The UNSW-ES Bulldogs and Stingrays have been training right through the summer heat and over the last couple of weekends we have been able to get on the paddock for a series of practice matches which have shown some encouraging performances across the grades.
Premier Division started their pre-season fixture at a feverish pace, getting on top of St George early both inside and outside the contest. The remainder of the game was goal-for-goal, involved some great passages of play from both sides and provided our new players to the club an opportunity to learn how to play UNSW football and understand the strengths of their teammates.
Some stand-out players in the game included Faz, Crackers and Tyler. There is no doubt, the 5 extended quarters and 30 degree heat will help fast track our conditioning and put us in good stead to take on a strong contested-footy team in North Shore this weekend in Marrickville.
Division Two came up against UTS at Mahoney Park and despite no score being kept all involved felt it was a close battle that both sides can't wait to settle in the first round of the regular season. A week later they found themselves against a much tougher opponent in Holroyd-Parramatta (fourth place in Division One in 2013) and as expected most of the play went against the Bulldogs however coach CP felt his boys got a great first hand look at a higher division team which will only help to make the team stronger when they set out on the park for the round one action.
He has been particularly impressed with the way Ashtan Wright and Anthony Fingers Clarke have acquitted themselves in both games whilst newcomers to the club Hugo Goode and Tom Novakovic have shown they are going to be great additions.
Likewise the Divison Four boys did not keep score in their games but played two close encounters against teams who are expected to be right there at the pointy end of the season - UTS (third place in 2012 followed by a minor premiership in 2013) and Holroyd-Parramatta (fifth place in 2013).
With over half the squad new to the club - and several new to footy - coach Donny was wrapped with the performances and believes this team can further improve from last year when they missed finals by just one win. Standout performers thus far have been Tom Wesley, Stephan Whelan and Daniel Franklin.
Division Five played out a closely fought encounter against Holroyd-Parramatta which has left coach Mark Wright really pleased given the number of new blokes to the side and to AFL altogether.
Tom Edwards was a standout having played all off 2013 in the back line and most of the Parramatta game there as well. After half time he was moved to full forward and duly kicked two goals. He capped off his day by coming on for the Div Four boys and kicking a third goal there as well. Hutchy was reliable as usual and Tom Hurrell played a great game.
On Wednesday night (12 March) 31 keen Stingers donned the black and gold to have a run on the big park and see how well we could put our preseason training into action against Newtown.
Wow! What a performance. Stingrays kicked 31 points in the first quarter (which in 12 mins was nearly half the usual length of a quarter – 20 mins). The entire team put on a show we certainly won’t forget. Congratulations to the new players: Anna, Amy, Mon, Sally, Shelby and Sammi who looked like seasoned pros out there. While we don’t single out players generally, mention must be made of Mon’s pace up forward, absolutely lethal in open space with the support of great delivery from the midfielders and the rest of the forward line. The backline stood proud in defence allowing only a few points to be scored.
There’s still plenty to do but hopefully that has given all the ladies a taste of what’s possible when they work together. The Stingrays expect strong competition for the Div 1 spots going forward. Both teams are going to be a force in the competition.
Last Modified on 27/03/2014 11:58