All Blacks bow out in tense affair

With a great week on the track the boys were up and about and ready to take it to Moyhu.

The key focus for the boys was to apply pressure both as individuals and as a team.

In the first quarter the boys started really well, applying pressure and moving the ball very well. The team pressure was a noticeable difference from the past two games.

Moyhu was able to get a couple of easy goals late to go three goals up.

In second quarter the boys were asked to continue to work together and apply team pressure and to trust and stick to plan.

The guys applied great pressure and again moved the ball well in transition, but they were unable to hit the scoreboard. Moyhu had a six-goal lead at half-time.

The boys started the third again really well, but in the space of eight minutes three guys went down with knee injuries, which put pressure on the team structure.

To the guys’ credit they showed a lot of heart and character to stick to the game plan even though they were down to 17 men on the field and no bench.

At 3/4-time break the team was reminded how much commitment they had shown and that their courage to continue to crash in was not going unnoticed.

The boys were asked to finish off well. To their credit, the whole team stuck together, and committed to the cause.

The final score was 142-40 but the scoreboard was not reflective of the game and how the boys went about it.

Benalla Racing Club Award: Jake Jones. Jake was a standout for all four quarters and his effort in the ruck and at ground level was outstanding.

Royal Hotel Award: David Button. David was challenged before the game to get inside the contest and use his speed and strength which he did really well

Coffeez To Go Award: Kieran Linke. Kieran battled hard all game through the midfield and wing and took a few good hits during the game but bounced straight back up.

All Blacks Dinner Award: Jordan Smith. Jordan’s intercept marking and ability to find a target out of defence was back to his best. His efforts to defend well then run off was great to see.

A-grade

Round three saw us come up against Moyhu.

Going into the game we had several players unavailable so a big thank you to the B-Grade girls who stepped up and filled in for us.

First quarter saw us start strong, implementing some plays we’ve worked on at training. Finishing the quarter just four goals down, we we’re still in a good position.

Unfortunately our second quarter wasn’t to be as strong with Moyhu’s actuate shooting 17 to our 10, pushing the scoreline out to 21-32

Their accurate shooting and hard defensive pressure was hard to fault.

Our third quarter played out very similar to the one before. With their shooters adding 19 to our 11.

We went into the last quarter with everyone working hard to the end and with some great defence and some pinpoint shooting from our girls we were able to win the last quarter 17 to 16.

Elyse worked hard adapting to different combos in defence through the game.

Haylea, who is in her first year in A-grade, worked hard at implementing what we have been doing at training into her game.

Eliza, filling in down in defence, worked, hard taking intercepts and rebounds where possible.

Gertie ran all day in centre linking our attack and defence together.

Unfortunately the scoreline didn’t tell the story of what a strong contest it was out on the court between the two teams.

Final score 67-49

Awards:

Elyse Felstead — Ray white

Haylea Smith — canteen

Eliza Walker — Thursday night dinner

Reserves football

The Reserves football side was up for the challenge to try and notch its second win for the season at Moyhu.

Again faced with an undermanned side, the boys’ attitude was very positive before the game to make sure they did the basics well.

First quarter saw them kick two goals and apply good pressure to the opposition, with Moyhu up for the challenge, kicking four goals.

At quarter-time the boys were asked to continue the pressure and lift their skills. The experienced Moyhu side came out firing kicking seven goals to zero.

In the third quarter the guys stepped up their pressure to limit Moyhu to four goals, but were only able to kick one themselves.

At 3/4 time the Moyhu side was just too experienced for the young Panthers side, finally winning 152-35.

Coach Heath smith praised his team for battling through the game and implored them to keep training and working towards their goals and it will come.

Best players: Sheridan Homes/Brad Milligan. Best on ground went to Dylan Norman in his first game for the club. Dylan battled hard at CHB all game.

Royal Hotel Award: Mack Bodsworth. Mack was very solid in defence and also backed himself in to run off and try and create play up field.

Benalla Golf Club Driving Range Award: Josh Kotvas. Josh’s run and carry and second efforts off half-back led from the front. Josh is a very reliable player

All Blacks Thursday Night Dinner Award: Tony Wilkinson. Tony again played a solid game, both in the midfield and off half-back.

B-Grade

The B-grade Panthers lined up against a young Moyhu team this week, which resulted in plenty of pace across the court. With a key shooter out this week, the Panthers were supported by B-Reserve players to fill this gap for the team. Patience and adaptability was the goal for the Panthers in the first quarter with a determined and accurate Moyhu making the most of turnovers. In the second quarter the Panthers began to get on top with the shooting combination in Sally Burgess and Mel Reaper finding their groove and good pressure down the court lead by Bec Morrison. The Panthers were out to a 14-goal lead at half-time. The Panthers continued to push their lead ahead in the third quarter. The final quarter delivered more changes with Gemma Mathieson filling a shooting hole switching from defence impeccably well. The Panthers remains steadfast in their approach in light of a game full of positional changes, running out winners by 20 goals.

Awards: Sally Burgess, Gemma Mathieson and Bec Morrison

B-Reserve

B Reserve had a number of players away this week against Moyhu but were lucky enough to have some experienced players able to help out. The first quarter saw Blacks off to a great start with the defensive end gelling almost straight away creating a number of turnovers. In the second they were able to increase their lead further with some accurate passes and excellent defensive pressure all the way down the court, going into half-time 29-11. The second half, with a couple of minor changes, we were still very strong down the court both in attack and defence. With all players backing each other up, chasing down loose balls and talking to each other the team looked like they had played together for years and were able to come away with the win 57-28.

Best on court All Blacks Award went to Catherine Dennis, Royal Hotel Award to Mel Reaper and Harleys Pizza Award to Andrea Hooker.

Under-17s

The under-17 Girls came into game against Moyhu looking to push themselves and chase a win.

The girls made it hard for Mohyu to defend. Our shooters moved beautifully together and shot with great accuracy and took every opportunity to get scores on the board.

Once again our mid-court was meticulous across the court making great passages of play, creating turnovers and had great communication with both ends of the court.

Our defenders were relentless with their defensive pressure generating much-needed intercepts allowing us to convert many turnovers into scores.

The girls worked hard all day and were able to come away with a win 19/45.

Awards: Stella Stella — Charlotte Quillam

Hollywoods Pizza — Issy Smith

All Blacks Canteen — Remi Nicholas

Under-15s

Young Panthers side took on Moyhu with three players missing. Remi Holmes filled in for the day and proved she was ready for the task. Our defence worked tirelessly in the ring. Centre court was consistent all game and shooter finished well. Unfortunately they went down by 15.

Awards: Imogen Randell, Georgia Levy and Matilda Horne.