Panther Patter 2012 Issue Number: 1 A Weekly Bulletin for the Penshurst RSL Panthers JAFC The U13s in their huddle during their Round 1 win over Cronulla www.penshurstpanthers.com.au pantherpatter@exemail.com.au P.O Box 294 Mortdale 2223 Olds Park, Forest Road, Mortdale
Next Round s fixtures Date: Saturday April 21 Team Opposition Ground Time Auskick Bankstown Kelso Oval 8:00am Heathcote U10s Bankstown Kelso Oval 9:05am U11s Bankstown Kelso Oval 10:05am U12 Green Bangor Barden 10:10am Ridge Oval U12s White Bankstown Kelso Oval 11:10am U13s Bankstown Kelso Oval 12:15pm U14s Bankstown Kelso Oval 1:30pm U15s Knox Grammar Kelso Oval 2:45pm Please arrive at the ground at the time requested by your coach for adequate pre- game warm- ups. Bring lots of water and a mouthguard. Always let your coach or manager know if you are late or cannot play. Questions AFL Question Who is the only player to have played against both Fitzroy and the Gold Coast Suns? Penshurst Panthers Question Who was Secretary in 1987? 2
News Welcome to the first edition of the Panther Patter for 2012 - our weekly newsletter of match reports and other news from around the Club. After a long pre- season, it was great to get to Gwawley oval on Saturday for round 1. All Panthers teams in action, other than our 12 Greens who had a bye, and although some mixed results in terms of wins and losses we still had a fantastic day. The players turned up fired up and enthusiastic in their new kit and the scene was set for a great day. Thanks to all the parent helpers in the various roles for each team - without your help and support the kids don't get to enjoy a game of footy. Keep it up. Round 2 will be played on Saturday April 21 at Kelso oval - keep informed of all that is happening by regularly visiting the website www.penshurstpanthers.com.au Due to the school holidays starting at the end of next week, training times may change or be staggered for the holiday period. Your coach or manager will inform you of training times during the holidays. In other news, the goals posts were erected at Olds 2 on Sunday, and there will be a coaches and managers meeting on Wednesday night to go through some of the logistics for this season. We sincerely hope you enjoy this edition of the Patter; have a great season; and enjoy Easter and the holidays. Go Panthers Having Trouble? If you are having trouble with anything on our website please email us at pantherpatter@exemail.com.au For more information don t forget to go to the Events Calendar tab of Our Website. 3
Check our website regularly for news and updates of what is happening around the Club. If you have any news or photos please forward them to pantherpatter@exemail.com.au Match Results and Reports Auskick A great start for the Auskicker s at Gwawley Park facing their tough rivals, but Penshurst Panthers out- numbered them. This was the big come- back game for Casey Buncle who enjoyed kicking for goal after a season out. Josh Brennan surprised everyone as he jumped above all others to take a great mark and to follow it up with a kick at goal. It was great to have Orlando Smith back to show the others how it s done, with one of the largest kicks at goal ever by an Auskicker. While Anthony Hanlan donned the Jersey for the other side, his successful kicking did both teams proud, showing the true spirit of the game! Great support by Josh McConaghy and Harry Mullen, constantly in the case for the ball, with a fantastic effort from Matthew Murphy from all over the park. Jarrod Callaghan was a powerhouse, even smashing heads with the opposition in an effort to get possession, nothing could stop him from kicking for goal. U10s Penshurst vs Cronulla Round 1 Date 31/3/2012 After a wobbly start the Penshurst under 10 s began their 2012 campaign at Gwawley Oval on Saturday with some attractive team football, especially after the quarter time break. Brad D defended stoutly 4
