Last week saw the Ballina Bombers (Red Team) take on the Kingscliff Dolphins (Blue Team) at Merv Edwards oval. The Bombers fielded an “All Girls” team which was fantastic to see & by no means did they go easy on our kids.
From the outset it was a very even contest between both sides and the Dolphins didn’t hit the scoreboard until late in the first quarter. Despite kicking with the wind in the first half, the Dolphins didn’t maximise their opportunity in front of goal and we need to work on our “kicking to advantage” at training this week.
Special “shout out” goes to our first gamer, Ebony. Despite only being 6 years old, Ebony wasn’t afraid to mix it up with the older kids and she was even lucky enough to kick her first goal. Great stuff Ebony!
Our “Player of the Match” this week was awarded to little Mason, who also is only 6 years old. It’s been amazing to watch Mason’s progression over the last few weeks, in particular his confidence to win the footy at ground level. Congratulations buddy!
In the 3rd quarter, the Ballina Bombers took full advantage of the wind at their backs and it was a one-sided affair. I must say, I was very impressed with how the Bomber Girls played, in particular how they moved the ball by both hand and foot. The Dolphins were able to steady the ship in the last quarter thanks to some centre clearances from our little speed machine, Max. This resulted in back-to-back goals from both Banjo and Archie. As you know, we don’t keep score, however it would have been a very close contest if we did.
This week, we see the Dolphins returning to Round Mountain Oval in Cabarita to take on the 2nd Tweed Coast Tigers side. From what I was told, they played really well against our Reds team, so it should be another good test for our team.
I look forward to seeing you all down at training this Thursday.
Go the Dolphins!
Ben & Mark
The sun was shining and this pod of Red dolphins began the first quarter strong with Kalan, our player of the week, getting the ball out of the center and down to the forwards with rapid speed – great job Kalan AKA Gary Ablett!
Although the Tigers led the charge as the game went on, we had some solid defenders with Levi and Banjo taking chase with much enthusiasm. It was great to see this new team starting to call out to one another with more confidence. Hedley, Kelley and Mylo managed to share the ball around, whilst Lucas, Ziggy and Parker took more time this week once tagged to pass or kick the ball. Archie and Lucian demonstrated some ripper hand passes and Pete took more of a led in confidently taking chase.
Next week we take on the Ballina Bombers at 8am at Fripp Oval Ballina – remember you can jump onto the Kingscliff Dolphins Website to check the fixtures.
Go Dolphins!
Jason
The boys ventured down to Brunswick Heads to face of against the Doggies. They’re where a couple short do Arlo and Oliver put their hands up to help out. Awesome team boys. Proud of them. Our boys probably put together the best game so far this year. We kicked about 12 goals with everyone contributing evenly. They are really starting to work out their roles in the team, which makes life easier for Andrew and I.
The one boy who stood out in improvement and got his first AFL goal was Boyd. We put him in the ruck position and he got his hands on the ball consistently . Should really help to boost his confidence.
We head south again man this week to battle The Byron Magpies. Should be a good test for the boys.
As usual, improvements all round and looking forward to next weeks game.
Cheers
Simon and Andrew
This round saw the Under 10 Red boys head south to Byron Bay. The weather was absolutely cracking but there was a stiff cold breeze blowing to one end of the field and the majority of the play was situated down one end.
Matched against a much bigger team, the boys more than held their own for the first half and were only a few goals down at half time. There were a few very big and aggressive players on the opposition team that required our team to apply some tough tackles and we were both really impressed with this element of the boys' development. A couple of the hits sent our boys to the ground but they all managed to play out the game and tough it out.
Byron got a bit of a run on in the 3rd quarter and the team was adjusted for our final term with the breeze at our backs. Our player of the week, Jack, was shifted forward and had an immediate impact kicking a few nice goals after the defence and midfield established some dominance.
All in all it was a great match and the U10 Reds team are building into a really competitive young team.
Next week will be an away game at Barry Sheppard Oval against Tweed Coast Yellow. Bounce down will be 9am on Sunday 23rd May. Please try to arrive by 8:30am and bring a jumper - it will be cold!
Go Dolphins
Dave and Ben
