Hi all,

A round to forget!

Illness, forfeits, and the success of "bomb it long" made for a forgettable round of NTJSA matches this weekend.

Our under 12 boys played the top side with only 10 men, and still managed to kick 3. The boys eventually went down 6-3 but can hold their heads high. They moved the ball well, used the wings, communicated and passed well. The opposition relied on a few players to carry from half way and score. Very skilled to be sure, but with no concept of how a team moves a ball. Despite letting in 6, Tyler Worthington did a good job as make shift goal keeper, Johny Burk was good, and Matthew Collins created plenty of opportunities down the right wing. Alastair Pearson also played one of his best games for the year.

Under 14 Red struggled for motivation against lowly Launceston United. Numbers out of a hat determined the starting line up, in an attempt to bring some spark to the team, but it didn't work. The boys won a match that was never in any doubt, but I think the quality of the football coming at them began to be reflected in the way they played. At stages in the second half it looked more like tennis than football, and the midfielders were the net. A win over Riverside next week essentially seals the title.

Under 14 Blue didn't need to earn their 3-0 as the opposition forfeited. The scratch match became a farce, as Riverside seemed to change their mind at the end of the game, and wanted the 2-0 result. Still scratching my head about that one???

Under 14 White fell victim to a long ball game, and a bit of bad luck. Playing the better possession football, and being up 1-0 at the break, Rangers were constantly asked to deal with long balls into their half. Early in the second, a Jesse Brown attempted clearance slammed into an attacking player then back into the net, and the second goal came about 2 minutes before the end. A game we certainly didn't deserve to lose, but the boys delivered everything I asked. Can't do more than that.

The scoreboard shows the girls were hammered 6-0, yet they were also the only team to pass the ball around, with Deloraine playing long balls and relying on the speed of one player in particular up front. Don't get me wrong, Rangers had no answer for it, and the Deloraine striker is a fine player, but these are frustrating games to be involved in. The Rangers girls were passing the ball around nicely in defence. They understand what they need to do, now they just need to get better at doing it. Hannah Kapinga's skills were eye catching. Well done.

Under 16 Blue, and the same could be said. The boys demonstrated a willingness to pass the ball out of defence, with goal keeper Drew Den Hartog often throwing the ball to feet, and they also successfully switched play on a number of occasions. The opposition belted it long all night, rarely calling their midfield into action, and I feel our style of football will have a little more longevity than the other. Just keep persisting lads, the precision will eventually marry up with  the idea, and you'll be fine.

Under 16 Red also had a forfeit on Friday night, after the NLE coach called it quits early, and left before his last couple of players arrived. That's what I call commitment. No, it's rubbish actually, but the resulting scratch match was a lot of fun and played in good spirits. A couple of Rangers boys joined the NLE boys and a number of goals were scored. One may have actually been on side!

Rod