Hi Rangers,

With the girls finishing their season one week earlier, six Rangers teams took to the park on the weekend for the final time in 2011.

The under 12 boys defeated Riverside to finish the season in third place. Congratulations to Jason Reid and Josh Hinds on a job well done. Jason and Josh have persisted with pass and move football at an age where it doesn't always bring the rewards at the end of the match. The foundations can now be built on further in 2012.

Under 14 Red defeated the Westside Pirates to seal a well deserved division 1 premiership. With this team being one of the sharpest in the association, nobody really expected it to come down to the final league match, however it did. The gulf between the teams was as evident as it has been all year, with Rangers creating too many opportunities to count, however their finishing was off, and at times the frustration began to show. In the end, the win was comfortable, and the boys seemed to show relief rather than elation when it was done. Thanks to Mitchell Billing will be echoing around Rangerland for a very long time, given the players he is producing in these crucial years of development.

NR Blue will appear on the under 14 division 2 premiership trophy for the second year in a row, as Ben Jones and the boys enjoyed a win in their final match with the premiership already won. As we move to an under 15 competition next year, many of these boys will make selecting a division 1 team very difficult. Looking very much like 2 division 1 teams to me.

14 White had been fit to burst for a month, after 2 frustrating score draws, and 2 losses by a solitary goal. And burst they did, thumping their opposition 8 to nil. Games at this level, where one team has it over another, can sometimes degenerate into every man for himself, however Rangers didn't deviate from the game plan in the slightest. Attractive passing football persisted for the entire game. Well done. Ethan Wynne may have become the first Ranger to kick a hat trick in one half, then keep a clean sheet in the other. Many division 1 quality players in this team as well.

16 Blue finished what has been a tough year, going down to Launceston United on Friday night. The team has been plagued by inconsistency, with poor training attendance, and have rarely taken to the pitch with 11 of their own players for the last half of the year. Having said that, at times these boys have played some really good football. Really good. Keep the faith, and we'll try and make improvements next year that enable these boys to realise their full potential. Thanks to Mario D'Allesandro for what must be close to 10 years of service as a Rangers coach.

16 Red played for a premiership on Friday night, however the 1-1 draw against Riverside handed them the trophy, and left us in third on goal difference, as 3 teams were locked on points. The game was a classic, not necessarily from the point of view of attractive football, but it had everything else. The game ebbed and flowed as both teams wrested for ascendency. Rangers started better, moving the ball nicely, however River scored against the flow. The momentum then shifted, however Rangers also managed to score against the flow, with Kelvin Brown putting the ball in the net from a goal mouth scramble. Locked 1-1 at the half and Rangers came out slow in the second, and only looked to score on the counter, which is not our way. Henry Strong was superb, and when your goal keeper is best on the ground, you can't say you deserve to win. Congratulations to Riverside, but also to our boys who have exceeded expectations by a long way this year. Our defence has been the best all year, conceding only 7 goals, half as many as any other team. Worst loss for the year was 1-0. I'm more than happy to build on this next year. Thanks to the senior guys for coming along on Friday and offering their support. That meant a lot to the players.

In summary, 2 premierships have been won from 5 rosters contested. Not a bad strike rate. Even more importantly, a shift to possession football has begun across all Ranger teams, and the improvements are already obvious. Playing the ball out of the back is risky until you master it, however our players are for the most part embracing the concept, and learning to be comfortable with the ball. Even deep in defence, you now rarely see our players opt for sideline safety, having the confidence they can play their way out of trouble.  

I look forward to seeing all players back again in 2012. A note on our website before the end of January next year will provide details on training times and venues.

Take it easy.

Rod