Round 10 : 6 Blue VS Gymea at Anzac Oval 07/07/10

32 - 22  WIN

We were expecting a big game by Gymea, as they beat us by 30 points in RD 1, but with The Mighty 6 Blues all playing on fire, and with a game plan of shutting down Gymea’s better players, this was the turn around of the season.

Well played boys.

Rory Cartwright: His best game yet. Tackle after tackle.

Jy Garvey: Made us valuable meters with every touch.

Nick Freeman: A solid game in both attack and defence.

Jet Hickson: Improving with each game and running strong.

Jai Williams: Broke the line with his best run this season.

Jackson Chalk: Tackle after Tackle and kicked his 1^st Goal.

Kurt Peychers: 2 Tries, 1 Goal, 100 tackles, 5 out the sideline.

Luke Wallace: 5 Tries, Man Of The Match, Best game yet.

Go Dragons

RD 11 : 6 Blue VS Menai at Anzac Oval 24/07/10

38 - 10  WIN

We were again expecting a big game this week as Menai just edged us out last Round, but the boys were once again on fire, smashing them in the middle, and driving them out the sidelines. The boys did some set plays, The Mousetrap and The Lineout, with both resulting in Tries.

Chad Bonser: Some strong bustling runs straight up the middle.

Rory Cartwright: Had some great runs and an award for tackling.

Nick Freeman: Didn’t miss a tackle and made plenty of ground.

Jet Hickson: Some strong runs in the middle and made a solo tackle.

Jackson Chalk: 1 Goal, Man of The Match. Put his body on the line.

Kurt Peychers: 2 Tries, 1 Goal, 100 tackles, 5 out the sideline.

Luke Wallace: 3 Tries, 1 Goal, 100 tackles, 5 out the sideline.

Dane Lynch (6 Red): 1 Try for 1 Run. Textbook Tackling.

Taj Kidd (6 Red): 1 Try for 1 Run. Textbook Tackling.

Zane Kidd (6 Red): 1 Try for 1 Run. Textbook Tackling.

Go Dragons

8A’s

Engadine Vs De La Salle - Lost 18-22
What a great unbeaten run we had but it came to an end this weekend in top of the table clash against De La. If we had to loose, it might as well be to the boys we will most likely meet in the finals.

We had excuses and I could list them, but it wouldn't change the outcome. We were 6 all at the first break, and led all the way through the second, but as we entered the final seconds of the third, and in the lead we had the "whistle incident" which lead to them scoring on full time. The lesson we must take from this is; NEVER let the ball or player just lay on the ground unmarked, even if the whistle has blown. Jump on the loose ball, or hold the ball carrier down. It's better to be safe than sorry.
From the sideline we looked like a better structured attacking side, and you boy's should be proud of that, but at times we took the wrong options, and one example was using up all our runs to attack the same corner when the other was wide open, begging for someone to run over and score. The good thing we can take from this is that this seemed to be De La's weakness.
One reason our defence line was broken was because we fell into the trap of following the ball carrier all over the field. But I have to say no other side we have met, plays so much of their game this way. They run from left to right and back again, even behind their players, waiting for a gap to appear. I'm sure we can work on this, and be better prepared next we meet them.
They did play a more aggressive tackling game - you could hear them grunting in the tackles, so we need to work hard and improve ours. The DRAGONS need to unleash a bit of mongrel and we will take them next time we meet! Aside from that we were good, and if we learn the lessons we need to learn, we will do very well in this competition.

I though Dane and Blake were solid in defence and Daniel and Harrison ran the ball well.

Tries to Harrison, Daniel and Harry and Daniel, Harry and Dane kicked goals.

Man of the match was Ethan - I guess if you throw up before a game and still play you had a go... but jeez mate did you have to pick this game!

8A’s
Engadine V Como Won 28-0

Coming off a good training session last week it was now time to see if all the hard work would pay off... and it did!

Second hit-up from the kick-off Ethan took the ball up hard taking us all the way to their 20, & here we stayed for the full 10 minutes thanks to some solid defence from Dane and Ethan, & some poor handling from Como. Harrison attempted to cross the line with a weaving run but fell short, & we continued to attack using several of our plays which was great to see. Because of some good directional & unselfish passes from Harry, the ball went out to our wings giving Daniel several attempts at the corner but at the end of the 10 it was still nil all.

The restart saw the same solid defence from Ethan, stopping any forward movement, & when finally Como made a break, Blake chased & crash tackled the player so hard he had to come off. Then Harrison wound up for his best hit-up of the season as he ran through & around 3 players for a great try which Daniel converted. A few sets later Jayden who had earlier lunged himself several times at Como's big pack, took a huge hit but like a trooper, he bounced straight back up & that allowed for Harry to run to one corner & then turn the ball back for Daniel who scored in the other corner with a long cross field run.

From the kick off Como's winger was called offside & Sam wasted no time in making him pay for his mistake as he tore up the sideline for a good solo try. The pressure became too much for Como as they spilled the ball on the restart fearing another hammering from our forwards. That gave Daniel another chance to charge forward, & with Steven now directing play & throwing some great well timed long passes, Harry eventually got his opportunity & ran in another one of his great tries which he converted. Another good set followed when Harry was hit hard and Dane recovered the ball & scurried away for great elusive solo run, then offloaded to Ethan who was stopped short of the line, but in next set Dane took a dummy half run that got him a well deserved try which Harrison converted.

