Eagles Emails 2015

2015 marks the 25th season of the Woodville West Torrens Football Club. In 1991 two proud Clubs the Woodville Football Club and the West Torrens Football Cub came together to form the mighty Eagles, and our Silver Anniversary will be one to remember.

3 Premierships, 8 Grand Final appearances and playing in Finals in 20 of the 24 previous seasons, we have plenty to be proud of!

Who can forget the Euphoria of 1993, the blood sweat and tears of 2006 and the glory of 2011!

Join us and celebrate at two very special occasions this season.

On Saturday May 23, we will be holding our 25th Anniversary Gala Dinner Auction at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre. This will be a must attend event for every passionate Eagles supporter. Details to come.

On Sunday May 31 we will be battling the Sturt Football Club at Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval, 25 years after our first game against Sturt at Football Park. Our boys will wear replica Guernseys of the 1991 season. The Guernsey will also be adorned with the names of every player who has played league football at our great Club. Together with the past players gathering, it will be a game not to be missed.

so sad the way our club treated the legend Ron Fuller, I'll bet he wont be at any of this and I don't blame him

Legend and Ron Fuller don't go in the same sentence.

How did they treat HIM badly? Most coaches would've been sacked after the 2004 GF effort.
Ask David Niemenn, Matthew Kluzek and a host of others who were treated badly.

And in the end, he left on his own terms.

I'm sure being an inaugural player and having the title as coach when we won the 2006 Premiership will see him on the invited guest list.
Whether he attends is his choice. I can't see why he wouldn't. It was the club that was good to him, not the other way round.

Dobber wrote:so sad the way our club treated the legend Ron Fuller, I'll bet he wont be at any of this and I don't blame him

Hmmm, I sense there may be a bit of sarcasm here.

Like him or not there have only been 3 premiership coaches at our club and he is one of them, he also had great success with our juniors and think about some of the talent that passed through there in the late 90's.
After being smashed in 2004 he could easily have walked away but he didn't, he got the boys back for another unsuccessful crack and then did it again to get the flag...didnt see that happen with our friends down at Alberton after they got smacked by Geelong by 119 points did we?

I admit I wasn't a big Fuller fan Columbo - just wasn't a people's person and the stories I've heard first hand from players really disappointed me, which in turn didn't give the team the best chance of further success in his time, particularly with the calibre of players he had at his disposal.

BUT he obviously did do certain things well... and he did have 9 years at the helm to do so.

I was just curious to know how he was treated badly?

highly maligned by many people on this site and had amazing success with predominantly developing local players rather than the current approach of paying zillions for guys from other clubs, that have torn what was a great culture apart

In our 2006 Premiership year, correct me if I'm wrong, but was'nt that the year we recruited Cooper (from Sturt), Jarrad (from Williamstown), Grocke (from North) and Dabrowsky (from West). Excellent recruiting in that year for Ron Fuller's Premiership. Well done to the Club and to Ron Fuller!

Can't follow your argument (above), Dobber. We all know your dislike for some of our present recruits. Try to move on and start 2015 on a positive note.
BE HAPPY.

And had Mckenzie, Powell, Passador, and Lindsay from over the border.

And look at our 2011 Premiership team... Also great additions from other clubs and interstate, as well as a good blend of Eagle juniors.

And I still haven't had an explanation of how the CLUB treated Ronny badly.

But I'm not expecting one.

The WWTFC is delighted to announce that Patrick Giuffreda and Luke Thompson will Co-Captain the Club in season 2015. Following the completion of the 2014 season the Club invested an enormous amount of time and energy into the area of leadership and at the conclusion of an extensive process it was obvious Giuffreda and Thompson were the 2 stand out candidates for the role. After lengthy consideration it was clear the appointment of Co-Captains was the best option for the playing group and Club. Giuffreda and Thompson replace retired Club great Luke Powell who captained the Club from 2012-2014.

Chris Hall, Angus Rowntree, Jared Petrenko, James Boyd, Phil Raymond and Andrew Ainger will join Guiffreda and Thompson in an 8 man Leadership Group.

