And so season 2012 comes to end. After 8 months of hard work by so many people the season has finished in the best possible fashion, a 37 point Grand Final win by the Springwood Pumas Under 16s Division 2 team over the Everton Wolves. Here’s how it all unfolded, be warned though as this is the last report for the year it will go on a bit so you might want to grab a cuppa and settle in.
Fresh from our Preliminary Final win over Ipswich the boys fronted for training on Monday in high spirits, after all they had just made a Grand Final and they are hard enough to get into, let alone win. We had a light session and a team meeting and after quickly congratulating the boys on their achievement and their good win it was down to business and just one burning question needed to be answered, how could we beat Everton? The first box we could tick, that was that everyone was fit and ready to go, despite a few sore boys from the previous days endeavours. Nate spent a fair bit of the previous night in hospital with a sore neck but was at training and positive that he was right to lead the boys out on the weekend. Benny O’s knee was a bit sore and Matty Leadbeater couldn’t get through training due to a shin problem, exacerbated by someone’s raw potato remedy, but they both indicated that they would be right to go and that was good enough for me. There were a few sniffles and such but otherwise all good.
We had the benefit of playing Everton twice in the last few weeks so we now had a pretty good understanding of their strengths and weaknesses, they had beaten us twice but I was pretty confident that they didn’t have too many more tricks up their sleeve. They are a fantastic side with some absolute gun players who we knew we just had to try to contain, but who was going to do it? I put this question to the boys and gave them until Wednesday to come up with some answers. We also knew that we had to improve in 4 key areas against them, defensive pressure (tackling), run, reduced turnovers (particularly by foot) and discipline (in particular silly free kicks and 50 metre penalties). If we could improve in these areas against them, plus make a couple of their gun players a bit more accountable that would give us a great chance of beating them.
Wednesday was our main session and everyone by now was feeling much better. The session was a good one with slick ball movement and great enthusiasm, which one would expect on the eve of a Grand Final. We decided that we would have another light session on the Friday night and there we would finalise our plans for Sunday. Friday rolled around and although a couple of boys couldn’t be there due to work commitments it was a great session and looking back now, very worthwhile . A few easy skill drills, a team meeting and then a fantastic barbecue put on by Dave and Maree Menz (thanks guys) had the boys in good spirits. We finalised our team plans in the meeting and reiterated what we needed to do to give ourselves the best chance of success on Sunday, including looking after ourselves and not doing any risky activities between now and then. Interesting to see how much 15 and 16 year old boys take on board because immediately after that discussion, whilst waiting for their food, they were out on the ground playing “markers up”, culminating in Lachy Willaton copping an elbow to the eye and a nice old shiner. Thankfully they saw sense after that and came and ate.
It was decided in the meeting that Alee, after a terrific job on the league Best and Fairest winner the week before, would go to Seb Windsor, their gun midfielder and State squad player and try to make him work a bit harder for the footy. Paul Opbroek had a great idea to run Jordy Bacic head to head with Henry Leong (a sensational player, runner up league best and fairest and dominated us the 2 previous games) to try to put him under more pressure and Jordy agreed, so that was a plan too. Matty Leadbeater would start on Alex Barnes who killed us in the semi-final with his pace and strong hands at centre half forward. Aidan Dipietro and Callum Eddy would be a new midfield pairing with Cal taking the centre bounces and small forward duties (he had to after his 6 goals against Ipswich) and Aidan would play the sweeping role behind the ball. Reece Adams would take their small forward, Mitch Hurley would slot into full back and Hayden Day would continue with his roaming forward role that was so successful against Ipswich. Jack Darby would go back to the wing for his run and carry and also rotate with Jared Denny at half forward to mix it up a bit. We had back up plans too in case Henry went midfield or forward and all the boys understood this by the end of Friday and they were ready to carry them out if need be. Some great words of encouragement too by President Andrew Hickman and Junior President Scott Pyke and the boys knew what was at stake and what a premiership would mean to our club.
The next 36 hours saw our Facebook page really come to life with lots of messages and chat from the boys. I could tell that they really understood the significance of Grand Final day and that they understood how important it was to simply play their assigned roles to the best of their ability and not hold anything back. There was no more games after this one and this would be the last one this group would ever play together, I sensed that they were ready to put on a show and make everyone proud.