Man of the match was Harrison - Well done to smiling assassin... I could see his big grin even as he tore past 3 defenders to score a great try.

9C’s round 11 V’s Aquinas 30-0 Win
A great win this week against Aquinas 30-0 at home has our boys sitting in second place on the ladder as we build towards the semis. All of a sudden the wow factor is starting to appear as the boys grow in confidence about themselves and in each other. The team work that is being shown by the team has me excited! The boys are starting to execute our game plan but more importantly the role that each player has in the side is being realised by the boys themselves!! Our forward pack led by the three big men Ryan, Dylan and Paul are laying a great platform in attack allowing the likes of little Ryan, Cam, Tyler and TJ to use the ball out wide. Big Ryan Lane was the standout player this week scoring two tries earning him the Man of the Match award. He was helped by both Dylan and Paul and out wide little Ryan bagged two tries as did Cam and Paul who grabbed a try each. But each week it is getting harder to give
our 321 points to one individual player. In saying how good the last two games have been there is still improvement left in this side as we come up against the tougher sides in the final rounds. I believe the boys know this and are working hard during the week so it all comes together on game day. I reckon I could I write a paragraph about each player and what they mean to our team but I am super proud to be their coach and hopefully a mate to the boys. The fun is only just beginning boys as we head towards the semi finals. As I say keep working hard and believe in yourselves little men. Go the mighty U9 Dragons.

Round 9: 11B’s Versus Cronulla Caringbah at Anzac. Won 26-4

This game was a genuine top of the table clash. With Cronulla Caringbah coming to Anzac undefeated and Engadine having only lost one, we weren’t sure what to expect. What we did get though was one of the best, mistake free games I have seen in junior football. The first of our tries came after 9 minutes when the ball went through the hands to Ibby who was held up over the line when he slipped a miracle pass off for Peach to score, and avoid his run at seasons end. Greeny converted for a 6-nil lead. Five minutes later, Fatty found himself steaming down the wing to barge his way over and Kayne added the 2. The next set of six saw Taine show some blistering pace down the wing for a 60 metre solo effort. We went to half time 16-0 in front.

It only took 2 minutes into the second half before Noakesy made a break and drew three defenders leaving an unmarked Greeny to pick up an inside pass to score. Cronulla would have gotten the ball back from the restart if it wasn’t for Ibby’s miracle save, leaping from the field of play to bat the ball back in. The next 10 minutes saw plenty of end to end action, a couple of push and shove sessions and a Cronulla try. The boys were up 20-4 and Cronulla were getting frustrated and started to show some real muscle, but to our credit we weathered anything they could dish up. We really rubbed some salt into the wound with a couple minutes left on the clock through Ibby scoring off a well placed kick. Peach never looked like missing the conversion and we finished the day 26-4 victors.

Man of the match went to Greeny for what was probably his personal best game. Josh got a close second for another faultless game followed by Zac who is ever reliable.

Round 10:  11B’s Versus Gymea at Anzac. Won 32-6

Last time we met Gymea we went in a little over confident and only just scraped home with a win. This time we met them without two of our big boys and knew that the bigger team in Gymea wasn’t going to be an easy target. The first 15 minutes went by without either team scoring, just plenty of defence, and thankfully hardly any mistakes. The last 5 minutes of the half then saw Tripi get a double and Ibby a four pointer for the team. Greeny, Noakesy and Kayne all converted and all of a sudden were at the break, 18-0 in front.

The second half started the same way the first ended, with a try to Noakesy and one to Taine in the first 5 minutes. Peach never looked like missing one of the attempts to take the good guys to a 28-0 lead. The 3 quarter mark saw Gymea get a consolation try and convert but at this stage they were never coming back. From the next set of 6, Tripi put a nice little grubber through for Noakesy to soccer it into the in-goal and score. Unfortunately the Ref decided to disallow this try and I can only assume it was on the advice from the Gymea team. With only 5 minutes left on the clock, Tripi went wide and committed 3 Gymea defenders, then slipped a miracle ball inside to Noakesy to go through untouched for his second. The final score was 32-6 and it was an excellent effort from all of the boys.

Man of the match went to Noakesy, just in front of Tripi and Luke. Training award went to Dale and special mention to Taine and Ibby for outstanding games.

A-Grade Report – V’ Gymea – round 10 Lost – 16-8

Our undefeated run this season came to an end today but it’s not all doom and gloom as with 5 players from our starting side sitting out and both Kendal Flint and Scott Fleming unavailable to assist with the coaching from the bench, we did go into this game without the usual pre-game preparation we have become accustomed too. This lack of preparation certainly showed in the first half when we let a very determined opposition get away to an early lead and with a penalty count mounting 10 to 2 against us, we certainly weren’t doing ourselves any favours on the paddock, eventually seeing Gymea go to the break 16 points to nil.

