JUNIOR GAME REVIEW - Under 10 White Today we went to Hillside to play against Taylors Lakes. Thank you to all the wonderful people who came to Hillside to support the Bears. Ethan captained the side and Daniel was Vice Captain. The weekly training went great and the whole team was ready to give this game a real good crack. Thats exactly what we did. Instructions were to play our style of play and stick to our game plan to run, spread and create options, support and be hungry for the ball. It was a very tight first quarter with both teams tackling hard and it made it very hard for either team to break away and score. Great pressure throughout the quarter left both teams scoreless for the quarter. At the quarter time break a simple instruction was to hold the ball when we had possession and to lead into open space and create the play. We dominated the second quarter and every player played their role fantastically and played our style of play which has got us this far. A great passage of play and teamwork saw Robbie kick his 5th goal for the season. Half time score: Burnside Heights 1-2-8 to Taylors Lakes 0-1-1. Halftime in the rooms and the excitement was great. Once again it was obvious every player was enjoying their footy which is all a Coach could ask for. The third quarter began and once again it was very close, tight footy with the pressure at a very high level. You could see this wasnt going to be a high scoring game and many players were going to be sore at the end of it. Taylors Lakes managed to score a goal and the scores were level going into the last quarter. Three quarter time break and I had a good talk to the team and it was just magic the way they all had their eyes on me and listened to every word. Another example how far this team has come and it was greatly appreciated. The final quarter began and again it was hard tough footy with both teams pouring their heart and souls out onto the field to get the ball forward to kick that winning behind or goal. Taylors Lakes managed to score an early behind and no matter what our great team tried, it was hard. Not for a second did any of our players stop or give up. A true testament to a great team. Final scores: Burnside Heights 1-2-8 to Taylors Lakes 1-3-9. One point, so close yet so far. What can I say. It was an awesome year and Im so sad its all come to an end. Im going to miss Tuesday & Thursday training & Sundays games. I can truly write, I am so proud of this team and how far they have come. Before the start of the season when I accepted the Coaching role I was excited to help out a team of Under 10s and I didnt know exactly what to expect. I knew what I needed to know about footy and I thought I had it all under control. Then we played our first practice match and went down 0 -75. We played another practice match against the blue U10 team and went down 0 - 70. We learnt a bit from it and went into round 1 thinking we were ready. We went down 0 - 57. From then on, through great support from the club, coaches, Rod Vella and parents things turned and my initial coaching style completely changed as I had to adjust to teaching the bare essentials and basics of footy. One of my greatest lessons was that the children picked up the knowledge and skills through Tuesday and Thursday training sessions, not much from what I was saying/talk. I learnt that less talk and more action is the key with this team. All of a sudden, each and every player began to lift and improve. Each training session, each game, right in front of my eyes the improvements were happening and quickly. I kept adding new drills and made each training session enjoyable and really focused on specific skills training to help develop this team into a team who loved their footy and would keep on improving. As Ive said in the past, my role as a Coach is to open the door for our future champions. Its up to them to walk through, accept it and become a footballer. Not one of the 23 in our team didnt accept it. Each and every team member of this great Under 10 white team has tried their hardest and I believe, really enjoyed their footy. As a first year Coach with a team of first year players, the credit goes to all the players on an outstanding year. Ill finish by writing, this year has been absolutely awesome. The bond this team has created during the year is second to none. We all become ONE. A BIG thank you to all parents and carers for all your support. At training, getting up early each cold Sunday morning, during game day, through text, email or phone conversations and for volunteering. Without your help and support this team wouldnt exist. I hope to be back next year and I hope to see all the players from our team return to our awesome club, Burnside Heights Bears. Thank you to our President: Justin Peagram, Assistant Coaches: Matt De Gabrielle & Jack Agius, Team Manager: Danielle Taranto, Runner: Craig Hodgetts, Trainers/First Aid: Tracey Dean & Margherita Milotti, special mention to Elly Barichello. See you all at presentation night on the 19th August. GO BEARS! Paul Milotti Coach U10 White.
Posted on: Mon, 28 Jul 2014 10:51:45 +0000