coaches emails 2014

MICHAEL GODDEN - SENIOR COACH REPORT

After what felt like an eternity Footy is back and we are all very excited about the new look competition and the new opportunities 2014 presents.

The 2013 season ended on a very sour note and one that myself and the whole football department are keen to rectify and that started on Saturday.

The first quarter was a tough contest with Centrals getting out to a quick 2 goal lead. The response by the group for the rest of the half was very good. Even though we didn’t look like we were on top of the ground the players started the move the ball with some freedom and defended strongly only allowing Centrals to score 2 more points leading into the long break.

The third quarter was a different story with Centrals out playing us and hitting back hard with a 5 goal to 1 third term. This was definitely frustrating but it did give the group a great chance to put in place a lot of the things we have worked on over the summer.

With momentum gained back late in the third this then flowed over into the last quarter where the boys found a bit of run outscoring Centrals by 20 points to finish the game out well and seal a 31 point victory.

Defensively to only allow 52 points was pleasing but offensively we struggled to get the ball moving with fluency so hopefully we can hit the scoreboard a bit more in the coming weeks while still being conscious of defending hard.

Congratulations to our new players in Jacob Templeton, Lachie McGregor, Michael Wundke and James Boyd. To put these guys in alongside our experienced campaigners and the new group of Eagles juniors that started their careers last year the mix on field looks solid.

This week is a new challenge. Friday night games are always difficult when you don’t play a lot of them and often tricky with work etc., the positive is we had a trial a couple of weeks ago on a Friday so the players will have a routine and be ready for this one. There will obviously be some changes this week with a couple of sickening contests in the Reserves and League which left Scott Blesing and Andrew Ainger out with concussion and nursing some sore bodies so this will create opportunities which is always exciting.

Finally I would like to thank all the Eagles faithful for your continued support of our great club and your dedicated players. It was a summer that created some controversy and some divided opinions but to have 2,327 supporters here at Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval on Saturday was a great victory for football and we look forward to seeing you on Friday night where the lads will continue to strive for perfection.

Eagles 12.11 (83) defeated Central District 8.4 (52)

JARRAD WRIGHT – RESERVES COACH REPORT

Season 2014 has finally arrived with our first home match again Centrals. After a long and intense pre- season training, getting into games is always quite exciting to test the new group of players and up and coming juniors.

We started of pretty ordinary in the first quarter on Saturday with Centrals playing a new brand of football which took some time to adapt to with our ball usage, but the effort to man up was quite disappointing with Centrals having 40 uncontested marks to 8 at quarter time. With their numbers behind the ball it proved difficult to get inside 50 to a suitable scoring distance and at half time we had a 10 point lead, but with very in accurate kicking 2 goals 7 behinds.

The half time address was very much about our ball movement and “tweaking” some of our areas to improve scoring and just a general lift of intensity was required, as we had not really put an effort in that was acceptable. In the 3rd term the players were exceptional in the ball movement patterns from the half time message and converting 4 goal 2 behinds to Centrals 1 goal. A very handy 30 point lead at the last break.

Centrals jumped us in the last quarter scoring the first goal inside 1 minute and a follow up goal a few minutes later really put some pressure back on. We seemed to lapse in concentration and effort throughout the game which was disappointing but managed to close out the game 19 point winners in ugly fashion. Some very impressive games from new recruit Matthew Raymond kicking 2 goals and applying great defensive pressure, with Tom Whittlesea and Sam Rowland continuing on from pre-season with some good form early.

2 games in and 2 wins is a very positive start to the year, and with massive amount of improvements still to be had is a good thing the Reserves will be putting them into place this coming Friday night against West Adelaide.

Eagles 7.11 (53) defeated Central District 5.4 (34)


SHANE GRIMM – UNDER 18’S COACH REPORT

After a first up loss against Norwood in our first game of the season it was very important that we got ourselves on the winning list against Central District at Elizabeth.



One of the things we spoke about all week and again before the game was getting off to a good start, not only at the start of the game but also at the start of each quarter. We did this well having the first 6 scoring shots for the game which included 5 goals, 3 to Ethan Haylock and 2 to Sam Lodge.



The second term was much the same with 4 unanswered goals, 2 more to Ethan Haylock, before Centrals scored a goal in the 25 minute mark. This was to be the first of 3 unanswered goals by Centrals, 1 at the end of the second term and the first 2 of the second half.



We did manage to get back on track and regain the momentum from Centrals kicking 7 of the last 8 goals of the game to run out 73 point winners.



One of the most pleasing aspects of our win was the even contribution we had from the entire team, and although we had some outstanding individual performances it was the spread of contribution that pleased me the most.



Eagles 16.10 (106) defeated Central District 4.9 (33)



DARREN HAMS – UNDER 16’S COACH REPORT



After a 16 point loss to Norwood in Round 1A, the lads were keen to make up for it against Centrals at Playford Alive Oval.

The nature of our U16 Program is to give all the lads in our Squad the opportunity to play and perform at this level. With 8 changes from the week before our dynamics as a group changed considerably.

We began the game really well and looked to have more intensity and speed than our opposition. Brennan Cox our Ruckman was getting his hand to the ball first and with 12 hit outs in the first quarter gave our midfield first look at the ball. Our opening term set up the game and by quarter time we had six different goal scorers to lead 8 goals straight to 2 points.

The message at quarter time was to stick to our structures and play the role that was expected of them. But typical of 15/16 year old lads that get a little bit in front of themselves when they have a buffer, but also credit must go to Centrals who challenged us thru the 2nd term and we were only able to manage 2 goals 3 points. At the main break we lead by 53 points.

Therefore the message at half time was not to dissimilar than that at quarter time but probably given in a sterner manner. Our third quarter was a much better performance and we were able to get back on track to playing team first football and working hard to win the footy back when we lost control. During the third term we kicked 7 goals and had seven different goal kickers. Jake Guidera along with Luke Zille and Jake Comitogianni gave our Forwards ample opportunity to score during this term, at the three quarter time break we had a comfortable lead of 77 points.

The last quarter gave us an opportunity to look at players in positions they were quite foreign to and at the same time to continue on with the Team first footy approach. We ended up kicking 4 more goals for the quarter and won the game by 99 points.

In summary our first quarter with 8 goals and 24 tackles showed the coaching staff the players intent of getting hold of the footy. In a good team performance along with the players mentioned above, Angus Coxon was good in defence and Josh Hoyle was also desperate in the midfield. With 12 different goal kickers, Clay Muirhead, William Harris and Luke Johansen all kicked 3 goals.

This week we look forward to playing West Adelaide at Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval on Saturday.

Eagles 21.6 (132) defeated Central District 4.9 (33)

MICHAEL GODDEN - SENIOR COACH REPORT
Eagles 8.3.51 defeated by Port Adelaide 15.19.109

I left Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval with the feeling of bitter disappointment for all involved. The club asked for a big turn out and you all delivered which was great. The unfortunate thing was the game and the result. There is no doubt we were completely outplayed, our skills let us down but the boys had very little time or space due to the oppositions pressure. One thing I am sure of was the lads ran it out the best they could and they never stopped trying. The gap at the moment is a big one, but one I am sure we can bridge by the time we front Port again later in the year. What we need to do is not dwell on the past and look to the future and that is Sturt at Unley this Sunday.

The first quarter against a strong breeze was not what we wanted but that’s what happened and we didn’t handle it well. Port jumped us and controlled the ball and really put us on the back foot from the start finishing the quarter 36 points up. After some adjustments and a request for a big effort the next 2 quarters were a break even with both teams scoring 42 points. Unfortunately with the breeze at our backs in the last we had spent a fair few tickets getting back into the game and Port were able to run away to win the last quarter by 22 points, with the final result being 58 points.

Make no mistake we went into this game believing we were good enough and had full confidence in each other to deliver. Today the players were outplayed and we were out prepared, Port were much more organised than us and we struggled to settle all day.

