Round 1 saw the Whites pitted against the Lismore Swans at home on Merv Edwards. For most of our kids this was their first game of footy in the u9 format which involves a larger field, 12 players a a side and wrap tackling. They were all champing at the bit for their first game of ”real footy”.
Unfortunately the Swans were a little short for numbers so we had to lend them a few players to even up the numbers. We were super impressed by the maturity of the boys who volunteered to play for the Swans and the effort they put in when playing for them.
It seems the coaches may have been too generous with some of the player loans because the Swans burst out of the blocks in the first quarter and took a handy lead at the qtr time break, largely thanks to the Dolphins players on loan. The Dolphins settled into it in the second quarter and started to peg it back. The coaches restored some more balance to the teams at half time and that saw the Dolphins mount a strong come back after half time, with the game finishing in a draw.
The coaches were proud to see all the kids demonstrated our values of fun, effort and respect on the field - it was a great team effort. Special mentions to Sonny who ran rings around his bigger opponents, Fergus who was involved in everything and Noah who kicked a bag of four goals.
Big thanks to all the parents who helped out with umpiring, oranges, coaching, bbqing and moral support!
This week we have a special training session with the GC Suns on Wednesday and then another home game at Merv Edwards against the Dolphins U9 Red team on Sunday. Go Dolphins!
Opening round saw us travel to Brunswick to take on the Bulldogs. The lads were all super excited, for round 1 - and as it appeared a fair few ducks were too… The boys started strong, with a near length of the field running goal to big Jimbo to open the scoring! The midfielders were strongly lead by Sully who was pumping the ball into attack at every opportunity. Joey got on the end of some silky play set-up by Oxford and the backs, lead by Benji and Sonny were not giving their forwards an inch. The second quarter was a lot like the first - with the midfielders dominating the clearances, Nate was sending the ball forward and Oscar was doing what Oscar does - getting plenty of the footy and putting his head where others don’t… If there was a falcon of the match award - that would have gone to Oscar. Sol’s defensive pressure in the forward half meant that there was no easy clearances for the Bulldogs - and when they did clear it, Archie’s over head marking meant that it was coming straight back in.
As the game went on - the Bulldogs worked there way back into the contest, but after a short Honkers trip Jobe made sure that every possession they got was pressured. A year playing Rugby certainly has given him a tackling edge and it was on show! Our two newest recruits, Jimmy and Rocky were great in their first game - with Rocky taking some fantastic marks and Jimmy buzzing around the ball like someone had just hit open a piñata. Micheal was a silky as ever - and hasn’t lost any touch over the offseason. His kicks out of fullback never missed a target.
It was a great game to kick off the season - with big Jimbo and Joey (who ended with 7 goals) taking out players of the match.
Kingscliff - 11 . 10 . 76
Southport - 0 . 0 . 0
Round 2 saw another home game at Murwillumbah against the Southport Sharks who fielded a less experienced and younger team. This allowed us to really mix up the playing positions and we rotated the boys all over the field for the 4 quarters. As the scoreboard shows, it was a one sided affair but to the Sharks credit they fought back well during the 3rd quarter and challenged our boys physically and slowed our ball movement which was good to see.
Among the standouts was Bohdi who had a huge game of footy with big marks, goals, lots of run and some big tackles. Milan and Ollie were working hard and moving the ball with great skill and speed as usual. Joel had fun in the midfield with some great bursts through the middle and into the forward line. Boyd got his hands on the ball a lot and was getting in the thick of the action. And a special mention to Zac for kicking an amazing goal on the run and bending it in from deep in the pocket.
It was great to see all of the boys having fun in the various positions that they played. This weekend we have a tougher opponent in Surfers Paradise, which should be a real test for our defence after 2 weeks of forward line action. See you there, go Dolphins!
Well done to all Dolphins who played against the Swans today.
Unfortunately, the Lismore Footy Club are doing it tough after the floods & they could only field 8 players today. A BIG thank you to all Dolphins who put their hand up & played for the opposition. It’s very much appreciated.
Due to the circumstances, we decided not to officially score our game today, albeit it was a dominate display by our Dolphins.
Congratulations to Louie & Odis for playing their first games for the club today. Outstanding effort boys. And congratulations to Jack V and Kelley for being awarded “player of the match”. Outstanding effort!
I would also like to congratulate the following players for being nominated to the “Leadership Group” by their peers:
1. Orlando Caine
2. Jack Van Velzen
3. Archie Kinnaird
6 weeks ago the team defined their team values for season 2024:
1. Team Work
2. Determination
3. Humility
4. Passion
5. Respect
OJ, Jack & Archie have been voted as the 3 players who best represent these team values. A big responsibility but I’m sure these boys will lead by example, on and off the field.
We’re back at home next Sunday to play the Tweed Coast Tigers at 10am. Let’s have another big week on the training track.
Lastly, a big thank you to all the parents who turned a snag, waved a flag or helped in any capacity today. We can’t do it with you.
First game of the season for u9 blues did not disappoint …superb effort in all three zone, nudged us past caba tweed tigers.
Effort was the key word this week and the kids did so well with tackles, second efforts and team work.
In a player-of-the match effort, Georgia was unstoppable upfront, well supported by mid field guns Xavier and Harry who had excellent games. Mitch played his first game of the season and easily stopped a goal or two with some great tackles. Zac showed a great set of hands with a number of excellent grabs. Very proud of the whole teams performance and sportsmanship.
We are definitely very evenly matched teams, which makes this weeks re-match at Caba even more interesting. Great to see the kids getting a feel for the team and the game at such a quick pace Looking forward to this week !! See you there
Coach Tom
