Point Post Finals Week 2, 2015

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1 Point Post Finals Week 2, 2015 Editorial Congratulations to our U12s and commiserations to our U11s for their preliminary finals last weekend and best wishes to the U12s for the Grand Final this Sunday! And don t forget the Dockers end of season Trophy Brunch, which will be held on Sunday 13 th September from 10am. But with the cold, wet weather came a virtual epidemic of ailments with no fewer than 7 players reporting ill during the week. Anxious parents exchanged s, suggested remedies and sought medical advice to get their budding AFL stars ready for what was no doubt the biggest game of the fledgling careers. U11 It would be hard to do justice to the anticipation leading into Sunday s qualifying final again Westbrook. Although the Dockers had not beaten the Bulldogs this year they had come within a point the first time they met and hit a rich vein of form over the past few weeks. Last week the Dockers had put on a clinical display in the wet against St Ives so the mid- week rain only irrigated the growing confidence in the self- proclaimed wet weather specialists. If the Dockers could win on Sunday they would have a crack at Hornsby in the Father s Day Grand Final. When game day finally arrived there was an enormous crowd of parents, siblings, grandparents, aunties, uncles, and even a fair number of dogs, donning their purple supporters gear to urge the Dockers on. Despite Dash s rain dance the sun was shining brightly at ELS as the Dockers arrived and witnessed the Under 12s runaway victory in what strangely felt like the curtain raiser to the main game. POINT POST- - - FINALS WEEK 2 1

2 As the boys ran through the banner the excitement among the spectators was palpable and contributed to an atmosphere that gave even the most seasoned spectator goose bumps. It was make or break and the next hour was all that separated one of these teams from a grand final. A stiff breeze favoured the western end and when Westbrook won the toss they sensibly elected to kick with the wind. It was obvious that Westbrook wanted to atone for their loss the previous week and they came out fired up. Perhaps it was nerves, or the residual effects of the illnesses suffered during the week, but the Dockers initially struggled to match the pace and commitment. In a fairly one- sided first quarter the Dockers found themselves struggling to hold back a rampant Dogs outfit intent on stamping their mark on the game. Their ball movement was fast and accurate and they used the breeze to best advantage. When the siren sounded the boys looked a little shell- shocked and the looks of steely determination we had seen last week were missing. Never one to panic, Coach Darren reminded the boys that the wind was a factor and to stick to the game plan. The second quarter was a much tighter affair with the boys starting to find their rhythm. Possessions were hard to get and with the confidence of a good start, Westbrook able to capitalise better. A more even quarter, but with the Dockers unable to use the wind to advantage the honours remained with the Dogs. They were playing good footy and it seemed that nothing was going to stop them. At half time Coach Darren changed the focus. Taking a leaf from the great Tigers coach John Northey, he walked the boys over in front of the spectators and within earshot 2 POINT POST- - - FINALS WEEK 2

3 of the proud parents, told the boys not to think about the result, but to focus on finishing the game well. Focus on the tackling, chasing, commitment and endeavour. If this was to be our last game for the year, let s make sure everyone puts everything in. To paraphrase 90s soft rock band, R.E.M. Everybody hurts! To repeat a well- worn cliché it was very much a game of two halves. Inspired by Darren s words the Dockers became a more cohesive defensive outfit and stemmed the flow of goals in the third quarter. Repelling attacks became forays into the forward fifty and the momentum was starting to turn. Unfortunately though the Dockers were unable to make inroads on the scoreboard so it became clear by three- quarter time that the result was not going to go our way. Despite this the Dockers were determined to finish well and the final quarter was dominated by the Dockers. Westbrook flooded their back line and were able to rush several behinds to make sure they protected their lead, but the Dockers won the second half and finished the game with their heads held high. Credit to Westbrook who were deserving winners on the day and who played the game fairly and in very good spirit. It was encouraging and somewhat humbling to hear their coach congratulate the Dockers as a team and praise the way they played. Despite the result there were plenty of smiles at the conclusion, especially when Coach Darren went POINT POST- - - FINALS WEEK 2 3

4 through the highlights of the season. The excitement of watching Lachy show his pace and flair. Dash s speed and creativity. Josh s strength and determination so clear in his exhausted yet smiling face at the end of each game. The players who found their niche- like Harrison who became the unsung hero of the defence, and Henry who dominated the half forward line. Then we had players like Liam the swing man who can play as a marking tall at either end of the ground, and Rhys D who happily filled a roll in the forward or back pocket or in the midfield. There were memorable moments when Matty The Wall D returned to the field despite a badly broken finger and Matty Buster G s tone - setting dominant midfield display in the game against St Ives. The big improvements over the year include Kyeton s kicking and confidence, Hughie s tackling, Ryan s ability to mark and kick goals, and Mitch s transformation into the hard- nosed ball getter. It was a season of new discoveries for first year players including Luke Bouncer who just loves to run and take a bounce. Coaches dream Micah who perfectly followed every instruction. Part way through the year we were joined by Simon who set a new standard in forward pressure and Bronson who immediately made his presence felt on the score 4 POINT POST- - - FINALS WEEK 2