On the appointment Giuffreda said “It is a real honour to be appointed as Co-Captain of this great Club. We have had some outstanding captains lead this Club in my time here and I look forward to the challenge of upholding their standards.”

On the appointment Thompson said “Leadership is something that I’m passionate about and it’s a real privilege to be appointed Co-Captain. Since moving over from Melbourne the thing that stood out at the Club was the strong ethics set by everyone within the Club and I’m looking forward to continuing to drive these high standards”

Coach Michael Godden added “The process of selecting the Club's new leaders has been both an exciting and rewarding one. The players that have been selected have all displayed passion for the long term success of their Club and the knowledge in which to make this happen. For these reasons I am very excited about the appointment of all the leaders especially our Captains. Luke and Patrick both have exceptional qualities and will compliment each other well in what is a very important and prestigious role. Our key to future success is not just with these players, as it is important that every player on our list takes on some responsibility to make sure we have even and consistent performances as this is where our improvement will come from.”

Please join us in congratulating Patrick Giuffreda and Luke Thompson on their appointments as well as all of those who have been announced as part of the Club's Leadership Group for 2015.

Pretty happy with the leadership group selected, it shows we have good depth again given guys like Flash and Lewis are not in it. It also shows that some of the those selected will have to take a step up (Boyd, Ainger and Hall) which will add to the team results. I like our squad, early days but it looks ok. Glad to see Patrick get rewarded he has set the example for a number of years and Luke has heaps to offer in many areas.

Hareeba wrote:Pretty happy with the leadership group selected, it shows we have good depth again given guys like Flash and Lewis are not in it. It also shows that some of the those selected will have to take a step up (Boyd, Ainger and Hall) which will add to the team results. I like our squad, early days but it looks ok. Glad to see Patrick get rewarded he has set the example for a number of years and Luke has heaps to offer in many areas.

Totally agree Hareeba plus watching the seconds in the trial they have embraced the "new" game plan . I just wonder if the Eagles following this new game style will be labeled slow food for thought

Only 49 days to go until our 2015 season kicks off against West Adelaide here at Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval on Saturday 11th April.

Join us on Saturday 28th March at the Eagles Function Centre for the 2015 Player Auction. On the night we will officially launch our season, you get to meet all the players and have a chance to own a player or two for the year! It is always a great night and we hope to see you there.

Book your Ticket through the Club on 08 8347 2444 or email Ashleigh

The WWTFC can confirm that Jared Petrenko will join Essendon today on a short term contract and be used as a ‘Top up player’ during the AFL NAB Cup.

The WWTFC and Essendon reached an agreement yesterday in which the terms and conditions of the contract provide both Petrenko and the Eagles sufficient security.

At the conclusion of the NAB Cup period the Eagles, Jared and Essendon will discuss the potential of Jared remaining at Essendon during the AFL regular season if he is required.

Football Manager Trent Hentschel said “It’s certainly not ideal from a timing perspective to be without a player of Jared’s quality at this time of the year even if it might only be for 3 weeks. In saying that we understand Jared’s decision and we are comfortable with the terms and conditions surrounding the agreement. With so much uncertainty surrounding the futures of the Essendon players it is very difficult to forecast or plan Jared’s position beyond the NAB Cup period so we will cross that bridge towards the back end of the NAB Cup. As it currently stands if Jared is not selected by Essendon for a match he will be available for selection for the Eagles.”

Michael Godden - League

To all Members, welcome back for the 2015 season. I hope you had a great summer and are looking forward to an exciting season ahead.

Unfortunately the season didn’t get away as planned. It is well documented we have made significant adjustments to our style. To change people’s instincts is not easy but to the players and coaches credit we have all worked tiresly to get this implemented as quickly as possible. Saturday was our first opportunity under real pressure and clearly there were holes in the way we played. I am not going to say this transition is going to be painless, but I know we can get it right quickly and go on to be a better side than we otherwise would have been.