The second half showed signs of what this side are capable of with some very solid defence which eventuated in keeping Gymea scoreless. We certainly had our opportunities to recapture this game in the second half if we could have only hung onto the ball but in the end credit goes to Gymea for their win today and a very important lesson for our side!

Points today went to Nathan “Ritto” Bullock who once again played a very solid game up front with his big runs and solid defence. Nathan is having a sensational season this year and has certainly set himself as one of the hard men in this competition. Other points went to both Scott Nancarrow and Tom Iacono, as like Nathan they also played a very strong game today. Tom with his unbelievable work load in defence (as did Chris Woods and Jake Denford) and Scott for the sensational yardage he makes when he gets that ball in his hands. Other awards today went to Pat Carr and team captain and try scorer today Andrew Johnston. Our other try scorer and great to have him back playing for the Dragons went to Mark Stewart.

Congratulations to Mitch Neylan who reached the wonderful milestone of representing the Dragons in his 250^th game for the Club. Mitch has played representative footy at many different levels and certainly a very handy member of our A-Grade squad. Well done mate and we look forward to celebrating with you when you reach the lucky few that have made 300 games.

Tries:

X1 Andrew Johnston sponsored by MTD Plumbing

X1 Mark Stewart sponsored by Presidential Wealth Management

Dinner Awards:

Pat Carr sponsored by Aquinas Colts

Chris Woods sponsored by Gardner Hair Designs - Kirrawee

Drink Awards:

Andrew Johnston sponsored by MTD Plumbing

A-Grade Report – V’ Sutherland – round 11 – Lost – 40-16

We experienced our second disappointing loss for the season today and with this came all the usual views from the sideline regarding what we should be doing to fix this. Most of these comments are probably correct but unfortunately Sutherland was just too good for us as the score line shows. And as to be expected when we have just gone undefeated for 9 rounds, these losses hurt as today’s loss did. But hey, we learnt last year that you don’t win the comp by going through undefeated and in the main we put on a very gutsy effort today with the players we had available to play.

When we started this season we thought we would be lucky to even field a side and never in our wildest dreams thought that come round 11 we would be leading the competition and the team that all clubs want to knock off. From round 1 every member of this side knew that injuries would be our biggest hurdle if we sustained enough of them and unfortunately this is a big part of what we are currently experiencing with six players from our starting side out of action. The good news is that we should make the Finals and with a number of players back from injury by then and fingers crossed we don’t sustain any further serious injuries, we will be back to full strength and as we all know, anything is possible then.

I mentioned earlier about a gutsy effort today and our man of the match award today went to one of the gutsiest footballers running around in Scott Nancarrow. Scott would have to be one of the quietest guys you could meet outside of footy but come game time there is no mistaking his strength and skills. Other points went to Pat Carr who had a good game in the centre’s and when given the ball was always capable of making good meters eventually seeing him post 8 of our 16 points. Other worthy mentions today go to Chris Wood for his never give up attitude, Mitch Neylan and Pat Kelly.

Tries:

X1 Pat Carr sponsored by Aquinas Colts

X1 Chris Woods sponsored by Gardner Hair Designs - Kirrawee

Goals:

X2 Mitch Neylan sponsored by Absent Rubbish Removals

Dinner Awards:

Chris Woods sponsored by Gardner Hair Designs - Kirrawee

Drink Awards:

Pat Kelly sponsored by Sydney Appliance Installations

A-Grade Report – V’ Menai – round 12 – Anzac Oval - 25/7/10 Won by forfeit

Today’s game had all the potential for a great afternoon of footy with all three senior sides playing at home for the running of our Sponsors Day and with the sun shining and a big crowd turning up for the afternoon you would have thought that the only disappointment would be to cop a loss. Fortunately this wasn’t to be but unfortunately Menai were unable to field an A-Grade squad and for a while were in doubt about even being able to field a side in A-Reserves. Thankfully they did manage to get a team together and between this game and our U17’s game, our spectators weren’t disappointed. Congratulations to our U17’s for their 12 all draw against the competition favourites and to the Ressies for their convincing win over Menai.

We ran our A-Grade Golf day last Friday and although we could have done with a few more numbers playing, the day was a great day and all those attending had a good time with plenty of prizes at the end of the day. A big thanks to Brett Rogers and Aaron Palmer who worked tirelessly to ensure this day ran as smooth as it did.

The A-Grade squad ran an all day BBQ stall out the front of Bunning’s Kirrawee on Saturday which resulted in a very rewarding days work. Big thanks must go to both Brian Cannings and Brett Rogers for their efforts on the day and to all the players that pitched in and helped.

The Miss Junior League Ball was held on Saturday night and I’m pleased to inform you that our clubs representative was a member from the A-Grade squad being Steve Coughlan and his sister Anne-Marie who did a wonderful job against some very tough competition seeing the judging coming down to the wire. Ultimately though the Miss Junior League award for 2010 went to another member’s sister from our A-Grade squad being Pat Carr’s sister Alex representing Aquinas Colts. Both Anne-Marie and Alex looked absolutely stunning and congratulations to you both for your efforts in representing your respective clubs.

Representing Engadine Dragons JRLFC – Anne-Marie and Steve Coughlan