Around the Grounds
Whilst it was a little chilly earlier in the day, it was another perfect weekend of weather for football, with a number of our Westside teams coming up against solid opposition with some tough fought fixtures! There were plenty of goals scored around the grades and fantastic to see teams progressing nicely and getting results against teams they struggled against earlier in the season.
U6 Dolphins
In Round 8, the Dolphins travelled to Samford for our match day, which turned into an unexpected triple header against two Samford teams. Despite the last-minute schedule change, the Dolphins displayed great adaptability and enthusiasm. The chilly weather did nothing to dampen the team’s spirits.
Throughout the games, the Dolphins maintained high energy levels and a positive attitude, demonstrating positive teamwork and sportsmanship.
Two players stood out for their bravery and outstanding performances: Abigail and Luca. Their determination and effort earned them the Player of the Day awards, for their hard work and fearless approach on the field.
Congratulations to Abigail, Luca, and the entire Dolphins team for a great game. Well done, Dolphins!
U8 Goannas
The U8 Goannas showed a lot of grit and determination on Saturday when they came face-to-face with the Bardon Latrobe Thunderstrikers on a fresh morning at their home base.
The game got off to a flying start with play moving fast from end-to-end. The two teams were very evenly matched, and the first half was marked by several great saves from both goalkeepers. Lachy H kept the Goanna’s in the game with 4 spectacular saves, two of them being airborne with both feet off the ground.
The first half ended 0-0…. with the half-time fruit coming in very handy as the boys had played their hearts out to keep the scores level.
As several players were still sidelines due to illness and the Goanas only having 1 player on the bench, the Goannas started digging deep during the second half. Elliot and Toby made some great crosses into the box, while Felix and made some telling runs through the mid-field. However, the Goannas just couldn’t convert, with a few shots narrowly missing the target.
The Thunderstrikers started asserting their dominance and scored a quick goal after half-time. Two injuries to Felix and Lachy H within the space of 1 minute left the Goannas with a man down for a few seconds. The Thunderstrikers capitalised on it and as the Goannas started running out of steam, Bardon scored their second goal.
Despite their valiant efforts and showing a lot of grit and determination, the Goannas ultimately fell short with the Thunderstrikers winning 2-0… a well-deserved victory.
Lachy H with his spectacular goalkeeping and fight till the end, and Johntel for his willingness to play in any position and for his commitment, were deservedly awarded Players of the Match honours.
As the season progresses, the Goannas continue to demonstrate ongoing growth and development, while enjoying the team spirit, camaraderie… and of course a bit of competitiveness… above all else. Upwards and onwards, Goannas!
U8 Chameleons
This week’s match was against the Bardon Bears at Bardon. The game was close and the teams were very evenly matched. At half time the teams couldn’t be separated with chances at both ends and it ended nil all at the break. The 2nd half was more open with the Bears taking their chances and ended up winning the game 2-0. Despite the narrow defeat the team gave it everything and they were very unlucky with the result.
Elijah came extremely close several times to scoring but was denied by some excellent goal keeping from the Bears. Our players of the match went to James and Freya for their efforts in defense and running down and chasing everything during the game.
After 8 weeks of the season the team are showing a lot of improvement and they really enjoying their football!
U9 Bees
This week the Bees played Toowong Gold in a game which ended up a real nail biter! Aureus was in goal in the first half – an unenviable position given that Toowong had a couple of great strikers who didn’t let up. After an early goal for Toowong, Aureus made two successive saves before Toowong scored another couple. After some great defence by Austin through the midfield, the Bees finally enjoyed some solid possession down their goal end with a shot from Parker hitting the post and a couple of shots by Oskar saved before Oskar eventually got one past the keeper. Toowong responded with a stunning strike into the top of the net shortly after, with the Bees down 4-1 at half-time.
Whatever pep talk Coach Dale gave the boys at half-time worked because they came back energised and ready to fight back. Guénhaël took a shot at goal and, despite the Toowong defender’s touch technically meaning it was an own goal, Guénhaël was happy to claim it as his first goal of the season. He very quickly followed it up with a second goal. At the other end of the pitch, Austin, as goalkeeper in the second half, saved a strong shot by Toowong. The Bees quickly moved the ball down the midfield where Parker had a shot just off target before Guénhaël claimed his third goal of the match. With the score now drawn at 4-4, play on both sides intensified, with Aureus and Adam chasing down balls all over the place. After a handball by the Bees and a subsequent free kick for Toowong not resulting in a goal after much Bees’ scrambling to clear the ball, Toowong finally clinched the match with an incredibly composed (and virtually unsaveable!) strike in the top corner of the net.
The Bees showed fantastic grit and resilience in fighting back after half time, and great teamwork in supporting each other at all times. Players of the week were Parker, for his efforts in training, Austin for his movement across the pitch today, and Guénhaël, for his hat-trick.
