Match Reports – Sunday Aug 21st

U12 v Newport @ Eric Raven

The sun was out for our final game of the 2022 season, and it was fantastic to be able to finish at home to cap off our first full season with this cohort of U12s. There has been such improvement over the course of the year, and this is a really special, connected group of kids and parents – a pleasure to be a part of, and an exciting group of players as we look to the future!

We were without one of the most important members of the team today in our umpire Clinton Lander, who has been there for us without fail week in week out – we’ve been so lucky to have such consistent, calm and clear umpiring supporting our kids, and I know many of our opponents have really appreciated how helpful Clinton has been for both teams. Thank you!

With Mez pulling on the zebra stripes, Sharni B from the U16 team stepped in and did a fantastic job coaching the team and keeping everyone on track – the kids loved it and really responded with some excellent play right from the first whistle. Captain of the day Genevieve (on her birthday no less!) lead the team with some super running through the midfield, ably supported by Amelia and Lacey who were able to cut off passes and gobble up loose balls. Mia played a smart defensive game in picking up spare players, and was instrumental once again in running the ball out of defence – her stick protection and pace are second to none! And with Charlotte L and Tia both playing superb full field games – both dangerous and determined to score in offence, and relentless in their defensive efforts – it took some huge saves from the Newport goalies to keep them out. Our goalies Charlotte P and Hudson made some huge saves of their own, and cleared consistently and cleverly to our team’s advantage, and we were stoked to welcome Sophie for her first ever lacrosse game – a fantastic competitive effort for your first game!!

Congratulations to Tia for winning the final Player of the Game for her fierce, determined 4 quarter effort, and to everyone on a wonderful game and season – we look forward to seeing you all at Junior Presentation on Sunday Sept 11th!!

Final Result: Newport 18 – Camberwell 12

SEMI FINAL B Grade v Caulfield/Chadstone @ Caulfield

“Chadfield” has been the team to beat this season, sitting at the top of the B Grade ladder since the first round. In our last match we took the chocolates with an overtime victory, so with the opportunity to go straight through to the Grand Final on the line this game was shaping up to be a cracker!

Our list looked good from the outset, with 5 subs and the luxury of two quality keepers in Rachael and Ella to choose from. Rachael started in the cage and was important from the outset, making big saves and playing discipled, smart angles and clearing with composure and accuracy. We went in to the quarter time break 2 all and with some adjustments to make to slow our opponents dangerous fast break – effective in the second quarter, such that we were up by a goal at half time.

In the second half our larger bench and young guns in Emma, Eva, Maddy, Amelie and Sofia started to return dividends, running the ball hard and chasing down fast breaks time and time again. Laura and Lyndal in the centre were superb, and Chloe once again was important in settling our offence and taking quality opportunities to score. Ella came into the cage seamlessly with some huge saves and great clearing, and with tireless running from Cat and Judy to get free on the clear we were able to transition forward effectively on most occasions, although we still were tempted too often with lower percentage options in front of goal – an adjustment we would need to make if we were to get the break we needed.

The final quarter saw us start 3 goals up, and to everyone’s credit we were able to continue to play aggressively but start to make better decisions in our forward line which allowed us to extend our lead further. Big efforts from Ella, Cat, Maddy T made a huge difference, and Georgia was fantastic playing a really important role for us all day.

In the end a five goal win and a trip straight to the Grand Final on Sept 4th – woo hoo!! Congratulations to everyone and a huge thank you to Nick B for his help coaching and eyes on the field!

Final score: Camberwell 12 – Chadstone/Caulfield 7