Match Report – Under 16 Girls – Round 5, 2019

U16 Girls – Lilydale/Kilsyth vs Bayswater

Round Five saw the girls wearing blue wristbands, in support of Beyond Blue, and we ventured out to Lilydale to play the Lilydale/Kilsyth combine. We only had Chya for the first half, with Torey rushing to join us after her Under 14s match to fill in. Numbers were fairly even this weekend, and we played with fourteen on the field. Em CT accepted the challenge to captain the side for the day.

This was a good opportunity for us to measure our improvement in many areas, as we had played the same side in Round One. Last time we played Lilydale/Kilsyth, we gave away multiple 25 metre penalties and undisciplined free kicks. This time it was zero. Other notable little wins: we scored in every quarter; we won the last quarter; we restricted Lilydale/Kilsyth’s scoring to a smaller total than last time; we scored more ourselves. Little wins, yes, but signs of improvement against the side probably most comparable to us in terms of numbers and talent.

The day wasn’t without incident, with an ambulance having to be called for a Lilydale/Kilsyth player who suffered a concussion after a tackle, which from where I saw it, was tough but fair. This led to the second quarter being abandoned. Credit to Lilydale/Kilsyth, who fought out the rest of the game with great spirit, when the temptation might have been to play angry. Thankfully, we’ve heard the player who was rushed to hospital was cleared of any neck and head injuries, although I expect she will need to be monitored closely for a week or two.

Alanna was back to some good form, particularly early in the match, making many strong tackles and sticking close to her opponent. Jordan played in the backline for the first time for our team, and also played well. The umpire wasn’t throwing the ball up very high, which probably suited our rucks, but it was good to see we were taking advantage of the good ruckwork by Em CT and Sienna, winning quite a few clearances from stoppages. Izzy’s first goal with a kick from a bit of an angle was a highlight. Em CT also kicked a goal, topping off a really good game. She was disciplined, especially with corrections to her tackling which was aggressive without being dangerous.

Final scores saw Lilydale/Kilsyth run out winners 7.7-49 to 2.2-14, although the final goal of the game was a bit contentious, as it was kicked after the siren should have sounded.

Thank you to our U14 Torey, water carrier Aidyn, trainer Jodie (with special guest trainer Mark) and team manager Mandy, assistant coach and runner Ben, and our other parent helpers on the day.

Andrew Robertson
U16 Girl’s Coach