5 boards. Special mention also to first year player Aiden who always showed fantastic team spirit. Despite not missing a game all year Aiden still did the team thing and volunteered to sit out the final game when we had too many numbers. He was there to support the team right through to the end in a show of commitment that would make any coach proud! That team spirit grew among all the players during the course of the season. James showed his enthusiasm growing and his confidence and commitment improving each week, typified with a well- remembered Lleyton Hewitt fist pump when a team mate kicked a goal. to the team but to the whole club by regularly doubling up and playing for the Under 12s. Individually Tom showed great stamina and endurance. He dominated rucks with his athleticism and always looked to burst forward to goals. Cam (the ball magnet) pushed his himself to improve each week but most significantly demonstrated great leadership by encouraging all his teammates. Fuzz threw himself completely each week and wore his heart on his sleeve at every game. Every victory was celebrated and every loss hurt. Inspirational stuff for all. In many ways that final game was comparable to the whole season. Rusty early on, improving in the middle, and finishing full of run and enthusiasm. The result at the end of the game, just like the result at the end of season, was not what quite what we wanted but far exceeded early expectations. Bring on 2016!! Stephen Grech While on the topic of team spirit and commitment, it would be hard to not to make special mention of our dynamic midfield trio of Tom, Magnet and Fuzz. These three players showed dedication not only U12 With previous one win to the Dockers and two wins to the Ramsgate Rams, Sunday s game between the two teams was set to POINT POST- - - FINALS WEEK 2 5

6 be a cracker on what was a 2 nd big weekend of Semi Finals at ELS Hall oval. Whilst a couple of players down with new broken bones and other injuries, including Fynn and big forward Sam, we did get to welcome back Ben after quite a few weeks away which is some good news. The game got off to a pretty close start with neither team, really dominating possession, but as the quarter wore on the Docker s managed to get some ball through the middle & into our forward line, which paid off with a couple of much needed goals. The 2 nd & 3 rd quarters were very much the same as the first with both teams managing to score, but fortunately the Dockers went into the 4 th holding on to handy four goal lead. Coach Ian asked for one last effort, not just to secure that prized Grand Final position, but also play out the game heads held high on a great season under challenging circumstances. The last quarter started with two quick goals to Ramsgate, despite injury to a couple of their key players, and this saw the Rams close in on our score. Fortunately this challenge rallied our troops & soon the Dockers were off again kicking a flurry of goals which saw the Dockers run out clear victors for the day. Disappointingly, again we saw a swinging punch thrown by a Ramsgate player in the dying minutes of the game, but fortunately as was the case last time, it will be dealt with by the Senior umpires officiating who also saw it. Pleasingly, our boys are not reacting, but rather playing the tough, but clean football they ve played throughout the year. Keep it up fellas. The boys can now look forward to the glory of playing a grand final & whatever the outcome, we are enormously proud of them and know they will do their best. To all Dockers members, please get along in purple to Olds park, Penshurst 8:30am this coming Sunday to support our great club. Go Dockers! P.S. A special thank you to our great President and committee (including past officials) for putting on 2 fantastic days of Semi Finals at ELS that has showcased the North Ryde Dockers as a first class club. Kyle Mahoney 6 POINT POST- - - FINALS WEEK 2

7 U14 Round 15 Unfortunately, the previous week s match against Kellyville affected team confidence and it showed in our opening stanza against Penno. Although we welcomed back Super and had Willo (U13s) having his 1st taste of 14/2s footy, we really struggled to contain the Demon s midfield run and their key forward. With Super providing a good contest in the Ruck against the tall Penno Rep Ruckman and winning plenty of possession early, we were able to snag a Q1 goal when Angry, who played his best game of the season, snapped truly. Harro (U12s) who was helping us out for Q1 until Wizard arrived from his RL game, was proving elusive in and showing plenty of courage. At quarter time, the boys were looking shell- shocked trailing 6 goals to 1. Q2 was a tighter contest, with Diesel s run- with role on the Penno captain in the midfield restricting some of the supply to the Demon s forward line. Rizza was having another strong game at FB under some heavy pressure, while Wizard s kicking in was a feature probably the best in Div 2 when he backs himself. Despite a more competitive quarter, we didn t post a score and the Penno CHF continued to give us problems, frequently using the interchange to lose his opponents. Further improvement was evident after half time with Mike and Dash providing moving targets and a strong contest across half forward, while Justin and Jaydan were busy on their respective wings. The highlight was apparently the Coach s reaction when Dash hit the post from the goal square (check- side punt). Two points could have been 2 goals for the quarter and the team s self- belief was returning. Q4 saw a more positive mindset, with Ranga in the midfield and Diesel freed up to offensively rove to Super, who was now winning the Ruck in an excellent return from injury (although obviously short of a gallop). Mike s influence on the game was growing and his kick to the top of the goal square saw Jaydan mark and goal. Bomber kicked a running goal and it was a 2 goal to 3 final term, showing how well we can play when we believe in ourselves and play as a team. NRD 3 3= 21 lost to PHD 17 7=109 Goals: Angry, Jaydan, Bomber Michael Hudson POINT POST- - - FINALS WEEK 2 7

8 Acknowledgements Thanks to managers & coaches for their reports, Craig Parr for photos, and Club sponsors for all their support. 8 POINT POST- - - FINALS WEEK 2