 10 minutes prior to your timeslot to enable team managers to organise paperwork.
4.30 - 4.50pm - U9
4.50 - 5.10pm - U8 Yellow
5.10-5.30pm - U8 Black
5.30 - 5.50pm - U10
5.50-6.10pm - U11
6.10 - 6.30pm - U12
6.30 - 6.50pm - U13
6.50-7.10pm - U15
Also this Saturday, May 9 is "Family Day at Walker Park" as our Senior's take on Bornonia. Enter via the Dunlavin Road gate and entry will be FREE for any adult accompanied by a child wearing a "Mitcham Hoody". There will be a giant slide, pony rides and face paiting for the kids, as well as our two under 8 teams playing a game at half time of the senior game. We will have our BBQ trailer up and running at the Tiger Tent with plenty of food and refreshments available for young and old! Come on down and support the club that supports your kids!
Last Modified on 04/12/2019 12:35