Match Report

Opposition: SWU.

Date: 08-Jun-2004

Time: 7:00pm

Another "early" game but this time we managed to field a complete team of our own even without Darryl, Wayne and Ricky. Well nearly a complete team, Ross Hall filled in for Ricky. Left to me to organise the positions so we played where we normally do – very difficult to organise.

1st half.

We started off with the ball and played fairly poorly - passes were going astray or going to foot or simply going out and we kept this inept display going for about 15 minutes – up to the time they scored their goal and we went behind 0–1. Stephen started the game with a rush and got dispossessed on the circle and we did this a few more times too.

Stephen scored the equaliser when a pass from their backline found him on top of the circle about 20 minutes into the game and the first half finished with it all tied up at 1 each. During this half we had fairly good possession but squandered it with the aforementioned crappy passing – in most cases it was poor options or inaccurate passing. SWU were getting too much easy possession and we weren't competing well enough. Some tackles were pretty crappy, not even up to my sub-standard.

Half time score 1–1

Again there was no panic at the break. Almost no talk really. Their 5 subs were causing us a little fitness concern and some of their 40 year olds looked about 20 (well, from my perspective). We went back onto the field determined to ante up a bit in the marking stakes and to get out wide more often. I had also noted that their fullbacks stood square in defence and had stored this away for later.

2^nd Half

So, Okay, we knew we had to get out wide early and punch in behind but doing this was proving difficult as traps weren't being made out on the left side and this was cutting down our options a bit – I'm sure this will improve as Perry gets back into the swing of things. (Did I mention that I'm not the oldest in the team anymore - positively young!).

About ten minutes into this half I had an opportunity to score when the defence opened right up and I strolled through (I like to think of this as a "change of pace"). We followed this up with another goal to Stephen off a penalty corner when the hit out was stuffed (yep – me) and Greg recovered it enough for Stephen to put it into the net.

John was getting a bath down their right-side in defence and after a little word he picked what was going on and this closed down that side a bit. We always struggle when our inners are in attack and their inners don't mark up – we make an easy turnover and they transition to their inners quickly, that leaves our halves vulnerable. Of course this means we have extras in attack and we should score more and that is what's happening but on a bad day when we squander possession we're going to pay. To counteract this (as Commercial and Easts do this too) we simply need our wings to close down the halves and our inners to watch the innners channels, this leaves our halves with only one person to mark.

Our pace was up again this week but we're still not playing too well. We missed Wayne's organising but David and Stephen really helped keep things together (when they wern't kicking it..................a David). Our defence was solid and the goal scored against us was when Ross got his pads stuck after we'd left their left winger unmarked out wide thinking we could cover it, ah well. We did tackle a fair bit of air (and feet) though and we'd better improve on this. Perhaps, too, we should calm down a little and not thrash the ball but firmly pass it as a couple of times I saw my life pass by as I was in the road of a wild clearance. Equally, I am certain a heard Steve mention a similar thing.

Final Score 3–1.

Scorers: Sawyers S (2), Higgins

Cards: None

Injuries: All injuries just niggling...