In games like this we all like to speculate on things that we think may have made a difference in the result (wind, frees, luck, personnel etc.) the reality is we were outplayed and have seen where we need to get to over the next 4 months of minor rounds. I don’t believe this was a reality check because the players know exactly where we are as a team at the moment. We have had 2 wins but we know we aren’t playing the way we would like yet so this game will be a good source of education and motivation. Now we move on and make sure we respond in the right manner. We have all heard this before but a football season is a marathon and we need to not focus on the road behind us or the finish line we need to take one step at a time and that starts tomorrow at training and then that will lead into Sunday’s game.


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JARRAD WRIGHT – RESERVES COACH REPORT
Eagles 14.5.89 Defeated Port Adelaide 7.13.55

Easter Monday is long time to wait to play footy, and can really upset individual preparation with the time off of the normal day to day work and or school. As we have not been playing consistent football the first three weeks, this was emphasised during the week that we needed to make this a priority and the prep was most important.

Port kicking with a strong wind in the first quarter was going to prove a tough ask, but the players really stuck to the task and the defensive effort was excellent, tough to move the ball but we kept running and working over their press. We leaked a couple of easy goals which was disappointing but the early work meant that this did not hurt to much on the scoreboard only being down 10 points at quarter time which was a good result. Going with the wind in the second we made focus to no blaze away and really use the hit ups through CHF to make sure we had solid inside 20m entries, our clean hands and contested ball efforts was back to the standard expected and at half time we had a handy 24 point lead, and the best half of footy for the year.

Not much really had to change going into the third quarter, just a few notes from the first quarter regarding ball movement and set ups at the break. Port came out after half time up & about and we seemed to really be lagging in all areas. Our run and carry was down, decision making was average and we had no real urge. Port luckily missed some easy opportunities kicking 3.3 to 1 point and we had a 4 point lead into the final quarter.

The message was pretty clear at the last break with collectively poor efforts the players responded kicked away in the last to win by 34 points. Even though we had a down third quarter the early work we did during the first half really set up and strong hold on the game.

Great to see some individual performances back to where the standard should be, Travis Lane had a day out setting up plenty of drive of half back, Tom schwa through the midfield was excellent and our 2 big forwards Tom Whittlesea & Jack Hayes were dominant in the air taking 20 marks between them. Our most consistent game this year and certainly needs to be the minimum standard.


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SHANE GRIMM - UNDER 18'S COACH REPORT
Eagles 11.20.86 defeated Port Adelaide 13.6.84

After a poor result and effort in Round 2 against West Adelaide, much of our focus throughout the week on the track was dedicated to our defensive pressure and our ability to switch from Attack to Defend quicker. Unfortunately our first term was a throwback from the West Adelaide game and we found ourselves 30 points down at quarter time after another poor start to a game.

A few players were given some home truths at the quarter time break but we reiterated our Pre Game focus and made plans to get ourselves back into the game at half time. We managed to do this after outscoring Port by 3 goals to 1 to bring the margin back to a manageable 19 points.

At half time we made a few positional changes but still maintained our focus on defending better and talked about staying in the contest longer, we felt if we could turn the game into a 1 on 1 contest we could get over the line.

We started the second half well and kicked the first 3 goals of the third term to hit the front before another lapse in concentration and effort allowed Port to score the next 3 goals including 1 on the three quarter time siren to hold a 12 point lead at the final break. To make matters worse Port then kicked the first goal of the final term within the first minute to stretch the lead to 18 points. Daniel Minney popped up to kick 3 goals in the final term as well as goal from Jack Gaffney at the 23 minute mark to put us in front. We dominated the final term having 16 Inside 50 entries to Ports 5, we won 11 clearances to 2, took 30 marks to Ports 10 and had 14 scoring shots to 3 but we made hard work for ourselves but came away with a hard fought win.

It was a gutsy never say day performance that I believe will be the kick start we needed.


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DARREN HAMES U/16'S COACHE REPORT
Eagles 11.14.80 defeated Port Adelaide 10.10.70
After winning two of our first three games the players were starting to become more familiar with each other and the structures we were trying to put in place for them.

This week’s game against Port seven changes were made and we knew that the game wasn’t going to be easy, even though we convincingly beat them in the trials. The challenge this week was to ensure the lads weren’t over confident as a result from the trial and remain intent on getting our hands on the footy first.

You could write a script on it every year, Port came out firing and made the most of their opportunities from our turnovers at half forward and capitalised whenever they went inside 50. At the quarter time break Port lead by 10 points and not for the efforts of Tom Schmusch who kicked both our goals things could have been worse.. The message was quite clear that if you weren’t prepared to work hard, chase & put pressure on the opposition when they had the ball more players would be spending time on the bench.

Our second quarter was much better, not only from an attack/defend point of view but we were much more efficient going forward and registered 6 goals to Port’s 2 for the quarter, with 5 different goal kickers including Matt McDonalds 2 goals. At the half time break we opened up a 16 point lead.

At the half time break we spoke about continuing to place the ball on the advantage side of our team mate & ensuring that as a defender we place ourselves in positions that will deny their forwards the opportunity to take clean possession. We did and set up the last quarter by opening up the lead to 4 goals.

Four goals is close enough these day for an opposition to come back and snatch the game, therefore we had to continue on with our good work of the 2nd & 3rd terms. In particular as Port had the capacity to score quickly.

The last quarter began as a tight tussle with both sides struggling to kick a goal and registering several points each until the 15 minute mark Jake Cook was able to sneak a clever goal from the pocket, this opened up our lead to 29 points and we felt quite confident that we had the game under control and were able make some changes and give the opportunity to players to play in different positions for the last 10 minutes. To Port’s credit they fought the game out and were able to breach the gap to 10 points at the final siren.

It was one of those days for mainly midfield players as Port play a lot of numbers up at the ball therefore our better performing players were Jake Comitogianni, Clay Muirhead, Xavier Redden, Tom Schmusch, Cooper Gaffney & Jackson Lee. Our forwards had to battle hard for their goals with seven different goal kickers from our 11 goals including 2 from Schmusch, McDonald, Cook & Daniel Garrard.

This week we play Sturt on Saturday at Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval.

MICHAEL GODDEN – SENIOR COACH REPORT
Eagles 17.11.113 defeated Sturt 15.17.107

This has been a tough week mentally coming off such a bad loss. I am happy to report the endeavour of the players all week and the ability to respond on match day in the manner they did was pleasing.

Sturt are a well-balanced side and on an oval as small as Unley there is no room for mistakes because they normally turn into scoring shots. Early and late in the game vs Port this hurt us badly, so to reduce the simple errors certainly helps the result. As much as I love winning I also love a good game of footy and I think all that were there on Sunday would say it was a good example of SANFL with two sides playing good competitive honest footy in front of a healthy crowd.

We started quickly with the first two goals only to then go shot for shot finally ending the first term 1 point ahead.

The next quarter and a half was very pleasing. We started to see the ball movement we like and the aggression at the footy and the man was back to nearly our best. Half way through the 3rd Sturt started to win the contested ball and outplayed us for the next 30 minutes and we were lucky they were inaccurate. In the last half of the final quarter it was really an arm wrestle with both sides having their chances. This is the time we have worked on so hard and the players are showing improved maturity in these ‘critical times’, finally running out winners by 6 points.

Physical fatigue is one thing, but mental fatigue is equal if not more important in many circumstances. We have worked hard on identifying the moments in a game when you need to make the right choice and so far this season I have seen dramatic improvement by the entire playing group with their ability under pressure and fatigue to make good decisions.

This week throws up a great challenge and another one we are going to relish. South have been flying and apart from Port are clearly the most dominate side in the competition at this point, so to have the opportunity at this time of year to travel down there and have a crack at them is very exciting for us all. We feel we are in a good place at this very early stage of the season because we are winning without playing a full 4 quarter team effort yet and not all players contributing to the level we expect. Consistency is something we will continue to focus on along with individual improvement as I would still say 40% of our League team is performing below par. So with hard work and more time out on the field for the players I am sure you will see us continue to get much better throughout the season.

