Coaches Report – U16’s & U18’s

Under 16 Boys Match Report – Round 9 vs Norwood

Saturday, May 31

Venue: Coopers Stadium

West Adelaide 18.5.113

Norwood 4.11.35

The Under 16 boys returned to action with a dominant and emotionally charged performance against Norwood, running out 78-point winners in Round 9.

From the outset, our method around the contest, tackling pressure, and clean use of the football was far superior to that of Norwood’s. Our run, carry, and support across all lines was evident and allowed us to impact the scoreboard early, kicking 7 straight goals to Norwood’s 1.3 in a commanding first quarter. It was a statement of intent, and we took a 33-point lead into the first break.

The second quarter was a more evenly contested affair, with both sides kicking two goals each. However, we maintained our composure and structure to go into the half-time break with a handy 39-point lead. During the break, the message was clear, we’ve been in this position before but haven’t always sustained the intensity. This time, we were determined to play four strong quarters.

The third quarter was arguably our best for the season. The boys came out with purpose, kept the game on our terms, and capitalised on Norwood’s mistakes with clean link-up play and smart ball use. We kicked 5 unanswered goals while holding Norwood to just four points, extending our lead to 66 points at the final break.

In what is shaping to be a tightly contested season, with only one game separating 2nd and 5th on the ladder, percentage could prove crucial. The boys were reminded of this heading into the final term, and they responded, finishing strongly with 4 more goals to Norwood’s 2 to secure a 78-point victory.

The win was built on the back of outstanding teamwork and a consistent application to the contest. Our collective dominance was reflected in the statistics: +60 in possessions, +33 in marks, +25 in tackles, and +22 in hit-outs. Importantly, we had 13 different goal kickers, a testament to our shared commitment and willingness to work for each other.

This week also carried added emotional weight as the Under 16 squad and the West Adelaide Football Club paid their respects to the Freud family following the sudden passing of their son, Tyson. The team wrapped their arms around younger brother Chad, who bravely took to the field in honour of his brother. Chad delivered an inspirational best-on-ground performance, collecting 34 possessions, 8 marks, and 3 tackles off half-back. His tribute was capped off with a special goal in the final minutes after being pushed forward – a moment that resonated with all in attendance and encapsulated the spirit of our playing group.

We now turn our attention to a Friday night clash at Hisense Stadium against South Adelaide, a side who narrowly defeated us by 7 points in Round 3. We look forward to the challenge.

Best Players:

C Freud, L Andriani, L Kennedy, S DePalma, H Banks

Goal Kickers:

S DePalma 3, L Andriani 2, A Crispe 2, T Hollis 2, H Banks, P Burgoyne, C Freud, D Hatedakis, I Labastida, D Marks, N Martinson, K Nixon, D Sullivan

Under 16 Coach

Jeff Sochacki

Go Bloods!

Under 18 Boys Match Report – Round 9 vs Norwood

Saturday, May 31

Venue: Coopers Stadium

West Adelaide 12.19.91

Norwood 5.4.52

On Saturday we headed over to The Parade to take on Norwood at Coopers Stadium. Conditions were perfect therefore a great day for footy.

We went in with a pretty settled line-up which was good, and it gave us another chance to get some game time into a few who haven’t played as much this season. We’d put a strong focus on defence during the week, and it was good to see some signs that it’s starting to come together. Our pressure and structure behind the ball gave us some good looks going the other way, but early on we couldn’t quite capitalise with a few missed shots meant we were behind at quarter time. That said, we felt we liked the way we were going about it.

Second quarter we straightened up a bit. Ball movement from our back half opened the game up and we started getting better field position off the back of improved stoppage work. By half-time we’d worked our way into a small lead and felt we had control of the game in most areas.

After the break it followed a similar pattern, stoppages were pretty even, but we forced some quality turnovers in dangerous spots and gave our forwards some good space to work into and we were getting good value out of that phase of the game.

The last quarter got a bit scrappy in front of goal but to the boys’ credit, the effort and intent never dropped off and we were proud of how they saw the game out.

Best players:

Archie Walsh, Lucas White, Cam Wildy, Ash Kuchel, Nick Dessmann

Goal kickers:

Nick Dessmann 3, Ky Burgoyne and Aquel Rankine with 2 and 1 each to Jock Miller, Josh Wooldridge, Henry Francis and Lachie Mintoff.