U16’s Coaches Report

Under 16 Round 3 Match Report: South Adelaide (Noarlunga, Sunday March 30)
West Adelaide 5.9.39
South Adelaide 6.10.46

Round 3 saw us face South Adelaide in challenging windy conditions at Noarlunga, and while the effort was there, it was a game we feel we let slip through our fingers.
The first quarter presented an opportunity to capitalise on the breeze at our backs, but unfortunately, inaccuracy in front of goal left us short, registering only four behinds to South Adelaide’s 1.1. Our struggle to transition cleanly from defence (D50) to attack (F50) highlighted areas we need to refine moving forward.

The second quarter saw a significant lift in the boys’ work rate, particularly across the midfield. Our pressure in the forward line paid dividends as we locked the ball in and converted on opportunities, including two majors by Percy Burgoyne. Despite building a 14-point lead into the breeze, late goals conceded to South Adelaide in red time proved costly, narrowing the margin heading into halftime.

After the break, we struggled to replicate the intensity or capitalise on the wind, reminiscent of our first-quarter struggles. Clean forward entries eluded us, and losing one of our key on-ballers just before halftime began to take its toll. Reduced to three on the bench, rotations became a challenge. The boys fought hard, maintaining a slim four-point lead at the final break.

In the last quarter, we started strongly with aggression and renewed momentum, finally creating good looks in the forward line. However, inaccurate kicking plagued us once again, with four behinds and two posters leaving the door open for South Adelaide. Ultimately, we fell short by seven points.

While we were disappointed in our inability to play consistent football across all four quarters, and with our errors by foot and lack of conversion in front of goal, the effort and intent shown by the team were tremendous—especially considering we played a half of football a man down.

We’ll regroup, focus on improving our ball movement, and come back determined to make amends in our upcoming clash against Sturt at home this Saturday.

Best Players
Laurence Andriani, Chad Freund, Calvin Jones, Percy Burgoyne, Hamish Hudson

Goal Kickers
Percy Burgoyne 3, Hamish Hudson, Kit Saracino

Jeff Sochacki
U16’s Coach