Hello all.
Round 10 saw a bit of a change from the regular with the Under 18's playing Mayne because Surfers Paradise were unable to field a team in 2013. The amount of rain we have been getting has finally caught up with the ground with a great deal of water over the ground leading to a hard slog for all teams on the weekend.
------- Game Summary ------
The under 18's came up against Mayne on a wet and muddy home track on Saturday morning, in what would be a hard and ugly slog, Mayne came full strength while we were very undermanned, but were able to field a side with some great help from some of our Under 16 boys in Jai Wilson, Jared Denny , Mat Leadbeater and the ever reliable Lachie Willaton, many thanks to these boys .
We started slowly, like we have most weeks and Mayne were probably the better side early, but only slightly, the conditions were playing havoc with both sides, we had some boys who were down and some others that were enjoying the conditions.
The game came down to the wire and was quite a thriller right up to the final siren, the boys dug deep and fought really hard to pull of a win that was right up there with the Maroochydore win.
Big second halves from Balmy who rucked all day in a mighty effort, Andy, Jared I and Raaby helped us get over the line.
Big games again from Ben Menz and Rowie, Chris Prater's best for the year and starting to find his place in the side. Nate Murcutt would of again been our best player if not for the brilliant display of balanced inside and outside play of Angus Hubert whose couple of goals at crucial times got us over the line.
On Friday all the boys and a few dads head off on what will be a fantastic trip to Melbourne to watch some big games and enjoy each others company for the bye weekend. Many thanks to Multifix and Menz Refrigerated Transport for making this possible. This trip is a tradition that we are trying to build, we hope that this will continue for the Under 18 group for many years to come.
The break has come at the right time, with a chance to regroup an build for the run to the finals.
Springwood 18's vs Mayne
Final score: 6.7 (43) d 4.13 (37)
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Goals: 2 A.Hubert , 2 B.Cherry , 1 C.Prater , 1 K.Hackett , 1 B.MacDonald
Best Players: A.Hubert, N.Murcutt, B.Menz, C.Prater, J.Rowe, D.Raabe, A.Miklavc
The reserves were always going to have a hard day because Surfers Paradise has not lost a game this year. The Pumas tried their best and as coach Phillips said after the game he was extremely proud of the boys for giving it their best in difficult conditions and with a team that was not our best for the year. This probably finished our quest for finals in the reserves but with the run home there is no reason why we can't win the last 6 games and if the results go our way we could still make it.
The scores reflected the conditions they were playing in and with a lot of close in contact it was a very physically demanding game. Congratulations to the boys for being very competitive with the ladder leaders and it does show us what we are capable of.
Final scores Pumas 1 - 5- 11 Surfers 5 - 7- 37
Best Players Sutton, Munyard, Raudino, Collins
The seniors again saw us as the match of the round with the Pumas in 2 nd spot and Surfers being in 4 th spot. There was a lot of talk around that Sufers were very confident of victory and with the Pumas having a few injuries this was going to be a difficult game to win. The 100 match senior game for Mark Thompson who is the captain of the team was going to be a major spur for the boys to have a victory. Congratulations Thommo on your 100 th game you have become an extremely important part of the team and a very popular member of the club.
The first quarter started with both sides coming to terms with the conditions and both sides trying to get physical superiority over the other. There were a lot of incidents all over the ground and somehow the Pumas come off 2nd best with the sending off of three players with yellow cards, it normally takes two to tango but it wasnt seen that way. Proudy was having a lot of physical pressure put on him, unfortunately this seems to be becoming a regular part of the game from the opposition. The ball was bouncing between back lines and the midfield battle was very even except for the dominance of Mitch Vasterink who is clearly the best ruckman in the competition.
1st Quarter scores Pumas 1 - 0 - 6 Surfers 1 - 2- 8
The second quarter started to break open a little with Surfers always trying to use their game plan of switching the ball coming out of defence and the Pumas trying to shut this outlet down. The players that were sent off in the 1st quarter returned to the game and had an immediate impact on the game. Brayden Eddy was having a good game with his inside work improving with every game, his brother Callum was having an outstanding game coming up from the Under 18's for this clash, his attack on the ball is second to none. Again the backline was on top with all players doing well and even though I think they were all playing well a special mention to Matty Preston - Smith and Chris Venemen who were having great games. The forward line was having a hard day, our forward 50 entries were clearly superior to Surfers but our finishing still needs some work.
Half Time scores Pumas 4 - 5- 29 Surfers 4- 4- 28
The third quarter was much like the 1st with a hard grind. One particular piece of play that stood out was by Brendan Isles when it looked as if Surfers may get a goal he dived head first into a 50/50 contest and knocked the ball 10 m along the ground to a team mate who cleared the ball. No stats for this piece of play but was a stand out for me for the day. I felt the Pumas were starting to get on top but the result was not going on the board, Bridgey with his three goals for the day was very important with his marking a highlight of his day.
Three quarter time scores Pumas 5 - 9- 39 Surfers 5 - 4- 34
The final quarter was just going to be one of guts and mental strength who wanted it the most. Greg Friis who was one of my best for the day continued on with his strong attack on the ball, Greg was handling the ball as if it was a dry day and I have never seen anyone break one of his tackles. The momentum of the game went up again, the Pumas would get a goal followed by Surfers getting a goal. The crowd was well and truely into the game and was getting the last bit of effort out of each player. Some of the umpiring decisions were puzzling but despite this the discipline stayed strong with no 50 m penalties given away. There was no way the Pumas were going to lose this game as the senior players of the team all stood up to get us over the line.
Final scores Pumas 9 - 10 -64 Surfers 8 - 5 - 53
What a game, it was the best win for the year because of the difficult conditions and the unavailability of some players. All of the players that come into the team should be proud of themselves, I havent mentioned Josh Menz who I thought was terrific as well.
Best Players: Greg Friis and Mitch Vasterink I could not split these two, fantastic games.
Matthew Preston Smith, Brayden and Callum Eddy, Chris Veneman, Isles, Thompson.
This was probably my most difficult best players this year as we had no passengers.
Well we have reached the point of the bye next week and then the final 6 game run into the finals. With a 9 - 1 win/loss record at this time it is a fantastic achievement by the players and all Puma supporters should be proud of the group. the job is not done yet but we do know we are in the mix this year which is really exciting.
Congratulations go to Kingy, Doy and Andrew who have built this group and given them the confidence to be a really good team.
As I mentioned we have a bye next week and travel to Noosa on the 13th of July. Noosa are not travelling well this year but in the past have given our supporters heaps up there. Lets get a few supporters up there and repay the favour.
Last Modified on 01/10/2013 13:24