Round 3 of grading got underway for the Pumas with an as always tough match up against Morningside at Morningside. We were always going to be up against it given the number and quality of players we had unavailable but it was a really good opportunity for other blokes to stand up and show what they could do. A couple of boys did take that opportunity and played very well and gave us some food for thought. Unfortunately quite a few showed that they still have a lot to learn and that’s ok we will keep working hard with them and getting them better. With Morningside pretty much being able to pick from a full squad for us the game became more about seeing if we learned any lessons from last week rather than anything the scoreboard would tell us at the end.
I think we got better as the game went on and we certainly didn’t throw in the towel (we won the last quarter by 11 points) but some of the key areas we have been working on at training fell a bit short once again of where they need to be. It also didn’t help having a lot of players playing in quite a number of positions throughout the day as we continue to search for our best line up. A few niggly injuries also meant lots of reshuffling throughout the game as well. This is frustrating for coaches and players as I think some of these “injuries” are more a result of what’s on the scoreboard more than what body part is actually hurting. It’s amazing how much more a corky hurts when you are 10 goals down than it does when you are 10 goals up. Some of us need to work through those little things a little more and run them out, it’s all about having a positive mindset and not letting those things get in your head. Once negativity creeps in the interchange bench looks too inviting and it really is the easy way out. Also, for the second week in a row a lopsided free kick count didn’t help either, another thing we have to get better at, I lost count of how many frees were awarded against us inside our defensive 50. The odds are stacked against any team if they do that.
Anyway enough of the negative stuff as there were some positives. As I mentioned earlier we never gave up and that’s a good sign. Brighton Page continued to be the most improved and versatile player in the group. Sean Himstedt played his best game as an Under 16 footballer and that’s great to see. I also think we may have found some good midfield combinations especially in the ruck department, going forward that will be a bonus for us. Jayden Kellett in his first game as a Puma (and only about his 6th overall) showed some promising signs and it was great to see Liam Eddy back and doing some good things after a month away with a dislocated elbow. Lachy Willaton looked as though he was starting to find a bit of touch too, given up until last week he hadn’t touched a footy for 6 months. In Matt and Jared’s absence Rhys had his first crack at skipper and he lead the boys very well, that’s a great experience for him.
So overall I think we improved slightly on last week but there is obviously much more to go. I guess the other positive out of all of it is that our 49 point margin was by a long way the closest of the round in our current competition. 98, 115, 150 and 159 points were the other margins so it’s not all doom and gloom, it could be a lot worse!! So let’s stay positive, keep working hard, keep learning and things can turn around quickly. See you all at training and we will get through it together. Starting with Coorparoo this week (98 point winners yesterday and could have been much more had they kicked straight), again without some of our key players and against an opposition with a full list to choose from. And with their Div 1 side having the bye it’s going to be really tough as they will no doubt bring a few of those boys back to play. So let’s toughen up, stay positive and work hard at training this week and we will see what happens. It’s a long season and we will have some good days ahead to look forward to, right now though we have to work through a challenging patch together, as a team.
Final scores Morningside 16-7-103 def Springwood 9-0-54 (there’s another positive, we certainly made the most of our few opportunities)
Goalkickers (guessing a little bit here as statisticians Matt, Jared and Callum didn’t bother writing them down) Liam Eddy 3, Brandon Lynch 2, Mitch Osland 1, Sean Himstedt 1, Jayden Ruscoe 1, Ryan Davies 1. No doubt the boys will correct me on that if I am wrong, which I will be.
Best: Brighton Page, Rhys Bernhagen, Sean Himstedt, Jack Taylor, Ryan Davies, Lachlan Willaton
Last Modified on 29/04/2013 14:47