Junior Sport
AFL
On Tuesday Redlands sent a boys AFL team and a girls AFL team to the Paul Kelly Cup. At the end of a very hot day, both teams had won all their pool matches and progressed through to the Semi Finals before both being in their respective Grand Finals. Both teams won and now head to Regionals in Term 2. Below are the reports from the girls and boys. In something that is set for the record books the girls team did not have one goal scored against them all day.
Girls
Game one was against Middle Harbour and the girls were in control from the very first bounce, scoring a goal with their first touch. They were superbly led by captains Heidi De Saxe and Zoe Noakes who both controlled the midfield, ensuring the ball never actually went in our defensive third. Further impressive performances from Gigi Forster who kicked a handy couple goals and Stella Cunningham whose run and use of the ball was excellent. They won 65-0.
A much more physical contest was had in Game 2 with Lane Cove really taking it to the girls, who responded very well. Great performances from the road runner herself Lola Brasler, who provided real drive from the backline and midfield. Lexi Rowe proved that power can come in any size with a number of bone rattling tackles on girls much bigger than her. Zoe Noakes continued to display her long and accurate kicking, with a number of kicks landing straight in a unmarked forwards arms. Stella Cunningham kicked an impressive 4 goals in the second half, showcasing her agility and speed. They won 41-0.
Back to back games against Lane Cove saw another commanding performance from the girls in Game 3, with Heidi De Saxe kicking a phenomenal 6 goals as she continued to show off her power, speed and agility. Anabelle Kesby had been demanding a move forward all day and more than justified it with an awesome 4 goal game. Stella Cunningham had another strong game, with her run and kicking really punishing Lane Cove on the turnovers. And finally Lila Soste took some impressive intercept marks and laid some bone shattering hits. They won 60-0.
In the first Semi Final, Lane Cove brought a physical and aggressive brand of football but the girls more than rose to the occasion. Once again co-Captains Heidi De Saxe and Zoe Noakes led impressively from the front, with their work through the midfield ensuring the girls always had first use of the ball. Zoe Twining kicked a very handy 3 goals, demonstrating impressive goal sense and very strong marking. Stella Cunningham played up the ground as a link forward, using her strong and accurate kicking to provide service for the forwards. They won 30-0.
After a number of dominant performances, the day had all led to this. The Grand Final against Middle Harbour. The girls started very impressively, with early goals to Heidi De Saxe and Lila Soste setting a nice buffer to start the game. Tackling machine Lily Rinaldo was a girl on a mission, brining down any Middle Harbour player who dared set foot near her. After a number of strong tackles all across the game from Zoe Noakes, whose booming kick repelled any attack. A couple of classy goals from Stella Cunningham ensured the girls would take the win and finish the day on an unbelievable 222 points scored and 0 conceded. They won 26-0.
Boys
It took the boys the most part of the first half to get used to the warm conditions and playing with each other mostly for the first time, playing Middle Harbour. However, towards the end of the half Charlie Voyce came in handy with 2 amazing snap goals to give us a lead into the half. Now starting to find their groove the boys were making nice movement with Joel Daily’s trusty delivery into the forward line, our goal kickers were spoilt. They won 39-14.
In game 2 against Lane Cove, Archie Kerr was courageous going in hard at the footy every play, showing his tenacity and leading from the front as captain. Our other Co-captain Joshua Colpani had a stellar performance in the ruck, winning almost every tap and providing service for the rovers in the midfield. Redlands had gone behind in the last few minutes of the game, however a goal on the siren by Hugo Ritchie won the second consecutive game and the boys were stoked. They won 30-24.
From the get-go the boys were really starting to find their groove as a team. In game 3 against Middle Harbour, Jack Hutchings was not to be messed with off half back, as middle harbour couldn’t get through to our defensive third due to his marking and interception. Xan Kraszewski-Francia was a man on a mission in the midfield running all over the field, wrapping up opposition players in huge tackles, embracing all of the contact. Up forward Oscar Carlyon and Hugo Ritchie once again were clinical and took great set shots at goal. They won 30-15.
After only just scrapping through with the win against Lane Cove in our second match, we knew this would be a tough game. In the Semi Final against Lane Cove, coming off a large break, the boys starting quite complacent and slow allowing Lane Cove to dictate the play. However, thanks to Chris Stevens saving multiple goals from full back we kept Lane Cove to a low score. Byron Mills and Cooper Rinaldo were instrumental in ticking the scoreboard over albeit we had 8 behinds, all points count and contributed to mounting our lead! They won 14-4.
Onto the Final against Middle Harbour, the boys were keen to put the sluggish Semi Final game behind them. Joel Daily and Archie Kerr were up to their old antics in the middle – chasing after every ball and providing first class service to the boys upfront. Cooper Rinaldo was a star slotting 3 goals and also helping set up his teammates for goals too. This capped off a brilliant day of footy remaining undefeated, despite some close encounters. The boys have very promising AFL careers ahead of them. They won 34-19.
Mr Trevor Dunne
Head of Junior Sport
tdunne@redlands.nsw.edu.au
9953 6022