JARRAD WRIGHT – RESERVES COACH REPORT
Eagles 14.5.89 Defeated Sturt 7.13.55

Sturt at Unley Oval has proven to be a tough test over the past few seasons with always an intense feel, Sunday’s game was no exception. The first quarter on Sunday was some of the best reserves football I have seen for a while with both teams having a red hot crack. At the 12min mark it was eagles 1 point to Sturt no score and was a real arm wrestle to see who could break the deadlock. To our boys credit we managed to do that finishing the quarter with 4 goals to 1, and a good feel going into the second term.

We had played our best football for the year for the first quarter and a half with our transition off HB going forward proving to be very dangerous, but the intensity that we were defending was the most pleasing part. To Sturts credit they really stepped up their intensity in the second quarter also and apply pressure which made us overuse the ball in some areas and the game was a great contest at half time.

The second half was no different to the first, momentum swings in scoring patterns meant that we always had the upper hand but were never able to grab a lead that would break Sturt. With a 14 point lead at the last break the game was in the balance and a strong hearted last quarter was needed as Sturt has the scoring end advantage in the last. Quite a nervous coach’s box it was with Sturt getting 1 point behind with only a few minutes to go, but the team held strong kicking the last goal to get the win.

Some form continued to develop in a lot of individuals and certainly on the right track to be in the eyes of selection over the coming weeks. Maintaining the development of the young players is most important and we are definitely moving forward.

We look forward to continuing this next Sunday at Noarlunga against a club that is playing with plenty of confidence.

Jarrad Wright

SHANE GRIMM – UNDER 18'S COACH REPORT
Eagles 10.13.73 defeated Sturt 9.6.60

This week’s game against Sturt was one I had been looking forward to all week. Sturt are always a formidable opponent at underage level and they had started the year well again, so it was going to be a test for our team. After last week’s come from behind win against Port we made a major focus on a fast start and we wanted to be in the game at quarter time.

We started well into a 2-3 goal breeze and had a lot of the ball and were working very hard with and without the ball. Unfortunately we could not put our hard work on the scoreboard and to make matters worse when Sturt went forward they scored too easily and at the quarter time break we found ourselves 24 points down and with a lot of hard work to do for the second week in a row.

The game was very even over the next 2 quarters and at the three quarter time break we had only managed to peg back the quarter time margin back by 1 point to be 23 points down with 28 minutes to play, could we do it 2 weeks in a row.

The fact that we had come from a similar position the previous week was still very fresh in the minds of the players and we just needed to get on the scoreboard early to give ourselves a sniff. The players were confident that they could overrun Sturt and that confidence was to be rewarded by some hard work and a positive feeling within the group. We dominated the final term statistics for the second week in a row which allowed us to outscore Sturt , 6 goals 4 behinds to just 4 behinds to Sturt. It was another very gutsy win by the boys, but we will not always get away with recovering from a slow start and it is something we will continue to work on over the coming weeks.

DARREN HAMES U/16'S COACHE REPORT
Eagles 8.7.55 defeated by Sturt 13. 11. 89

In what was an important game for the U16’s in which both Sturt and ourselves registering three wins from four appearances it was a game that could decide if we would play finals or not.

With six changes from the week before we were relatively confident that the players would put on a good showing. Our start was probably the worst for the season, with the aid of a slight breeze we were unable to utilise this advantage and in fact were 12 points down at quarter time. Sturt capitalised with the breeze in the second quarter and managed to widen the gap to 40 points at the main break.

Our want to get our hands on the footy first during the first half was certainly not one of our better efforts and the lads at half time felt the wroth. In the third quarter we put in place a very simple man on man game plan that would hope to help us restore some pride in our performance.

To the lads credit the players lifted in the third quarter and we were able to get within three goals at the last break. Our second half was much a much better performance than the first in which were able to out score Sturt by one goal during that period. But unfortunately it was all too late.

This week’s game indicated that the lads didn’t bring the mindset that they should have against good opposition. Jake Comitogianni was good for us in the midfield as well as kicking 3 goals. Cooper Gaffney playing in the backlines showed maturity above his age for an Under 15 lad. Jake Guidera, Ashley Williams, Luke Zille and Xavier Redden all tried hard. Other than Jake Thomas Schmusch was our other multiple goal scorer with 2 goals.

This week against South at Home we would expect a better mind set from the start, it would also be an opportunity for other players to stand up as the College players begin their season this week.

Darren Hams

Match Report – Rnd 6 2014 – Eagles vs Glenelg



Michael Godden – Senior Coach Report

Consistent 4 quarter effort is what we aimed for all week and unfortunately we didn’t get there on Sunday.

I was reasonably happy with the first quarter. The intent was excellent but after a few early goals we seemed to drop off in the middle of the quarter only to then pick the effort back up and finish strongly going into the break 26 points up.

The best way to describe the second was we tried to create too much. The effort and work rate was fantastic but our composure and ability to hit the scoreboard dried up. After the Bays dropped one back the players didn’t adjust with our forward entries, we went into our shells and created pressure on ourselves by trying to find the perfect play finally finishing the half 34 points up (that’s +8 for the term).

Once we discussed this over use and indirect footy the players adapted really well in the third and played a very good quarter with our defensive actions and our ball movement. What was disappointing was we dropped away at the stoppages which hurt us, but we still had done enough to win the quarter by 17 points.

The final term was ok for the first 22 minutes. We were able to get back inside at the stoppages and keep pushing forward on the scoreboard. It’s the last 5 minutes which annoyed me, dropping our intensity and allowing 3 quick goals making a possible 70+ point win turn into a 50 point win and losing the final quarter by 1 point.

You don’t get to pick and choose at this level and no matter the score we must play every minute the same and the weekend proved that yet again. Some of our footy on Sunday was excellent and the players are really starting to get their individual games going which is helping the team perform better.

As the final paragraph said last week our aim is to be more consistent over 4 quarters and that goal remains again for this big game vs North. Turning up with the right attitude is something this group has done well all year so this week we must continue that as North will be hungry and we need to keep improving and getting these early season wins.

Eagles 12.12 (114) defeated Glenelg 9.10 (64)


Jarred Wright – Reserves Coach Report

Sunday at Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval vs Glenelg would be the best win I have been involved in as Reserves Coach. It was a huge game for the Reserves being the Grand Final replay from last year and after an average performance the week prior we really made a conscious effort to play with good energy no matter what the score line was, as we seemed to be lacking in pure enjoyment which then flowed onto not taking the game on in the first 5 rounds.

We started the game quite well I thought, matching Glenelg with possession rate and contested ball and even bettering their inside 50 rate for the first quarter but again the scores did not seem to reflect the way we were going about it. We had some average transition of the footy but defensively were sound. The same eventuated in the second quarter and Glenelg capitalised with quite some luck with 3 goals which blew the game out by 5 goals at half time, somehow it did not seem right and the energy in the rooms at half time was all positive.

We changed a few things up from a structure point of view and made a few adjustments to the pattern of movement to see if we could gain better inside 50’s to result in a better scoring ratio. A few minor tweaks in the vision of the players and I was very confident that things could swing back our way. To the team’s credit in adhering to the changes and visualising what the coaching team was telling them, their execution could not be more perfect.

The second half was the best football we have played in 12 months and to have 29 inside 50’s for 20 scoring shots (69% ratio) is well above our season average and competition average. The boys managed to pile on 14 goals 6 behinds to 5 goals to come away with a 4 goal victory over a very quality Glenelg team.

Some terrific performances by Aaron Killian and Jack Muirhead down back, with dangerous forward Jackson Press kicking another 3 goals. Matt Appleton had a good return to form with Joe Sinor, Tom Schwarz, Paul Ventura playing well. The most pleasing part of the game was the environment that the players created for each other was good energy and belief in each other, and it was great to see some results flow on from that.

Another big game this week against North Adelaide who are currently undefeated in the Reserves.

Eagles 16.10 (106) defeated Glenelg 13.4 (82)



Shane Grimm – Under 18 Coach Report

This week’s game against Glenelg saw 4 more players playing their first game for the year with 2 of those playing their first U18 game for the Club and 1 being an Under 16 player, so our depth was being severely tested.