So the day finally arrived and for me it was when the nerves really started to kick in. I had tried to keep myself busy and to try not to go crazy playing the game over and over in my head and I hoped the boys had done the same thing. I got there nice and early to watch our Under 13s up against Coorparoo and was pleasantly surprised to see so many under 16s there as well supporting their younger club mates. There was no directive that they had to be there as I thought it better that they prepare in the way that they best see fit but it was great to see their club spirit alive and well. Unfortunately for the 13s they went down to Coorparoo by 11 points but it was a gutsy effort. Coorparoo were huge and very skilled and our boys managed to keep them goal-less in the whole second half. So whilst they didn’t get the win on the scoreboard they certainly won plenty of admirers, me included, and our footy club is in great hands if these boys are our future players. Congratulations to coaches Matty and Dan who did a wonderful job in their first seasons and now the pressure will be really on them to sign up again for another year. Matty mate I honestly think that the first year in coaching is just a learning curve and if you go around again you will be so much better as you will have a better understanding of the job and what it all entails. You need that second year to build on what you have started, it’s just my opinion but I hope to see you guys there next year.
Game time arrived after what seemed an eternity and after a quick re going over of our plans, some wise words from Oppy and a warm up it was time to go. Thanks very much to the Willaton family for the banner, it was awesome and it gave the boys a great thrill to run through it. The toss was lost by skipper Nate and we would kick into a 2-3 goal breeze in the first quarter. Not every one of the Wolves boys lined up where we thought they would (thankfully Henry and Seb did) so some quick reorganisation was required. As was the case last week we got off to a slightly nervous and slow start with Everton dominating and pushing forward quickly to score the first 2 goals in quick time. Jordy, God love him, wanted to get into the middle to help out and he had to be told to just be patient and give the game and the boys a chance to settle. Just like last week after about 10 minutes it started to click, we started to get our hands on the footy and we pushed it forward. Dan Willaton marked strongly and goaled and all of a sudden you could sense that the boys were right to go. Everton didn’t score again for the quarter, we added two more and we hit the first break 7 points up and the wind behind us in the second quarter. The message at quarter time was simple, well done boys but a start is all it is and now we have to regroup and go again. There were some individuals praised for the first quarter efforts, notably Lincoln Opbroek who was inspirational early under heaps of pressure, great leadership by Linc to show the boys the way.
I am not sure that anyone at the ground, or anyone who have seen Everton play before, would have expected what happened next. Purely and simply we went on a rampage. We goaled inside the first minute and dominated from that point on to kick 6-4 to just 1 solitary point for the quarter. It was sensational footy, by far the best team footy we had played for the year, especially against such strong opposition and on the biggest stage of the year. Everyone was fantastic and as the momentum built everyone gained in confidence and it just snowballed. Our defence became impassable, our midfielders were everywhere and our forwards, particularly our big power forwards, Dan, Benny O, H and Jacob Mitchell were grabbing everything. At half time we were 46 points up and the game was ours for the losing. It was pretty warm so we sought out some shade at the break, had a drink and steeled ourselves for another 45 minutes of footy. I had to praise the boys for the footy they played, they really did put on a show for our supporters but we still had to be realistic. There was no way that Everton would now just come out with the same line up and with the same amount of intensity, they had nothing to lose now so would come out and throw everything at us. I asked the boys to ready themselves for that and off they went to start the “premiership” quarter.
We pretty much knew that they would stack their midfield from here on and that is exactly what happened with all 4 of their rep players starting at the centre bounce. Seb (a State basketballer) into the ruck was a good move by coach Craven, I didn’t expect that. A goal within 30 seconds and a couple more within 5 minutes had me concerned, momentum in footy is crucial and they had it early and we needed to get it back and get it back quickly or they could find themselves right back in the game and full of confidence. This group has great character though and they soon knuckled down and worked harder, slowly but surely wresting the momentum back and when Callum kicked his first goal for the day at about the 10 minute mark we were back in business. Benny O snapped a beauty a couple of minutes later and the momentum was well and truly back with us. Everton, as I have said many times, are a fantastic side and they showed great spirit to kick the last 2 of the quarter to bring the margin back to 25 points at the last change and despite kicking into the breeze in the last they were a chance.
