PRESIDENT'S REPORT

It is with very heavy hearts that we kick off round 7 against our friendly rivals Walpeup Underbool. Our little community has been devastated by the recent loss of two loved iconic men. At the beginning of last week, Rohan Gregg passed on after fighting a long battle with cancer. Then, only 5 days later, we tragically lost our club President, Tony Cua. Both of these men were loved throughout our whole community. The contributions that they made to our town, along with their endless donations of time are unrivalled. They will be dearly missed and never replaced. I wish to extend my deepest sympathy to the Gregg and Cua families. They leave behind family members that are a big part of our club, and we are here to support you in every way possible.

That being said, I know that both of these men would want the show to go on. On Tuesday evening, a committee meeting was held to decide how to move forward after losing our esteemed President. Many discussions were held and I expressed my interest in taking the role on. I have worked very closely with Tone over the last few years and formed an unbreakable bond with him. I felt that the time was right to step into the role, and to help keep Tone’s legacy going. He left very big shoes to fill, and I have much to learn, but I am confident that with the help of our very strong committee members, we will keep the ball rolling.

Last week we travelled to Beulah, and with emotions running high, there were some tough matches on the field and the netball court. The Under 13’s and 16’s had comfortable wins, our seconds went down by 23 points and our seniors just missed out, going down by 3 points. It was a sombre day on the netball court also. Our Junior A, Junior B, C and B Graders all had comfortable wins, but unfortunately our A Graders went down by 8 goals.

Today we take on the blue and white, whom are also feeling the losses of our two great men. As a tribute to Tony and his family who have been heavily involved in both of these clubs, we have decided to hold an annual Perpetual Cup event in his memory. On Saturday, prior to the beginning of the Senior match, we will be having a minutes silence. The netballers will also be participating in this event, prior to the A Grade match which will be starting a little later on this day. At the conclusion of the Senior and A grade matches, the winners will be presented with the cup. This cup will remain in the glass cabinet in the clubrooms. Let’s all band together, display sportsmanship and play footy and netball that our farewelled friends would be proud of!

RD 7 - OUYEN UNITED V WALPEUP UNDERBOOL 

Walpeup Underbool won the inaugural Tony Cua Cup with a resounding 45 point win over Ouyen United at Blackburn Park. The Roos were on top of their game against the Demons after an even first quarter. They had far too much firepower for a flat United side that started briskly with the first three goals of the day, but from then on rarely looked dangerous as they continued to play from behind, they were outpaced and outmarked and ultimately could not match the skills of their opponents. 

It all started in the middle of the ground where Joshua Charles had things pretty much his own way all day. His dominance in the ruck meant that players such as Ben Fisher had an armchair ride as the Roo midfield tore the Demons apart. Fisher was brilliant, moving up and down the ground with little pressure on him, his kicking is long and accurate and he can take a good mark - something his Demon counterparts could not do on the day. 

Walpeup Underbool had players all over the ground willing to work together for the benefit of the team. It was most evident in the Roo’s backline in the first term when, with the Dees on top in the first part of the quarter, the Walpeup Underbool defence tightened up, their tackling was fierce and on the first opportunity it was inevitably a Roo defender who would swoop on a loose ball and repel the attack. This fierce desire to tackle and hunt in packs is something that has been missing in the Walpeup Underbool game for the past three weeks. 

Up forward Walpeup Underbool had a dominant centre half forward in David Piasente. Todd Barker started on Piasente and they had some good battles, but the Roo forward got on top and provided a direct avenue to goal for his side ending up with eight goals. Barker nevertheless turned out to be one of United’s best on the day with his strong marking and bullocking, opening up play for this lighter flankers. 

Chris Chubb was in very good form, often providing rebound from the Walpeup Underbool half back line, but he also gained kicks across the centre and even up forward. Kyle Munro was dangerous with his strong marking and accurate kicking for goal ending up with three for the day. Walpeup Underbool had several options going forward, whereas the Demons lacked penetration in their forward line. Kane Munro also had an influence on the game with his sure hands, cool head and accurate kicking around the ground. 

United were well served by the brilliant Damien Cupido who finished with nine goals. At times Cupido gained kicks from accurate passing by his midfield or half forwards, but often he was left to battle two or even three Roos and kicked a number of goals across his body from awkward angles whilst on the run. With the Roos on top at centre half forward, Cupido was Demons only reliable avenue to goal. 

Ouyen United were predictable going forward, not surprisingly always looking for Damien Cupido. However, this allowed the Walpeup Underbool backs to leave their opponents to assist in trying to spoil the dangerous forward. Whilst Cupido is a standout player, the Demons may need a find a few more goal scorers. 

Utilising his blistering pace, Jerry Wilson looked like he would dominate his wing with a withering first quarter. It was through Wilson that United looked most dangerous and when he went out of the game in the second term, the Demon’s options dried up.  

Coach Peter Caldow was a terrier early covering a lot of ground and doing the hard work in and under the packs. Ouyen United’s second goal of the day was the result of good play from Caldow and Mitchell Taylor in the middle before Wilson was on the end of a pass from Taylor, he took off and kicked accurately from a long way out on the flank. 

With first use of the breeze, the Roos were slow out of the blocks, but after they settled into the game, they looked far too accomplished for Ouyen United and gradually increased their lead in the final three terms. It was a good win for the Roos and one that they needed as they would have found it tough if they had lost leaving them two and four, but three and three keeps them ominously in touch with the top teams. 

 GO DEMONS