We started the game reasonably well and had our fair share of the ball but just struggled to put the score on the board. Glenelg were playing a very uncontested game and had spare players playing behind the ball who we seemed very happy to kick to for most of the first half. The first quarter stats were very even in most areas but Glenelg were making the most of their opportunities and entered the quarter time break with an 11 point lead.

The second quarter was also a very evenly matched term statistically but again it was in front of goal that Glenelg were being more effective than we were. We had 4 scoring shots on goal and kicked 2 goals 2 behinds while Glenelg had 5 scoring shots for 5 straight goals, it was this area of the game which was letting us down and it was something we needed to change at half time if we wanted to get back into the game. At half time we trailed by 27 points.

Unfortunately we found ourselves in a familiar position at half time, in our 6 games so far in 2014 we have only lead once at half time but we had twice come from over 5 goals down at half time so we knew we were still in the game if we cleaned up a few areas of our game. We decided to man up on Glenelg’s spare player which meant we played with a 7 man forward line which on the small ground at Glenelg meant there was not a lot of room up Inside 50 but we made sure we had plenty of movement to create space for our Forwards. We also spoke about getting ourselves into a position at three quarter time that we could mount a challenge in the last quarter.

I was extremely happy with the response of the players after half time, they followed instructions extremely well and also lifted their intensity at each contest. We completely dominated the second half outscoring Glenelg 8 goals 10 behinds to 1 goal 6 behinds to Glenelg to eventually win the game by 19 points although I felt we could have won by even more, but from where we were at half time I couldn’t complain too much.

Eagles 11.15 (81) defeated Glenelg 9.8 (62)



Darren Hams – Under 16 Coach Report

For the past two weeks we have outscored our opposition after half time but unfortunately our starts have been less than satisfactory. Therefore before the game we spoke about remaining in contests for longer and not allowing the opposition to score easily against us.

Unfortunately again we began poorly and by quarter time Glenelg opened up a 2 goal break. Whilst the second quarter was a little better in the terms that ourselves and Glenelg only scored one goal each, it was not an attractive game to watch and just as well we were able to place enough pressure on Glenelg to cause inaccuracy with Glenelg kicking 6 points.

Our third quarter was again a scrappy affair, with both sides only kicking 2 goals each. But we were struggling to get our game going and turned the footy over a fair bit across our half forward line. Whilst we were only 20 points down at three quarter time, we had only managed 4 goals up to that point it was going to be a real task to make the ground up.

At three quarter time the players were told to take the game on and try to score quickly, whilst we had our most productive quarter in kicking 2 goals 3 points our turnovers were again costly and our ability to go from attack to defend quickly, which has been an issue of recent matches again became an issue and Glenelg were able to finish the game off by kicking 4 goals 4 in the final term.

Whilst most of our players gave it their all, unfortunately Glenelg had a little more polish when it counted most. Izak Mentz in the Ruck played well, as did Zac Beecken who started as a Key defender and went forward to kick a goal, solid performances from Cooper Gaffney, Brennan Cox and Shane Channon, also Saverio Trimboli acquitted himself well for an under 15 player on his first game.

With our last game against North Adelaide this week who are second on the ladder and ourselves who are fifth but no chance to finish in the top four, we hope to finish off on a high note with a good performance.

Eagles 6.7 (43) were defeated by Glenelg 10.16 (76)

Michael Godden – Senior Coach Report

Today’s game against North has two sides to it. On one hand the ability to have 62 inside 50’s and kick 163 points is absolutely fantastic and proves what fire power we have and how quickly we can score. On the other hand we still allowed 48 inside 50’s and 27 scoring shots which on a normal day would be a loss. Once again we only won 2 of the 4 quarters so consistency is still something that hasn’t come. With that said the game was a good game to watch and big scores means exciting footy so I am happy with that.

The first term statistically was pretty even but North were able to make the most of their opportunities finishing 13 points ahead.

The second term was a different story with the boys piling on 8-7, in what was except for accuracy a powerful 30 minutes of football.

When we returned for the second half we quickly nailed 2 quick goals to surge ahead and this is where I had an issue with the way we started to play. As a team at this point in a game it’s important to keep doing the things that got you in that position and not to change the way you play, we did, and that cost us having a commanding lead at 3 quarter time.

After a strong discussion at the break (sorry for those in ear shot as I am just a passionate person and the passion flowed freely), the players played an amazing final quarter kicking 10 goals 3 and stretching the final margin out to 76 points. This was a great win for us because even though the margin was a healthy one we still having a lot to work on as our consistency is still not there.

This week is another short one leading into Friday night against Norwood. We have started the season well and we need to make sure we don’t undo the good work leading into the State Game bye. Sometimes people have a tendency to drop away after a long stint of continuous games which also included the trials both internal and against opposition, but this group seems to be getting stronger and more determined than ever to keep going. Games at the Parade at night are always tough and this will be no different with Norwood having a very solid win over Adelaide last week and I am sure are as keen as us to finish off this run of games with a win.

Eagles 24.19 (163) defeated North Adelaide 12.15 (87)

Jarrad Wright – Reserves Coach Report

Saturday was always going to be a tight tussle going by the ladder positions and to the expectation it certainly was just that. We had a focus on continuing the positive energy on the field that was created the week prior and we certainly started in that fashion, with us managing to win contested ball and utilising our run to put some early scoreboard pressure on in the first quarter. The second quarter was a lot tighter contest with North converting some very good goals from their big forwards really capitalising on some good work up the ground, unfortunately we allowed North to kick 3 goals in time on to give them plenty of drive in the second half.

We managed to shuffle a few minor things at the main break where we thought we could add some positives to the way we were playing. For the first time this year we were able to kick very accurately in front of goals and with North being the opposite this really gave us every opportunity to break the game open a 22 point lead at the last break, and leading the entire game the game was ours if we wanted to play 4 quarters.

The last quarter the game was dictated by North Adelaide, they really applied a huge amount of pressure and our boys just stopped running and playing the game on our terms. This was highlighted by 18 – 4 inside 50’s against in the last quarter, our backs and midfield were not working hard enough and we really were lucky to come away with a 1 point victory when the siren sounded.

We had 5 changes from the week prior and giving opportunities to our young Under 18 players a chance to develop at the higher level, and all certainly showed our depth is still very strong. It was disappointing that we couldn’t finish the game off but again North Adelaide worked harder than us and the result nearly went against us. Again a huge amount of learning we can take out of this which and great result to take the 2 points against the undefeated North Adelaide and we have really set up the year with another win.

Eagles 13.4 (82) defeated North Adelaide 11.15 (81)

Shane Grimm – Under 18’s Coach Report

Playing North Adelaide this week was always going to be a challenge. North have a very good junior program and some quality coaches involved in their Centre of Excellence and have been one of our biggest rivals over the past 3-4 years. I can’t remember the last time there was a blowout in an Eagles v North game recently.

We needed to get off to a good start against the top of the table team and we did kicking the first goal of the game courtesy of first gamer Josh Wallent. The game was an arm wrestle for most of the first quarter with both teams having some momentum at stages but North seemed to be a little more effective with the ball than we were and this trend continued on for the remainder of the game.

At this stage of the year with College Football and State U18 Football kicking in, it severely stretches your depth of talent and we have shown that we have good depth at this level to continue to bring new players into the group and still be very competitive with the top team in the competition. Not only do we have players involved in College and State Football, but we also have 6 players who played in the Reserves on the weekend that have also played U18 Football in 2014 and it is good to see that they are contributing at Reserves level.

The third quarter has been one of our better terms throughout 2014 but unfortunately we put in a poor one this week and were outscored by 5 goals to 1 which ultimately cost us the game. We battled on well in the final term to win the quarter but it was unfortunately too little too late, North ran out 31 point winners to remain the top team in the U18 competition.

Even though we were defeated on the day I felt there were some real positives to come out of the game, especially the performances from both of our Under 16 aged players Jake Comitogianni and Josh Hoyle. Both kicked 2 goals and showed that they are more than capable of playing at the level and I’m sure we will see more of them in the future.