The message at the huddle was simple, would we have taken a 25 point lead at the final change with a wind behind us coming home? Of course we would, we were in a fantastic position, despite losing the 3rd quarter, and just needed to be bold and the premiership would be ours. It was a 3 goal breeze and they had just beaten us by 3 goals, so pretty much all square.
The first goal of the quarter would be crucial, if we got it they could drop their heads, if they got it their confidence would go through the roof. The first 6 or 7 minutes was end to end stuff with both defences working overtime and no one able to score a major. It was up to Benny Menz to kick the decisive goal and it was a ripper, bursting out of the pack at half forward and launching from near the boundary (thankfully the really shallow one) and slotting it through. Great excitement from his team mates and one of the best photos from the game is exactly this moment. Truth be told though he did admit afterwards that he wasn’t trying to kick the goal but merely just to get it quickly to Dan. Rookie mistake there Rocket, always say you meant those, always. To Everton’s credit they did get one back but time was running out. They had another couple of quick forays forward but it was then Mitch Hurley’s time to shine and he took a couple of sensational goal saving marks to deny them and then put us forward to have our chance. When Reece kicked truly about 15 minutes in I think the Everton boys knew there and then that the game was gone. I was still pacing frantically but the boys seemed pretty calm. We had the final 5 shots on goal I think, all points, but it was game over. Once my stopwatch hit 20 minutes I knew we had it and I was very relieved. When the siren went to announce us as 2012 premiers it was a sweet, sweet feeling. As we huddled as a group in the middle of the ground and sung the song, getting sprayed by water and powerade, it was the best feeling and the exact moment that you remember forever. Lots and lots of very happy boys, parents and supporters.
There wasn’t too much time to hang around as we had to go get our medals and have our photos taken. All the boys received their medals and the premiership cup was awarded and held aloft by skipper Nathan and his offsiders Lincoln and Jacob. I was in there somewhere I think. All speeches done and dusted and it was off to the club to celebrate with our Pumas supporters. A dvd of the game was put up on the big screen and the boys loved reliving every minute of it, especially Rocket’s goal and Hayden’s near Mark of the Century. A good night was had by all and those moments are when all the hard work become absolutely worth it. The smiles on the faces of everyone make every minute of the ride worthwhile. Facebook has been in overdrive with comments and congratulations and photos of the game, hopefully it will for a while yet.
Final scores were Springwood 13-14-92 defeated Everton 8-7-55. I was a little bit dirty on whoever kicked the last point for a strange reason. It was 1973 and my Dad took me to my first ever Carlton game, at Waverley Park in Victoria. We had only ever been to see Richmond play as my Dad and brothers all barracked for them. Anyway we went to see the mighty Blues take on Fitzroy and I still remember the final score as clear as day, Carlton 13-13-91 defeated Fitzroy 8-7-55. Yeah I can be a bit like Rainman with some things I can remember but that would have been sweet. I’ll take it though no problem.
Goalkickers were Dan Willaton 3, Ben O’Sullivan 3, Hayden Day 2, Lincoln Opbroek 1, Reece Adams 1, Ben Menz 1, Jacob Mitchell 1 and Callum Eddy 1
As for best players well that’s almost impossible. I did feel for Jordan Bacic, I thought he was a bit unlucky not to get the Umpire’s nod for best on ground. It went to Henry Leong from Everton and he did play very well, but I shudder to think how well he would have played if Jordy didn’t take him in the first half. Henry went into the midfield in the second half and was the catalyst for their revival so I don’t have a problem with it, but I thought Jordy was just so important for us. Everyone else played their part and there were some great individual performances. Everyone I spoke to couldn’t speak highly enough of Benny O’Sullivan’s game, same with Mitch Hurley and Reece Adams down back. Speaking of our defence, 20 games and not one opposition has kicked double figure goals against them, how awesome is that? All the boys who have played in defence have to be proud of that. Jack darby and Ben Menz owned their wings for much of the game, Dan Willaton and Hayden Day were both a headache for their defence all day and Aidan Dipietro, Nathan Murcutt and Callum Eddy racked up possessions at will. All of the other boys contributed, everyone played their role and everyone can be proud of what they have done.