on the last line of defence ably supported by Harrison T, Lachlan M and Bailey R. In the centre Jordan T and Dominic C started to take control at the bounce downs while down forward Arran B started opening up the space for smaller pinch hitters Josh O and Andrew F with some clever evasive skills and quick handballs. Luke McG played his usual authoritative game, seizing possession of the ball and breaking from the packs on numerous occasions. Lachlan S was also up and about showing off his defensive skills whenever the opportunity presented itself. By the 3 rd quarter Cronulla knew they had a game on their hands. We started to relay our handballs effectively and by the time Elliott F slotted his six pointer in the final quarter we were running hot. With some more fitness and familiarity with each other s strengths this team is set to develop into a formidable outfit this season. A special mention to our newcomers Elijah D, Josh P, Elliott F and Riley S who all acquitted themselves very well in their first outing with the Under 10 s Panthers of 2012. Look out for an email regarding training arrangements this week before we all take a break ahead of Round 2 against Bankstown at Kelso on 21 st April. U11s Penshurst Under 11's Vs Cronulla Blacks Round 1 Date 31/03/12 Round 1 for the Under 11 s Penshurst Panthers was a great game. It was good to be up against an evenly skilled Cronulla outfit for our first game to show our boys that they have to work hard for every touch of the footy. As they progress through the age groups, the level of skill, teamwork, effort and concentration increases, so the boys really need to switch on and focus for game day and at training. Congratulations to Hudson, our Round 1 Team Captain, on his 50th game. I am looking forward to more banner runs from our team this year. Also congratulations to our two new recruits Athan and Tai, who stepped up to the challenges of AFL footy and adapted to their new game well. Athan s natural athleticism was on display, and Tai showed a hunger for the ball, with his tacking and helped out in the rucks - keep it up boys. 5
Looking forward to the return of Pheonix into the team as he comes off the injury list after Easter One more mention to Jeremy Harvey (Panthers U14 s) for his first official game as an umpire. I will be seeking his counsel on the modified rules for U11 and the umpires interpretation for tackling. 1st Quarter 0-1- 1 to 2-1- 13 From the first bounce of the ball Dominic was dominant we should call him Dom the dominator. Despite Dom s efforts, Cronulla had some strong players that really tested the Panthers. The umpire s interpretation of the tackling rule for U11 s is something our team will need to work on. Not helpful when Coach Steve has been teaching the boys the U10 hold and release method during pre- season (sorry Boys!!). 2nd Quarter 0-4- 5 to 0-1- 14. In the second quarter Penshurst came back having 4 attempts at goals unfortunately only scoring 4 behinds to their 1 behind. Ben worked the midfield effortlessly, showing his fitness level is the best of the team, delivery the ball into the forward line many times. Dom leaped and stretched for what was nearly mark of the year, but the ball just slipped out of his finger tips. Dennis roamed the ground (a combination of Wayne Carey in the forward line and Paul Roos in the backline) and had the difficult task of tagging Cronulla s gun ruckman. 3rd Quarter 1-2- 13 to 1-2- 22 In the 3rd Quarter it was a fight for the goals. Lance moved into the ruck, dominating centre bouces, showing his improved fitness and skills thanks to a rigorous summer season of basketball. Lachlan put defensive pressure on his opposition as did William. Bailey scored our first goal for the season and it won t be his last, also Taking some great grabs. Dom, Ben were everywhere tackling, diving and with Perrin s help in the shepparding department cleared the way for his teammates - which by the way we haven t covered yet in training as U11 s is the first year that shepparding and smothering are allowed. 4th Quarter 1-1- 29 to 2-0- 25 6
Penshurst knew they were behind so Max and Samuel clawed us back into the game by adding a goal each. Josh worked hard to sneak a six pointer though on the final siren, but the officials did not allow the final play of the day to count. Unfortunate loss but a close game. A job well done by all our boys. Keep it up! Work to do at training: Fitness / Ruckwork and tapouts / Tackling / Defence tagging the opposition. Keep in mind that this year there are two U12 teams, so there will be plenty of opportunities for the boys to help out the U12 teams if they are short on numbers each week. U12 rules are the same, and is a great experience for our developing squad also gets those game numbers up for the yearbook! Awards: Dominic Final Score: 4-5- 29 to 3-7- 25 U12 Greens The U12 Greens had a bye this round U12 Whites Penshurst Under 12 White V S Cronulla Round 1 Date 30/03/2012 Season 2012 opened with some glorious Shire sunshine (with no reality TV cameras in sight), and the Panther 12 Whites with a new look team and a handful of first gamers, took the field looking to measure themselves against last season s strongest team. Thanks to Lance and Sam who stepped up from the 11 s to come off the bench for the Whites. From the opening bounce we looked to have picked up where we left off last season with some great combinations and good possession control. Daniel got us off to a great start with a mark and well directed shot at an angle from 30m out, and our tagging seemed to be solid, going into the first break only one goal behind. 7