The game started rusty with neither side giving much away but we were able to string a couple of nice plays together to go in with a slight lead.

The second quarter was very similar. The boys were able to take some control to get out to a 20pt lead half way through, only to have some lapses of concentration and give all that lead up by the main break.

There was lots to talk about at half time and when the game resumed the players had a really good patch kicking 6 un-answered goals, only to once again give up 2 late goals to bring the game back to 18pts.

The last quarter was not one to remember with West kicking 6-1 to 2-1 ultimately running out winners by 6 points.

These runs that clubs have put on us over the last couple of years are what we had planned to be better at and on this occasion it failed. I am extremely confident what we have in place is right and we will improve rapidly. Losses like this are never nice and especially in Round 1, but what a great opportunity against the best side for many years this weekend in Norwood. In terms of confidence, team balance, game plan and ability to win they are the bench mark so with the game on Sunday I can’t wait to continue this journey with you and see the players just having an absolute crack and see where it takes us.

Scott Matthews – Reserves

After coming off of 2 wins to start the reserves season, the group was keen to continue the momentum and put in a good performance in our first home game.

The first quarter was a bit scratchy, with the disposal entering our forward 50 costing us what should have been, several easy opportunities on goal. Especially, when our forwards were quite dominant in 1-on-1 marking opportunities. Having said that, West Adelaide did employ a fairly defensive zone, making it difficult to find our way through when the play was slowed down.

The first 20mins of the second quarter was probably the best we have moved the footy this season. Our run and link up off half back created several attacking opportunities and our effective foot skills enabled us to kick 4 fairly quick goals. Unfortunately, some missed tackles, and poor turnovers in the last 5 minutes resulted in West scoring 2 easy goals and undoing a lot of the good work prior.

West Adelaide came out in the third quarter with more physical intent and certainly challenged us, kicking the first 2 goals of the quarter but it was great to see our young group respond. Some really courageous and unselfish team acts from our players opened up some scoring opportunities through the middle part of the quarter and arrested the momentum that West had gained. Once again though, we allowed them to score the last 2 goals of the quarter and gave them belief going into the last quarter.

Our final quarters have been fantastic so far this year, and it was no exception again, limiting West to only 2 scoring shots to our 7 shots on goal. We out ran and used the footy much better than our opponents to finish the game with a pleasing 32 point victory.

It was a real team effort with a more even contribution from our playing group, highlighted by the 12 goal scorers from our 14 goals. We look forward to a challenging game against Norwood this week, who will field a more experienced team than when we met them at the beginning of our season.

Michael Godden - League
I mentioned last week that changing people’s mindset to become instinctual can be difficult, and these changes wouldn’t be without pain at times. This week was one of those days it all came together right. Significant changes didn’t need to happen from last week, just reinforcement on what we had worked on all summer and the players executed very well against a very good side.

The game started with not a lot of scoring opportunities for either side, but I could see that the players were very disciplined and were trying their best to stay focused on the job at hand.

The second quarter was still fairly tight, even though the score did start to blow out Norwood were kicking inaccurately which was helping.

The second half saw Norwood continue to be in-accurate which always helps but your Eagles men were playing a very good brand of pressure football. It was by far the best pressure we have put around the footy for a long time and with that pressure came some eye catching transitions from the players that ultimately ended in scoring opportunities. Finally running out 81 point winners.

It is great for the players and coaches mindset to see a game like that unfold, but there are still many areas we will need to improve and now the football public has seen us play like that I have no doubt this will create more challenges for the group.

It’s an old saying but it is very true “one week is long time in football”. The truth of this comment goes both ways so on the back of the weekends game we now have an enormous challenge against Centrals at Elizabeth. I believe I am right by saying we haven’t won there since Round 2 2004 and in that game we only won by 8 points. Just because it has been a long time doesn’t mean it’s going to happen without courage and a lot of hard work. There is a confidence that Centrals will have with the knowledge of this which means we are in for a real fight.

So back to study, preparation and training for all of us to make sure what we produced on the weekend we replicate and continue to strive to be better and if we do that I am sure we are going to have more good days than bad.

