U18’s Coaches Report – Round 2

Firstly, our Under-16s played their first minor round game of the season, and it was great to see smiles all around—players, coaches, support staff and families—after a strong second-half comeback against Norwood. It was a great reward for their preseason commitment.

Our Round 2 game saw us take on Norwood at Hisense Stadium in great conditions. We started well, and the first half was a real arm wrestle. Norwood gradually got on top around stoppages, but I thought we worked hard to pressure where we could and capitalised on some contests to stay in touch on the scoreboard by halftime.

The third quarter was where Norwood got the game on their terms which made it tough for our players around the stoppages and for the defenders who were under pressure. Norwood were able to score consistently and build a strong lead by three-quarter time. At the break, we spoke about locking in on a few key areas that are important to our style, and I thought the players responded well. We hit those KPIs comfortably in the last quarter, got some reward on the scoreboard, and showed good effort right to the end.
Although we went down by nine points, this was a valuable game for our development. It gave the coaches some good focus areas to work on in the coming weeks.

Best players:
• Josh Goldie stood up in defence, won plenty of contests, and used the ball well.
• Archie Walsh played an excellent game on the wing, working hard at both ends.
• Gus Downs was our best midfielder and had his effort recognised by the coaches.
• Jaylen Sochacki, like Josh Goldie, won plenty of contests and created offence in key areas.
• Lucas White was lively as a small forward, particularly early, helping connect us inside 50.

Goals
Mitchell Marsh 2.3
Zanen Syrokos 1.2
Anthony Long 1.1
Oliver Charlesworth, Lachlan Mintoff, Joseph Raphael, Archie Walsh, Lucas White

Next week, we head to Noarlunga for a Sunday game, with the 14s and 16s playing before us. Another good challenge, and we’ll be looking to build on what we learned from this week.

Russell Godson
U18’s Coach