Eagles 10.2 (62) were defeated by North Adelaide 14.9 (93)

Darren Hams – Under 16’s Coach Report

In what was our last game of the Under 16 Program for 2014, this week’s game against North was going to be another challenge for us. Our starts recently have been less than acceptable and again on the weekend we found ourselves looking down the barrel at quarter time, trailing by over 6 goals.

Our second quarter was much the same and we had real trouble penetrating through half forward. The players were having a go but unfortunately we had a number of turnovers and weren’t remaining in the contest for longer periods.

At half time the playing group discussed the performance indicators they set for themselves prior to the game and it didn’t take long to realise that as a playing group they didn’t have many ticks against their own individual goals that they had set.

Our third quarter was more productive with Isaac Moller at Centre Half Forward becoming more of a target and we were able to kick 5 goals for the term through 5 different goal kickers. The last quarter was about having a repeat performance of the third and not throwing in the towel, the game was beyond winning but we wanted to try and repair some of our pride, we did play out the game but our inaccurate kicking let us down to really make an impact on the scoreboard, we managed 1 goal 6 for the term but finished on the same term as North Adelaide in the way of scoring shots with both teams having 15 shots after half time. Jackson Lee battled hard throughout the midfield whilst Zac Beecken played his role well as a defender, Cooper Standley provided some solid tackling efforts along with his contested ball, Isaac Moller started at Centre Half Back but came into the game more when he went forward, Sam Mitchell and Jake Cook competed hard all day.

The Under 16 Competition is about identifying and developing players for the Under 18 program and this year we had a total of 38 players play across the 8 games and already Josh Hoyle and Jake Comitogianni have been elevated to the 18’s. Also with 7 Under 15 players playing in 2014, the squad looks positive for 2015.

Congratulations to Jake Comitogianni, Woody Drummond, Josh Hoyle, Ethan Miller, Luke Zille and Tom Schmusch who have been rewarded on their performances by being selected in the initial State Under 16 Squad of 49.

Eagles 6.9 (45) were defeated by North Adelaide 22.14 (146)

Saturday’s game was one we as a club are not proud of. Its one thing to lose (you can always deal with that) it is another thing to reduce your effort and commitment, and that is not what we are about at the Eagles. It was such a great opportunity to cement ourselves around the top of the table while continuing to improve but what actually happened was we took a big step backwards and now we have to fight our way back and earn some respect we lost on the weekend.
The game started a bit strange with very little defensive work being done which resulted in both sides scoring easily, then when you add the quiet nature of the atmosphere it made for a weird start to a League game.
The next 2 quarters were much the same. The game turned into a possession one and the team that coughed the footy up was going to be hurt and that unfortunately was us. Eventually going into 3 quarter time just under 4 goals down.
I really felt we had plenty in the tank and had adjusted what we needed to but the last quarter saw Adelaide run all over us eventually running out victors by 48 points. It was only our second loss for the season and ironically both against the AFL affiliate teams and both by big margins. In all my time at the Eagles we haven’t had too many blow-out losses so this is disappointing and something we are going to have to work hard on. One thing I will say is I am very happy we are playing Port this weekend. It gives us a great opportunity to continue to develop a system against a side which seems untouchable, so with strong resilience, belief in ourselves and the want to respond I can’t wait to see what happens.
We have reviewed this game like no other and the players and coaches have put in an enormous amount of time to understand what went wrong and how to fix it. Football seasons throw up challenges all the time and that is why we love it so much. This is just another challenge on the journey through 2014 and one we are really enjoying. So please get down to Alberton on Sunday to see a really good game of footy and one we hope you will be proud of. The lads know the effort was lacking last week and this is what you are judged on so we look forward to improving in this area because that is one thing we can control.

Michael Godden – League Coach Report

After what was our worst effort for the year against the Crows it was important to show each other what we want out of this year and that needed to be shown in the way of effort. There were some home truths talked about all week so to come out and show resilience and pride in performance was the key for this game.

The players clearly understood the way I was going to review the game and that would be on effort alone and I am pleased to report the effort was fantastic. The result wasn’t what we went there for but I saw enough in the resolve of the players that we have something genuine here.

We knew Port start well averaging about 40 points in first quarters so the first priority was to win the ball early and play the game on our terms. What actually happened was we hardly touched the ball early as Port ran away with an early onslaught. This is the time when you need to remain strong and belief in the system and each other and that is exactly what the playing group did. From this point the game was pretty much even with both sides squandering chances but also both sides playing some good footy. The 3 goals given up in the last few minutes were disappointing but unfortunately we just couldn’t go with them in the end. For those at the game who may be wondering, I can report that Chris Kane was lucky to have escaped major injury but was obviously heavily concussed in a disappointing incident on the wing and should be ok to resume in a couple of weeks.

When we got smashed by the Power earlier this year I said we needed to wait till later in the year to judge the gap. This game gives us an enormous boost as we know we have improved in the 7 weeks since that game and with us only just past the half way mark of the season the upside will continue.

Now to this week. We haven’t played a game so far this year that has so much on the line. Sturt have had a tremendous season and look very balanced and hungry and we are coming off 2 losses and going into a bye so there is no doubt we will need to be at our best. With only 5 home games left in the 2014 season and what is on the line, we would love to see as many proud Eagles supporters here at Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval to witness a great match of SANFL footy. So please get around the boys and support them as I know they love it and definitely lift when you are all in full voice. See you Sunday.

Eagles 15.11 (101) were defeated by Port Adelaide 18.16 (124)

Jarred Wright – Reserves Coach Report

After having the week off to refresh the mind and body from a long 11 week program we ventured to Alberton Oval to take on the Magpies. The reserves team was pretty much stocked up with a few players back from the injury list and a few players coming back from the league team, so we had to make sure the performance reflected. With tricky conditions being dewy and wet, Port pressure in the first half was really good which forced us to not take the ball cleanly below our knees and then in turn make incorrect decisions when moving the ball from breakaways. The initial first quarter fumble made the individual apply perceived pressure with the execution in the second quarter and this was quite easy to see with the first half played in patches.

At half time we had a 5 goal lead but addressed the additional directional & support voice from other players was needed more as we had a fair few opportunities go to waste in the first half and we would break down around CHF. Our intensity around the ball and Aerial contests was faultless but we had to absorb the pressure better and make better decisions with the ball. The ground dried out a fair bit at the main break which created a more predictable pattern of ball movement and our forwards relished some better ball coming inside 50. We played exceptional footy in the third quarter kick 9 goals and breaking the game open. We definitely maintained our work rate and structures in the last quarter putting a 4 quarter effort together which was very pleasing.

Some great individual performances in Jarrod Allmond & Caleb Lloyd returning from League duties, Tom Whittlesea showed plenty of strength and provided a target up forward. Matt Appleton & Sam Rowland in the midfield continued form along with Matt Raymond, Sam Heinjus, Travis Lane & Jacob Templeton returning from an 8 week injury lay off. Back at our home deck next week which is always exciting, we look forward to the challenge of Sturt.

Eagles 19.10 (124) defeated Port Adelaide 8.6 (54)

Shane Grimm – Under 18′s Coach Report

The Round 10 game against Port Adelaide was a very significant one in the grand scheme of things, it was the last time we would play Port Adelaide in a minor round game.

One thing we are always aware of when we play Port Adelaide is that they always give 100% and that we have to be prepared to play for 4 quarters. This week’s game was no exception, although we did manage to get the better of Port early in the game and that went a long way to us getting over the line at the end.

We lead all day and I always thought we had Port’s measure but we were made to fight hard to get the win. There were areas of our game that were not to my liking and I felt that we didn’t defend quickly enough once we lost possession of the ball which allowed Port to get a lot of uncontested possession which on most occasions ended with a forward entry to Port, which I felt our back line did a great job in defending.

Our third term is what separated the teams. We kicked 7 goals to Port’s 3 and the three quarter time margin of 29 points was too much for Port overcome, although at one stage in the final term the margin did get back to 12 points, but as we have continually done this year our players responded well at critical times and we managed to score late in the game.

