Magpies season ends
The senior football team took to the Mooroopna playing surface on Saturday eager to finish their season on a high knowing that even with a win finals football was off the cards. The match began well with young gun Jett Trotter again on fire from the first bounce with his first rate level of skill on display for all the Magpie faithful to witness. Three debutantes began their senior career at Euroa – Declan Redfern, Michael Watson and Josh Hogg. All three players looked very much well-equipped to cope with the demands of football at this level and will head back into the Reserves team next week as they begin their finals campaign for 2019.
Jacob Brereton provided some wonderful run all over the ground for a big-man and was instrumental in getting his team out of trouble when the Cats peppered their own forward line. Ben Harrison, Tom Garside and Matthew Ivill delivered the ball out of the backline time and again yet the ability (apart from Jett) to convert these chances into goals was limited. This meant the Cats certainly had a sniff of a victory and it was all they needed – their second half was that of a side with nothing to lose, playing on their home ground at the end of the year and riding a wave of very vocal support from their faithful.
The result, a win to the home side, meant Coach Rowan’s boys were unable to better their win-loss ratio for the year, finishing with 6 wins and 12 losses. This is not what was planned at the start of the year and the group spoke of the disappointment this brings to them as they hang up their boots for the year. Planning is already well underway for this team for 2020 with Rowan already gaining commitment from this group but a number of others highly likely in the coming weeks to join the club for next season.
Congratulations to the Reserves football, B-Grade netball and Under 15 netball who have all qualified for the finals in 2019. The Reserves football plays at Mooroopna next Saturday with a 4:05pm start, Under 15 netball is also at Mooroopna on Saturday with a 1:15pm start whilst the B-Grade (minor premiers) take to the court at Kyabram on Sunday at 1pm. Go Pies!
STERN WORDS FROM COACHING GROUP AT QUARTER TIME GETS THE TEAM BACK ON TRACK
As the game commenced you could sense that our reserves team was not switched on. The Mooroopna team were up and about taking the contest up to our reserves team. Many times during the first quarter our players were lacking at the contest which allowed the Mooroopna cats to take the lead during the quarter and hold it at the quarter tim break.
After some stern words from both Linc McKernan and Brad Gleeson which was warranted the play from our reserves players picked up from the start of the second quarter their commitment at the contest and willingness to want to win the ball allowed the team to win back control on the ground and in turn on the scoreboard. The team started to win control which then stretched the opposition allowing the defensive unit to stop the forward entries of the Mooroopna team.
As the intensity grew the control our Euroa team had on the game also did as well resulting in the team breaking away to have a good lead for the rest of the game with a winning margin of six goals at the end of the game.
To the credit of the opposition team they kept trying giving a good contest to our Euroa reserves team. To our reserves team congratulations on a very solid home and away year.
Now we move into a finals program which will bring a much different brand of football the group must be prepared for this bringing to the game high intensity at the contest pressure to the opposition and be smart in our decision making and ball use.
The team will have the ability to take the game up to their opposition as long as we are prepared for the contest
Best of luck to the group as you commence your finals program next weekend as we journey to Mooroopna Saturday to take on the Shepp Swans.
So all are supporters get along and support our Reserves team
U 18 Football report 24-8-19
Mooroopna v EUROA
Mother Nature saved her very best for the last round of the home and away season on Saturday at Mooroopna. The sunshine was dazzling, there were blue skies aplenty, and even at 10am, the prediction was it would be a perfect day for football.
The last time Euroa had played Mooroopna they had been bamboozled by the height, speed and skill of the Cats. They were more prepared on Saturday, and played one of their most competitive opening quarters for the season.
At the first break, the Magpies were right in the game, playing the tough, contested football they are capable of, but have struggled to produce at different times throughout the season.
A couple of dubious umpiring decisions during the game had Magpie supporters scratching their heads in bewilderment as some Euroa players were sent off for very little. This sent Coach “Caro” Redfern stomping to the umpires at the break to question their decisions. He returned to the Magpie huddle still very dissatisfied with their answers, but feeling much better in himself for having asked the tough questions.
Brandon Ebert finished his U18 career with a best on ground performance for the Magpies. Brandon has been a passionate player for Euroa throughout his junior years, and Saturday’s game was exactly the same. The Spencer boys, Nic and Ryan, played four solid quarters of footy, combining well in the backline and matching it with the towering Mooroopna forward line.
Nic Burke had a field day on the wing, linking up with the backline to bring the ball out of defence with skill. Darby Davidson played on the ball, competing with an intensity and determination that can only be admired, and William Patterson rucked well all day, having made this position his speciality throughout the 2019 season. The great news for supporters is that Will is still eligible for another year of U18 competition.
At the final siren, it was the Cats by 40 points. An expected result, but a much more competitive game than Mooroopna and some radio commentators had predicted. Whilst not a win, it was a solid way to finish what has been a trying season, plagued with injury and player omissions.
A big thank you to all the U16 boys who have played for Euroa this year. Without their willingness to help out, Euroa would have struggled to field a side on a number of occasions.
A big thank you to the parents who have driven all over the countryside, with early starts every Saturday morning, to get their children to the games.
And a huge thankyou to the coaching staff- Brendan Redfern, Andrew Hill and John Anderson. These three men have committed a great deal of time over the past 6 months to the future development of football in Euroa, with their success evident in the continued high numbers at training every week, even when the team had been on the receiving end of some rather large losses.
It’s been a great season. Bring on 2020.
Last Modified on 27/08/2019 19:52