U10 Vultures
A tightly contested clash between Westside U10 Vultures and UQFC Purple at Cubberla Creek culminated in an 1-1 draw.
The Vultures showcased remarkable improvements in their positioning, a testament to their dedication and hard work at training.
James won a Coach’s Award this week for his role in directing play on the field.
Harry received an award for his outstanding work up front, delivering impressive crosses throughout the first half.
Jackson’s stellar central play was also recognised, as was Owen for a great last minute goal, ably assisted by Archer.
Ben’s exemplary goalkeeping ensured a clean sheet in the first half, thwarting UQFC’s relentless attacks.
Despite their resilient defense, the Vultures were unlucky to concede an offside goal from UQFC in the second half.
Nevertheless, the team’s cohesive midfield, led by Sam’s precise passing and Leo’s tight control, made this their best game of the season so far. Great work boys!
U12 Blazers
The Blazers game against Samford kicked off at 12:30 with an intense first half.
In the opening minutes, goalkeeper Blair had a brilliant save, displaying her skill between the posts. However, Samford managed to break through the Blazers’ defense, scoring the first goal of the match. The Blazers retaliated with a goal from Ema, showcasing their determination to level the playing field.
Nevertheless, Samford gained another scoring opportunity, netting one more goal before the halftime whistle. Throughout the first half, the Blazers exhibited great teamwork, with all players seamlessly coordinating their efforts on the field.
The momentum continued into the second half, with goalkeeper Lucy making impressive saves to keep the Blazers in contention. Meanwhile, Freya’s precise passing set up Chloe for a promising attempt at goal. Lily and Amy’s steadfast defense thwarted numerous offensive efforts from Samford. However, despite their best efforts, Samford managed to extend their lead with another goal.
Despite the loss, the Blazers Team celebrated individual achievements, with player awards going to Scarlett, Ema, and Chloe for their outstanding contributions to the game.
U12 Warriors
The morning was fresh as frozen mouth wash as the Westside u12 Warriors congregated at Indooroopilly (somewhat strangely – as I understand it at least – pronounced Indrapilly), to face Taringa Rovers on their home turf.
With Coach Riku remanded in revision rehab, Coach Ben stood up and made sure the boys were prepped and primed for action in the winter sun.
With the rained off game last week that followed an unexpected defeat the week before, and the recent adhoc training sessions, it was difficult to read where the boys heads were at as they positioned their selves for kick-off. That being said, they were in their usual good spirits with their loyal travelling supporters on the sidelines.
Early doors, most of the action was down the right side where Sam, Remy and Charlie were tackling, taking on players and passing like they belonged in next week’s European Cup. Though it took Lennon coming off the bench to find the net on 11 minutes as were so used to him doing. The build-up however, was telling in that it intensified steadily as the Warriors chased, tackled and fought for every, ball winning more 50-50’s than not.
Shots on goal were a plenty as well, with really good attempts from Remy, Charlie, Dash, Eddie and Jack, but most sailed or bulleted over the crossbar.
Meanwhile at the other end, Benson never had much to do in the Left Back position, but was commanding when called upon, and Eamon in Centre Half was a tower of strength and steadfastness. I’ve already mentioned him, but there’s a reason why he was awarded with PotM as Sam was managing the right back position and any Rover that dared to enter his domain with poise, precision and grit.
The 2nd half started with just one goal for their best efforts. Fortunately, it was a Grovely goal, but neither team were giving much away and the feeling around the ground seemed to be a combination of enthralment, admiration and angst as we soaked up a thoroughly entertaining game.
We only had to wait 5 minutes into the 2nd half before we saw Taringa score a well deserved equaliser.
After handing over the purple dirt and gloves to Benson, Connor was carving up the middle and causing havoc in the Rovers penalty box, but we just couldn’t capitalise. Not for the want of trying, Dangerous Dash just couldn’t get one out the barrel, though I’m sure he probably did put one over the bar as well, who, like his team mates may have taken too much away from the SoO on Wednesday as they were all kicking conversions that JT himself would’ve been proud of.
Maybe the Warriors were also guilty of celebrating too hard the Qld win because it looked like they were running out of steam when the Rovers took the lead.
Eddie the midfield maestro looked defiant every tackle, run, pass and shot and before Jack was returned to defence he took the opportunity to take on players and get onto the penalty box. Note to future coaches though – chatterboxes Janson (Jack and Benson) have earned the latest “Branjoljna” and should not be positioned next to each other.
The 4th and final goal to finish the match all square was run into the box and slotted between the sticks after dummying the keeper by – you guessed it…
Not what we hoped for, but a draw was a fair outcome in my opinion. The boys played well enough, and though I would argue we fielded a better team, we just weren’t good enough on the day to take the win.