Score at ¼ time: Penshurst 1-2- 8 VS 2-2- 14 A quick drink and we were off again, but with the benefit of the breeze and some very loose defensive play on our part, Cronulla began to open up and kicked 5 unanswered goals. Our boys worked hard when they got the ball, but all too often when we lost possession we found ourselves out of position defensively and simply did not put enough pressure on the Cronulla offense. Score at ½ time: Penshurst 1-2- 8 VS 7-2- 44 Coach Widders made some adjustments to the backline at half time and the team steadied with some great team play. Finn gathered a load of possession running out of fullback and the backs managed to repel many of the Cronulla offenses drives. Kurt began to assert himself in the centres and Jayden did some great work at ruck, winning more than his share. Kris got a couple of good grabs and Tom managed to get some good disposals away playing on the flank. Score at ¾ time: Penshurst 2-2- 14 VS 9-4- 58 The big 3 rd Qtr effort and the hot conditions looked to have taken their toll by the 4 th Qtr, with our defensive tagging falling away dramatically. Cronulla seemed to have many more numbers at the ball in every contest and carved us up with 6 last Qtr goals. Daniel took a couple of good grabs and kicked his second for the day, but as a team we gave the Cronulla players too much room to move and a lot of uncontested possession. Final Score: Penshurst 2-2- 14 lost to Cronulla 15-5- 95 There are lots of positives to take away from this match, despite the score line, and plenty to work on at training over the Easter and School holiday break. Best Players: Daniel showed his class with some great marking highlights and kicked all of our points today. Finn had the game high possession count and got his running game going out of the backline. Kurt fought doggedly in the middle. Congratulations also to Tom, Ethan, Leroy and Jayden on their debuts in the great Australian game they all acquitted themselves well, and looking we re all looking forward to watching them grow as footballers. 8
Next Match: 11.10am Saturday April 21 Vs Bankstown at Kelso. everyone there for warm ups at 10.30am. U13s With a full compliment of players and the assistance from two U12's to fill the bench, we took on Cronulla at Gwawley Oval for the first game of the season. With a new coach, a new manager and a handful of new players there was plenty of anticipation, you just never know until that first game how successful pre- season has been! The first quarter was torrid affair with the players experiencing the difficulty in playing on a full field under a hot midday sun. A strong centre combination of Alex, Gianluca, Cameron and Lachlan M ensured that Penshurst got first use of the ball in most ruck contests and saw it driven repeatedly into the forward line. Training on Thursday evening had us all concentrating on handballing to a team mate in a better position and it was fantastic to see all players putting what we practiced into action on the field. On numerous occasions the ball moved forward through hands first before a constructive kick into our forward line allowed our forwards a better than even opportunity to mark, a much more effective method than "bombing long" to a 50/50 contest. It was also very pleasing to see two new players this year, Nick and Michael playing on opposite wings, find plenty of space and the football in their first game for the green and white, Michael in particular was keen to set up his team mates with quality foot passing. The second quarter was similar to the first however it became clear that we sure starting to get well on top. Unlike Cronulla who were relying on a small handful of players to do the bulk of the work, all Panther boys were contributing and slowly the forward attacks from Cronulla become fewer and easier to repel. A great quarter from the half back line of Adrian, Daniel and Josh S kept the score against to zero, the three of them working really well together by assisting each other through shepherding. Up forward, the boys were getting on top with Josh O and Jackson presenting strongly and kicking a few goals each. After half time, it was evident that the heat was starting to take its toll on both teams, the difference being we were able to rotate more of our players effectively onto the ball than the Sharks and thus maintain the necessary "run" both forward when in possession but equally important 9