Again this week we had 2 players who were playing their first Under 18 game for the club, Wyatt MacKinnon from the Fitzroy Football Club made his debut with the Club and played mainly at Half Back and made a solid contribution as well as Joseph Heinjus from the Crystal Brook Football Club who was playing his first game of any sorts since his Club’s 2012 Grand Final due to a Knee reconstruction and also a Shoulder operation earlier this year. Joe played a pivotal role in our defence standing Port’s best forward and keeping him to 1 goal as well as having his fair share of the ball.

Another good result and one we hope to continue.

Eagles 15.11 (101) defeated Port Adelaide 11.11 (77)

MICHAEL GODDEN – LEAGUE COACH REPORT



After our first win since the 23rd May it was nice to have that winning feeling again. It wasn’t exactly comprehensive but after 2 byes and 3 consecutive losses a win is all that was required and that is what was achieved. There have been some significant adjustments done by the group to rectify some of our shortcomings recently so it was nice to see it all at work in a real game.

The game started ok for us, we weren’t winning the contested ball but we did enough to get off to a 13 point lead at quarter time.

In the second quarter we started winning inside ball and our tackles were sticking and this allowed us to double our quarter time lead to 26 points at the main break.

Second halves have clearly been an issue for us recently so it was great to see the players dig deep in the 3rd to get out to a lead of 44 points at 3 quarter time.

The first half of the last quarter was very pleasing with the players continuing to push forward as we got out to a 55 point lead. The second half of the quarter we dropped our guard a bit and Glenelg hit back with the final 2 goals of the game which always leaves you with wanting more.

It was a strange feeling in the rooms after with the players being very controlled, happy to have won but knowing what we have in front of us this weekend against Norwood. After lots of reviews and discussions over the break it was great to see the work rate and endeavour displayed by the players. Considering we lost Boyd early, then Hall, this left us with only one on the bench for the second half. In today’s footy when you average around 100 rotations and this drops by half it is very fatiguing, but the players did a great job to maintain consistent effort.

As I mentioned we have Norwood back at home this week and I am sure we all understand what this means, so there is no doubt it will be a cracking game with Norwood being the form team in the comp and us desperate to respond to losing our last 2 home games. So back to Saturday footy this weekend and with the result having such an impact on the season I am sure it will be a hard fought game and one we can’t wait for.

Eagles 15.11 (101) defeated Glenelg 8.10 (58)



JARRAD WRIGHT – RESERVES COACH REPORT



After licking our wounds for a few weeks after the Sturt loss, we regroup over the bye week and managed to streamline the focus as a developing group and head to The Bay to play against a Glenelg. The weather overnight was horrid with plenty of rain to make a nice choppy wet ground to play on.

The game started with immense competitive pressure with both teams playing strong. Glenelg had the better of the first half going into the main break by a goal up. It wasn’t a day for pretty flowing footy with the stoppage rate up and boggy conditions in areas made up a challenge of who could outlast the other.

We had a terrific 3rd quarter in kicking away by 3 goals to take a handy lead at the last change. The players laid on 30 Tackles alone in the 3rd quarter (only 18 in total first half) and our pressure on the opposition was excellent which backed up the half time prep about the tackling rate and pressure needed a lift. To Glenelgs credit they upped anti in the last and reversed the role kicking 3 goals unanswered to grab back the lead. With the momentum shift we needed to respond quickly and the players to their credit again lifted when challenged to kick the next 3 goals and grab the hard fought win.

I said to the players after the game that although not the game style and structure we design to play, these types of games are a great gauge of the level of work rate for each other. An excellent result and one we take great confidence from into this week against Norwood.

Eagles 12.8 (80) defeated Glenelg 10.8 (68)
SHANE GRIMM – UNDER 18′S COACH REPORT

Our players were very keen to play this week’s game against Glenelg after a week off and losing to Sturt in our previous game. With it being school holidays, SANFL Clubs have access to all College players and this week that meant we had 5 players added to our team.

The conditions weren’t great and things were even worse when Jack Gaffney injured his ankle during the warm up which put him in serious doubt for the game. Jack received treatment and advised me that he would be fine. He played the game out under obvious discomfort and showed a lot of courage in doing so.

The game was won in the first quarter I feel with our players working extremely hard defensively to keep Glenelg scoreless while we kicked 3 goals, the final margin was 15 points but we always maintained control of the game.

It was one of our better wins of the season, considering that we were only playing 1 of our Under 19 players and had only 1 fit player on the bench during the final term. It shows that our players are continuing to find ways to win even in the most difficult circumstances.

Eagles 8.19 (58) defeated Glenelg 6.7 (43)

Michael Godden – Senior Coach Report

An interesting fact this weekend was the Under 18’s, Reserves and League all started slowly giving up healthy advantages early in the first quarters. Considering the games were played at different locations at different times and levels I am not sure why it evolved that way but one thing I am happy with was the resilience of all the grades to stick to your plans and work through the adversity to eventually come away with 3 wins.

As I mentioned, the League game started very slowly with Norwood clearly outplaying us to jump out the blocks and put us firmly on the back foot. Once the game settled and we finally got our hands on the footy the players started to find their way to our end of the ground eventually ending the first term 25 points in arrears.

The second quarter was a more positive one even though the scoreboard didn’t reflect this. The lads started to win the ball around the restarts and get some momentum forward having 14 to 4 inside 50’s for the quarter, but unfortunately we were only able to score 3-1 to Norwood’s 3-0. It felt like we worked very hard for no result in this term and sometimes this can dampen your enthusiasm but on this occasion the players used that momentum going into the 2nd half.

After the main break the players really lifted and continued to work hard at winning the 40/60 balls. The ball movement on the back of this hard work became effective which allowed us to have a very good half of footy, but most importantly to hold Norwood goalless in the half was a great defensive effort.

This week poses a huge challenge. We haven’t won out at Elizabeth since 2004 and during this time we have had some really good sides so there is no doubt we are going to have to bring something extra on Saturday. With our final bye the week after this match it is crucial we continue to improve and work hard so we can go into the last part of the minor round with momentum and belief.

Eagles 11.13 (79) defeated Norwood 8.11 (59)

Jarrad Wright – Reserves Coach Report



Eagles 9.9 (63) defeated Norwood 5.13 (43)


Shane Grimm – Under 18’s Coach Report

Whenever we play Norwood, especially at Norwood Oval it is a close game and one where we have to make the most of our opportunities when they come. Friday night’s game was no different. We were behind for the majority of the night but once the players saw an opportunity late in the game it was pleasing to see them take their opportunity.

At the 10 minute mark of the final term Norwood kicked a goal to push out to an 18 point lead, which at the time seemed a little out of our reach considering we had only kicked 5 goals for the game up until that point.

Nothing much happened on the scoreboard for the next 5 or 6 minutes until we managed to snap a goal from general play to get the margin back to 12 points. We then proceeded to win the next 2 Centre clearances and kick 2 goals from those clearances to have the scores locked with still 10 minutes on the clock. From that point on we dominated the game and kicked another 1 goal and 2 behinds and managed to steal an 8 point win.

It again showed our players never give in attitude and ability to step up at critical times in games, BUT we must play more consistently for longer periods of the game so that we don’t continue to find ourselves in these situations.

Eagles 9.10 (64) defeated Norwood 8.8 (56)

Match Reports – Rnd 14a 2014 – Eagles vs Central

MICHAEL GODDEN – SENIOR COACH REPORT

First I would like to apologise for the delay of this report (especially Vaughan). We have had so much to do since the last loss it simply got away from me.

The game against Centrals where we were trying to break the hoodoo of Elizabeth didn’t have the outcome we required. For the second week in a row our first quarters have hurt us. With a competition so tight this year you can’t afford to allow any team a big start because it takes so much energy to get back into the game. At the end of the first term against Norwood we were 25pts down to then go on to win the rest of the game by 45pts; similarly we lost the first term against Centrals by 24 pts to then marginally win the remainder of the game by 3 pts. At the end of the day though we are 1-1 over those two weeks and clearly not playing well enough to be a major threat at the moment.

