Coaches Review
The year started off with solid numbers registering to play Under 12's for season 2011. The attitude and willingness to learn from the children was evident from the start. An emphasis was placed upon getting the ball in the kids hands as many times as possible whilst we had them up there for two hours a week.
To the kids credit, as the season progressed it was becoming more evident that their skills and confidence were improving. By the time the practice matches came around we were almost ready to go. After two practice matches against some two very good sides in Kilmore and Rolling Meadows, I was confident that the kids were going to put up some good performances throughout the year.
We were well led all season by our skipper Andrew Hicks, and his deputies Jesse Thrum and Pryce Memmolo. These boys should be proud of their efforts and the way they led the team throughout the year. Andrew took it upon himself to sacri-fice his own game to the teams benefit on many occasions throughout the year by dropping back a kick behind the play without being asked to do so. It was quite fitting that he won our most consistent player award. Well done Andrew.
Jesse and Pryce were both shuffled from different ends of the ground depending upon where we needed some experienced players. Congratulations to Pryce on winning the best team player award. Jesse was a joy to coach. He never complained and just got the job done every week. His best game for the season fittingly came in his 100th game for the club. Well done Jesse.
The first year players really grew in confidence as the year progressed. The mosquito fleet with the likes of Alan Sinclair, Shane Parus, John Hicks and Mark Bennetts really improved as the season went by. in the backline, players like Callum Chambers, Connor Dowling and Matthew Higgins played their hearts out when under siege. For such a young side, quite a few of the opposition coaches praised our players for their attack on the ball.
Up forward, we made some great progress during the year. Players learnt the values of keeping the forward line open, using their voice and getting to bottom of the contest to gather the loose ball. It was fantastic to see the smiles on players faces kicking their first goals. Well done to John Murdoch, Luke Smith, Kyle Stolz, Ryan Johnson and Jack Foster.
By the halfway mark of the year we had a few wins on the board, but had yet to beat a team above us on the ladder. This was the challenge that I set the kids for the remainder of the year. To their credit, they managed to do so against Macedon who went on to play off in the grand final against Rolling Meadows last Sunday. On top of this great victory, we also managed to reduce our losing margins against some of the better teams the second time around. This was a credit to the kids.
Congratulations to Will Farrar on coming runner up best and fairest for season 2011. Will also represented the RDFL in the Under 12 interleague side this year. This in itself is a great achievement, considering Will is still young enough to play Under 12's again next season. His attack on the ball is fantastic. Congratulations also goes to Stephen Cusack, who in his first ever year of playing competitive football, won the Under 12's Best and Fairest. Stephen was also invited to the RDFL league best and fairest night, where he came runner up best and fair-est for the competition as voted by the umpires. Steve was more than willing to listen and learn throughout the year, and is a natural footballer. I look forward to following his progression.
One other special mention should also go to Brianna Woodburn. Brianna was a delight to coach and more than held her own against the boys. She would have one of the best kicking tech-niques in the side, and was able to play in attack or defence. In a male dominated environment, she should be commended for her achievements. Well done Brianna. I would like to thank all the helpers that I have had throughout the year. The committee of the LJFC have been fantas-tic in setting up a structure that makes the coaches job easier. This is no more evident than the fantastic work done by Sue Ladzik as our match day co-ordinator. Thanks Sue. To my team manager David Farrar, a big thank you. David was so well organised, that it left me to worry about coaching the kids each week. He was more than approachable to the parents and willing to help. To my assistant coach/runner Steve Thrum, thanks for all your help. Thrumy was there every Sunday regardless of the conditions and was really well received by the kids. Thanks also to Stuart Hicks who I roped into doing the training for another year. Stuarts job is vitally important and guarantees the safety of our kids. Thanks Stuart. A special mention also to Fra-ser Graham from the Under 16 team. Whenever time permitted, Fraser came to training early and helped out with Under 12 training. It really gave the kids something to aspire to. Thanks a lot Fraser. And to all the parents who willingly carried out their match day duties, a huge thank you for making life easy for our team.
Finally, I really hope that all the kids that I coached this year had an enjoyable year. I know I did. I really hope to see them back again next year endeavouring to become better players and people. I implore all parents to take some more time to spend outside with the kids kicking the footy and working on their skills in the off season. Hope to see you all at our great club next year.
Under 12s Awards
Under 12 – Best & Fairest
Stephen Cusack
Under 12 – Runner Up Best & Fairest
William Farrar
Under 12 – Most Consistent
Andrew Hicks
Under 12 – Most Improved
Jamie Taylor
Under 12 – Best Team Player
Pryce Memmolo
Last Modified on 05/09/2011 20:58