Oh and boys one thing I forgot to mention after the game was the tackle count, I made such a big deal about this during the year I thought I should tell you that we aimed at 50 and by my count we got to 45. I did stop counting toward the end as I got too excited but we must have got close. Great effort, well done.
So now it is all done and dusted for another year and it is time for me to sign off but not before I take the opportunity to thank a heap of people:
Firstly I have been blessed over my years of coaching with having great Team Managers, who, let’s face it, are the hardest workers of the group. They have to be skilled in so many facets of getting a game off the ground and who better to have this year than Tracey Darby and Mel Vanderkolk. Tracey looked after the Navy team and Mel the Gold boys and both went above and beyond in their duties. Nothing was too much trouble and everything done when it needed to be. Thank you very much ladies, you are awesome.
Gary Voss put his hand up when no one else would to be the game day coach of the Gold boys. That he continued to do the job in difficult circumstances is a tribute to the bloke. Also a tribute to his coaching ability was the improvement in the boys as the season went on, despite not winning any games they came within a kick of knocking off Aspley, Coorparoo and Kedron-Grange. That the boys remained keen and positive is due to Gary’s love of the game, his wise words and his positive attitude. Well done Gary and thanks kindly.
It is absolutely impossible to remember every single person who helped us out on game day so I’m not going to try but I will say that anyone who, for both/either Navy or Gold who ran messages to the players, carried water, ran the boundary, waved the flags, kept the time, counted the interchanges, helped in the canteen, taped/strapped the boys sore bits and pieces, made banners, administered first aid, escorted the umps on and off the field, helped me out at training, cooked some snags, or did any conceivable thing that I can’t think of that helped our boys play footy then a huge thank you to all of you.
To our wonderful presidents Andrew, Scott and Karen thank you for everything. I have to single Karen out a bit more as she was the poor person who had to answer my texts and/or emails on pretty much a daily basis and nothing was too much trouble for her. Thank you hugely Karen. Since starting my coaching gig seven years ago I have been blessed with Presidents only too willing to back you all the way. It’s great knowing they are there for the good times but even better when you know that you have their total support when things aren’t so flash, and there are always those times, every team, every season. It started with Dave Menz and Stewart Stinton and continues to this day under these three great people. Thanks guys. Thanks again to Denis McCaig for as always being the voice of reason and calmness, and the dispenser of cold Peronis. The rest of the Pumas committee that worked tirelessly behind the scenes to enable us to field a side thank you to all of you as well. I don’t know all of you personally but I would like to thank you all very much.
It is all well and good for a kid to say that he wants to play footy but at the end of the day it is the parents who have to fork out not only financially but also in terms of time given up and for that I and all of the players need to say thank you to you guys for making that possible.
On Sunday at the Grand Final it was great to see so many supporters there, family, friends, girlfriends, senior players, Under 18s and thanks very much to all you guys for helping make it a special day with your encouragement and support. For those under 18s that were there, particularly Rowie and Jye that I saw I know that could have been you guys a couple of years ago and I felt a bit bad about that but then I thought about how much footy you guys have ahead of you and that your time will come. Thanks boys.
Finally to all 42 of you boys, including Jayden Bobbermen-Sek who was injured early in the season and despite not playing was at nearly every game, I save my biggest thank you to you. Thanks for all your efforts at training and game day, thanks for listening to me prattle on and on, thanks for learning (hopefully) and most importantly thanks for the laughs, there have been plenty. I am really proud of you all, proud of not only your achievements but the way, the Gold boys in particular, stuck at it under trying circumstances. You always kept your heads up and never gave it in, lesser people would have said it was too hard but not you guys. It was also great to see so many of you there supporting the Navy boys, that gives me great satisfaction to see that. Good luck to all of you guys in all of your future endeavours, be they football or just in life in general. We have just been through something pretty special together and I hope you all remember it for the rest of your lives. I know I will, thank you boys.
If there is anyone I have forgotten please accept my sincerest apologies, it wasn’t intended, just me not realising how truly huge a job it is to get games of footy happening. Once again, thank you to each and every one of you, you know who you are.
Cheers, and GO THE PUMAS!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Steve
Last Modified on 12/09/2012 13:06