Our skills and decision making against Centrals was way below league level, some of this is strength of mind and some is leading and running patterns that are making it difficult to move the ball with any fluency. This has been our major focus over the last two weeks and one we are looking forward to rectifying this weekend against the Crows.

At this time of the year no Eagles supporter wants any more than to see us play exciting tough footy and obviously winning. At this stage we are not doing that but the good thing is our destiny is in our own hands in terms of top three and that’s the way we like it. Early season wins are crucial because it can leave a small amount of room for hiccups throughout a long and tough season. Even though we are all getting a bit frustrated at the way we are playing we are still a game clear in the double chance with 4 games remaining.

From here, like always we need to continue working hard, continue to improve individually and collectively and then move forward with some spark and excitement about the weeks ahead and that starts at home against the Crows this week. Last time we played the Crows at home was as I reported at the time one of the most average games we have played all year so we not only have plenty to play for we have some pride and respect to get back as we let everyone including ourselves down that day and that doesn’t well with us.

Eagles 7.5 (47) were defeated by Central District 10.8 (68)



JARRAD WRIGHT - RESERVES COACH REPORT

We ventured to Elizabeth on Saturday for the last of our 3 game block before we head into a double bye. Knowing the feeling of defeat there from last year when we let a 5 goal lead go begging in the second half to lose by 3 points, I was pretty clear that we had to be stronger this time round. We started the game slowly again with both teams not really executing transitions well, we dominated most of the play but decisions entering the forward 50 (14 eagles to Centrals 5) were not up to standard and we played right into centrals game plan, The result of this we only kick 5 points and not getting the scores on the board as we should have been.

The second term was much better with the players starting to have some composure with the footy, and our breakaways from rebound 50’s and stoppage were getting results on the score board kicking 4 goal 4 behind for the quarter. Again defensively we were solid for the first half only allowing centrals get 2 goals on the board, but due to inaccurate kicking at goal we only had an 18 point lead at the main break.

The last half structurally nothing had to change too much, there was a few little areas of focus at stoppage and defensive positioning but the main improvement was clearly the ball movement and kicking goals not behinds pretty simple really. Knowing that centrals always fight hard and on their home deck tough to play against, the players stuck to the task and continued to win contested ball and be defensively strong with the bonus of kicking straight we added 7 goal 3 behind to run out winners by 44 points.

Individual efforts were terrific by Joey Sinor returning from his first league campaign and dominated play for 4 quarters, Sam Rowland in the midfield and Tim Mackenzie had a nice return to form. We debut 2 young U18 players Ethan Haylock and Rhys Woods who both played exceptional first games. We now have the 2 week break and look to really freshen up for the business end of the season.

Eagles 11.2 (78) defeated Central District 4.10 (34)



SHANE GRIMM – UNDER 18′S COACH REPORT

Our Round 14 game against Central District was always going to be an interesting one, we had just had a good come from behind win against Norwood at Norwood and Centrals were on a 4 game winning streak and were in some very good form. Centrals have struggled over the past couple of years at Under 18 level and have changed coaches regularly but this year they have significantly improved and are a very good chance of playing finals footy.

We didn’t start the game very well and Centrals kicked the first 3 goals of the game and we played catch up football for the rest of the day. We managed to get back to within a goal at various times of the match but we were unable ever get in front of Centrals who were very switched on a confident right from the first bounce.

Even though I was disappointed with the loss I still believe our side can significantly improve before finals in around a month’s time. On the weekend we had 3 players play their first Under 18 game for the Club, James Schmusch (Flinders Park) Ben Currie (Henley)and Ned Murdoch (Southern Eagles) and I am sure all 3 will have learned a lot from the experience.

We had some very good individual performances on Saturday with Daniel Minney and Jack Elsworthy performing well in an undermanned midfield as well as a very mature performance from our youngest player Jake Comitogianni, who is still eligible to play Under 16’s. But the standout performance on the day was from Jack Hayes who played as a Key Forward. Jack was the dominant player on the ground and did everything he could to get us over the line but unfortunately he didn’t get enough help. Jack finished the game with 24 possessions 15 marks (8 contested) as well as 14 hit outs and 4 goals.

We now have 2 weeks to get ourselves prepared for our last 3 games of the year before finals, starting with South Adelaide.

Eagles 8.9 (57) defeated Central District 13.8 (86)

Once again we have failed against an AFL structured team. With 4 of our 6 losses this season against them it’s starting to get very frustrating as clearly I must be missing something.

We have put ourselves in a very awkward position now but one that is recoverable. What the focus of myself and the group must be at this time of year is getting back to playing the type of football that will be successful, because at the moment we are not playing well enough to deserve a spot later in the year.

I acknowledge there is a lot of disappointment in the performance of the League team so far this year. All I can say is we will never stop trying to be better. We are working extremely hard on all 3 phases of football and even though they aren’t ticking along as well as required we have a plan and we are sticking to it.

Hard work, ruthlessness in our preparation and discipline always prevails, that is the great thing about the players and staff at this club and we will all continue to work to that ethos.

With this being our second last game at home this season it is important we put on a good show for all members and supporters and show some real fight, so stick with us and help the lads keep the dream alive.
Michael Godden - League Coach

Match Reports – Rnd 16 2014 – Eagles vs South Adelaide

Michael Godden -League Coach

Feels a lot like ground hog day writing these reports at the moment. The obvious real disappointment was the second quarter. To win 3 quarters and still lose is very disappointing; at the same time though it gives us hope in the way we played the 1st and 4th quarters.

Our consistency of effort especially at critical times has been wavering and that is something we are continuing to work on. The structures and personnel work fine for periods, which means we are heading in the right direction but then we often go into our shells and play ‘safe’ footy.

This result was disappointing in terms of the season but bigger than that is the brand of football we are playing at times. We want to be a team that is hard to score against while keeping the flair and excitement that we all want to see at the footy, finding the happy medium is the challenge.

One thing I can say is the players are continuing to stay positive and work harder than ever to make sure the season is not waisted. One really disappointing thing that happened on Saturday was the send-off the players got from some of our supporters. It was noted by our most senior player post match, that’s the first time ever he experienced that at Woodville and this cannot be what we at the Eagles are all about. As the senior coach I expect it, but I really feel the players who already cop their fair amount of criticism and are judged harshly by myself and more importantly themselves don’t deserve it. They know and understand their responsibility to the football club and take that very seriously so please understand they are always doing their best and if you get behind us I am sure they will pay you back in spades.

Now this week: Within the walls of the football department we are demanding we show a strong resilience and stay committed to what we have worked so hard on all year. We are confident with the processes put in place we will get through this period stronger and that must start this weekend against North. We have had some great battles with North over the years and look forward to this one immensely. So please get out to Prospect cheer hard and help the lads get back on track in a year that still promises to be an exciting one.

Eagles 8.11. 59 lost to South 9.11. 65

Jarrad Wright – Reserves Coach

Coming off a double bye can always be tricky, always nice to freshen up but have you lost a bit of match fitness or game feel, so the first quarter against South on the weekend was one that we had prepared for to be at worst a break even quarter that was the aim and we achieved that result. We came up against South who play a different game style to most clubs and one we haven’t played against for a while so it took some adapting during the first to get into the game as South had 35 marks at quarter time. We had to transition defensively a little higher than normal which caught us out early but one we adjusted defensively we were terrific.

After quarter time I felt we controlled the game quite comfortably, our possession rate increased with winning contested ball in all areas, but as I said above we shut them down quicker not to allow them the easy kick which created more turnovers. With early inaccuracy being a major issue with not converting scoreboard pressure, at one stage mid way through the 2nd we had kicked 1 goal 7 behinds. Finally finishing off the good work up forward we ended up 20 pints in front with 4 late goals before half time.

The last half was consistent effort and again managed to stop South from rebounding from our forward 50. Our decision making and ball movement patterns were correct and even though we still made a heap of skill errors the players we still sticking to structures and it paid off with a big last quarter to open up a 29 point lead at the last break to a 59 point win.