back when defending. Angus was providing great support in the ruck (as well as holding up the full back line) and had great support from our 2 x U12's playing up for the day in Daniel W and Bradley, both of whom rotated onto the ball at times with impact. The tall timber up front in Liam and Willem continued to cause plenty of problems and with Andrew roving around their feet, the goals started to flow. A number of really committed contests by Lewis dominated the early part of the final term and with Lachlan R also finding plenty of the ball across the wing areas we continued to press hard on the goals for most of the quarter. Credit must be given to the Cronulla fullback without whom the picture would have been a lot grimmer for the blue and blacks but also to all the Cronulla boys who battled it right out to the final siren on a very hot afternoon despite being well behind on the scoreboard! Positives for the day were; Use of handballing to clear the contest before a constructive foot pass forward The on ball and centre players pushing hard into defence to assist their team mates in the backline Things we can work on; Looking for a short option when the ball is in the 50m attacking arc and honoring a forwards lead Talking to our team mates, particularly when one is attacking a pack and needs to call his team mates out to receive the next possession Coaches Award - Lachlan M who demonstrated fantastic fitness necessary to play in the centre, presented tirelessly for "that next kick", marshaled his team mates to fill up space when necessary and ended up with most possessions in the game. Great start team but remember, next game is a new game. Coach: Peter 10
Final Score: Penshurst 15.8.98 beat Cronulla 0.2.2 (Josh O 5, Adrian, Willem, Andrew 2, Jackson, Cameron, Liam, Daniel W 1) U14s Grand Final Replay Winners: Penshurst The opening quarter the panthers were ferocious and set the tone for the game. Our team has 3 rules, the courage to run, the courage to tackle and the courage to take the hit. We ticked all the boxes in an awesome display of unrelenting football. We played a forward press and played it to perfection with the majority of play in our forward half. For most of the game our full back stood in the middle of the ground!! With such an even contribution and how we all played our role I give the whole team best on ground!!! So proud of everyone that's the best team effort of a bunch of committed mates I have seen in junior football. You all played like men! I can't get the grin off my face that was afl in full flight...awesome!!!!! The improvements across the board exceptional Special mention to our wingers, Benny with pace jezza with guts and Ryan with both, well done Thanks to Shan for being runner he was itching to be out there And Ross!!! Asked ross to shut down their best player which he did and was a major reason for Cronulla s lack of rebound. More of this boys!!!! Goals: Josh 3, Liam M 3, Trent 2, Cal 2, Kam 1 11
Effective tackles Kam 9, Ryan M 6, Liam J 6, Callum J 4, Jeremy H 3, Ryan B 3, Panayoti 3, Ash 2 Tom 2, Josh 2, Liam M 2, Ross 2, Matthew 2, Ewan 1 Tackles win matches well done!!!! U15s An inspiring performance by the team this week. Clearly outgunned by Cronulla early, we worked hard and fought back into the game with a great second and third quarter. After a slow start where Cronulla jumped to a 35 point lead, we at least proved to be very competitive for the last 10 minutes of the second quarter, and we actually won the third quarter. I was pleased with the intensity of most players and with 6 first year players in their first game, there is a lot to look forward to as the season progresses. Exceptional performance by both Matthew and Thomas; usual solid efforts by Marcus and Dion; and noteworthy mentions to Lachlan (best game for 2 seasons!), Peter, Jacob, Louis and Chris. Thanks to our band of 13s and 14s playing up - who all contributed and had very good games for the team - Alex, Kameron, Liam J. and Callum. Thanks also to our runner, Nick, water carriers Malcolm and John, our flag bearers Chris and Stuart, boundary umpire Dale and to Kristian for his advice and contribution in the "coach's box". See you all at training. Areas for improvement, which we'll work on in coming weeks. Support and talking in and around packs. Running with the opposition - especially out of their backline Tackling 12