I was very impressed with the players effort and the way we came off the long break, but its how we back it up as a group now that will be the measuring stick. North Adelaide at prospect this week will be a huge task, the have been playing some damaging footy of late and in and we need to make sure we continue our methods heading into the business end of the season.

Great to see Todd Cully play his first game for the year after a long recovery from injury also Angus Rowntree played another game returning from his knee. We had some promising signs from players who have been slightly out of form with was a good return for them and the team.

Eagles 16.12 (108) defeated South Adelaide 7.7 (49)



Shane Grimm – Under 18′s Coach

Having to wait 21 days from our last game against Central Districts after having being convincingly beaten felt like an eternity. The players have been training well and putting in a lot of extra work to prepare for our final 3 games and then our Finals campaign. Depending on our wins and losses over the last 3 weeks we could be playing in an Elimination Final or a Qualifying Final which brings the double chance, obviously this is the preferred option.

All week we had been talking about Preparation and Intensity and our Mindset from now until the end of the season. We want to prepare and execute the way we would if we were playing in a cut throat final, no matter who we are playing, starting with our Round 16 game against South.

I felt the players were up for the Challenge before the game and all seemed very focussed on the job at hand. We started the game well in very blustery conditions and at the quarter time break we lead South by 43 points keeping South scoreless in the process. The only concern being a score of 6 goals 7 behinds.

In the second term South showed a lot more competitiveness and kicked the first 2 goals of the term and it took us quite some time to regain the momentum and kick 3 unanswered goals to finish the first half with a 50 point lead.

At half time we lost Joe Heinjus to Concussion and played the remainder of the game with 20 players but to the players credit they continued to work hard and added another 12 goals 12 behinds while restricting South to 3 behinds.

One of the most pleasing things to come out of the game was that our intensity and defensive pressure was still evident deep into the final term, highlighted by some excellent smothers and tackling pressure. It is also noteworthy to mention that we had 2 players playing their first U18 game for the Club, Brad Wilson from Mallala kicked 2 goals 4 behinds and provided a focal point in attack and Adan Richards from Mintaro/Manoora kicked 1 goal and took 7 Marks and had 18 Hit outs in a very good first up performance. Both players are Under 17 aged and are eligible to play Under 18 football next year. Our youngest play Jake Comitogianni, who is an Under 16 aged player, also contributed with 22 possessions and 4 goals in a very good performance.

Eagles 21. 22. 148 defeated South Adelaide 2. 5. 17

Michael Godden – League Coach

Saturday was very disappointing once again. Another good start but couldn’t sustain that level of performance for long enough and in the end North over powered us.

Consistency of effort and risk taking is very important in footy and that is what we have to get better at. Clearly there are some issues dealing with the amount of players dropping in front of our forwards but this is not new to us now, we just have to get better at dealing with them and move the ball accordingly.

Due to the changing landscape of the competition in the second half of the year we have had to adapt and that is what we are still working on. We have been able to do it in patches but not for long enough. The positive is we have played some really good, attacking footy at times we just have to build on these moments and make them last longer. I have seen subtle improvements in this area, I know the score doesn’t reflect that but the curve is definitely up, believe it or not.

This week is the final chance if we want the privilege of playing finals this season. If we are good enough on the day we will get our chance and you never know from there.

The last home game is always a big one due to the movement of players in the Sanfl and possible retirements. For some it will be the last time they get to run out at home and wear our great Guernsey. This is always a special and emotional day for a player and their families.

I know the last part of this season isn’t what we all had hoped for yet. But what is done is done and we are still there with a fighting chance so please come along support your players, and let’s see where the wind takes us.

Eagles 9. 7. 61 lost North Adelaide 15. 9. 99



Jarrad Wright – Reserves Coach

A very disappointing day on Saturday against North Adelaide, I’m not overly disappointed in the result but the way we played. After coming off a very solid win over South, I was confident that we would continue in the patterns of movement and the execution this week moving forward.

Right from the first bounce we controlled the game in statistics more possessions, more clearances & a heap more inside 50 entries (57 to 36 end of game tally) plus 21 in this area but we were our own worst enemies with continually poorly executing the basics. North Adelaide on the other hand were terrific in their ability to complete the play and finish goals with most of their chances, in the first quarter we had 18 to 6 inside 50’s but only managed 5 scoring shots North were quite damaging with 5 goal 1 behind 100% scoring ratio which is very disappointing.

Structurally we were good all day as we managed to continually win contested ball and maintain play in our forward half but unfortunately ran out of time when we started to hit the targets. We kicked a flurry of goals late to come from 26 points down with 6 minutes to go and had a chance to win the game but the siren beat us to it and we went down to a very good North team by 6 points.

Result was not an issue as I have said above but the way we played was, consistency are the steps we need to be taking to better the players development.

Eagles 11. 11. 73 lost North Adelaide 13. 5. 83
Shane Grimm – Under 18′s Coach

After a resounding win against the bottom placed side last week, this weeks challenge was against the top placed North Adelaide. It was a challenge that the entire playing group accepted and even though we couldn’t get over the line I was pleased with the effort of the players and I am sure that the weekends performance has instilled enough belief within the group that we are good enough to go deep into finals this year, if we bring the same effort each week.

We played a very inexperienced Forward line this week with a combined total of 3 games played between our 3 Key Forwards. Brennan Cox who is still eligible to play Under 16s played his second game on Saturday and performed well kicking 3 goals and Brad Wilson and Adan Richards were also playing in their second games also performed admirably and will be better for the experience.

Statistically we held our own against North but a bad patch of about 10 minutes during the third term where North scored 4 unanswered goals was the difference between the 2 teams.

All in all it was a good performance against a good opposition, But we still lost. The good thing is the players were very disappointed and are looking forward to making amends this week against West Adelaide.

Eagles 11. 10. 76 lost North Adelaide 12. 11. 83

Hello all,

Well footy is back!! (Not that we ever really leave it), and everyone is excited and can't wait for round 1 to come around. After the disappointing end to last season the coaches and players have identified key areas of failure and are working hard to rectify them while never forgetting what we did well and continuing to improve in these areas.

As a brief update the coach’s box will look a bit different next season with Jarrad Wright, Luke Norman and Andrew Bruce all moving on. Replacing those guys will be an ex Eagle Scott Matthews to facilitate the Reserves and Ben Watkins to be my senior assistant. Both guys have fitted in very well and have really added to the great vibe around the group.

From a playing point of view there have been the normal movements of players having to move for work, country footy and retirements but the additions are very exciting. Nick Hayes, Fraser Thurlow, Aseri Raikiwasa, Luke Thompson and Jarrad Petrenko along with the addition of 12 players continuing their careers from the Under 18’s which is a huge number and testimate to the job that is being done in the development programs.

Also Tim Reeve, our long serving Strength and Conditioning coach has moved on and Ben Brugman has come in to take up the very important role. So far Ben has slotted in really well bringing lots of new ideas and the players are responding positively.

Another positive move off field is the appointment of Luke Powell to run our Leadership Program. This is a great coup for the club as Luke has many great ideas and we know the players will definitely learn from this process.

Along with the normal skill acquisition, game simulation and strength and conditioning a major focus this year is defending better and being better in contested situations. We can normally kick a score but we struggle to defend a score, so with the additions made to the squad and some change in structure I am sure this is going to improve our defensive results. This is a delicate balancing act as we still love to score and play open, exciting footy and that will never change. Working around the scrimmages and winning that tough inside ball is also a major focus, this area of the game has dropped away slightly so we need to do lots of work on it and the players are loving it.

Hopefully that gives you a snapshot of what we have been doing since the final siren finished the 2014 season. I have to say the players are in a really good head space and are training strong and united. Obviously we are all very determined to get some credibility back first, then push forward and make sure the Eagles are back on top for many years to come.

Finally, the players and coaches thank you for your continued support and can’t wait to see you all back at the footy next season which promises to be a fun and exciting year. I would also like to wish all Members, Supporters and their Families a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope you all have a fantastic time with your family and friends as I will, stay safe and enjoy.

Regards Michael Godden