Being Anzac day on Saturday and such a special day to celebrate all that is Australia and what was and is still being done to give us the life we lead there is no better way than get out to Elizabeth, honour our diggers with our thoughts, and enjoy a good old game of Aussie Rules Footy on the hill and support your Eagles.

Eagles 17.11 113 Def Norwood 3.14 32



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Scott Matthews - Reserves

We knew that Norwood would be much more competitive and experienced than they were when we encountered them at the Parade in our Round 1 game a few weeks ago and that certainly proved to be the case.

Right from the outset, it was a contested arm wrestle, with only one goal a piece in the first quarter. Given that we were kicking into a fairly strong breeze and had the ball in our forward half of the ground for a relatively limited amount of time, a 1 point lead was a respectable outcome on the scoreboard for the first quarter.

The second quarter continued with a lot of stoppages and contested football, as our midfield began to influence themselves, resulting in 14-6 inside 50’s for the quarter and a 12 point half time lead. The pressure up forward also increased, causing Norwood to overuse their handball and create several turnovers.

In the third, our dominance in general play did not transfer onto the scoreboard as we outworked our opponents, doubling their inside 50’s for the quarter. Some wayward shots on goal resulted in 1.4 for the quarter but we could feel that we were getting on top of them.

The last quarter saw us continue our momentum having 10 shots on goal for 3.6. Despite Norwood’s efforts to move the ball quickly, our defence, which was rock solid all day, proved very difficult to penetrate, consistently rebounding their attacking forays.

The final result was a 12 point win and even though the scoreboard reflected a close game all day, we felt comfortably in control for the most part after quarter time. Our own skill errors, both in front of goal and around the ground certainly contributed to the small winning margin but I thought our work rate and ability to stay strong in the contest improved from previous weeks. Another pleasing aspect was the ability to share the scoring load with 9 individual goal scorers, following on from our 12 goal scorers last week.

We head out to the Ponderosa next week and look forward to continued individual player development, providing depth in our senior squad and keeping the pressure on the league players to continually perform to the standard they did this week.

Eagles 9.13 67 defeated Norwood 8.7 55



Scott Lewis - Calf - Available
Fraser Thurlow - Quad - 3 Weeks

LEAGUE – MICHAEL GODDEN

First I would like to congratulate Patrick Giuffreda on his 100 games. The way Goof has played those games is what we as a club stand for and we all can learn from his dedication, commitment and attention to detail to push the club in the direction we all want.

I would also like to congratulate James Boyd, Luke Jarrad, Lauchie McGregor, Jarred Petrenko and Luke Thompson for their selection in the 2015 State Squad. They have all started the season well and deserve the recognition and I wish them all the best to make the final squad to travel to Perth to take on the WAFL.

As I said last week these team challenges have kept coming and Saturday was another one. The first half was a unique spectacle. I know we often use the term “arm wrestle” in football but this truly was exactly that. To have only kicked 5 goals between both clubs and us only 1 in a half of football meant it wasn’t exactly free flowing, but sometimes when you have two desperate sides that can happen.

The second half saw the game open up and to the players credit we were able to outscore Port 8 goals to 2 eventually running out winners by 17 points. Physically this was the most demanding game this season by a long way so I am very pleased the players ran the game out as well as they did and displayed some real resilience.

A big focus this season was to win at home. We have already dropped the Round 1 clash vs West so we are all very keen to make sure we continue with the same endeavour and work ethic that has got us through the last few weeks and make sure we get back on track with winning consistently at home.

RESERVES – SCOTT MATTHEWS

We came to Alberton realising that the heat would probably be on early, after Port only managed 1 goal the week before against Norwood and would be looking to respond.

The first quarter was, for the 3rd week in a row, filled with errors from both teams. Our pressure coming up at the ball carrier was substandard and our team defence was not at the level that we expect, with many players wanting to attack when defence was needed. To Port’s credit they were ferocious at the ball and body, which restricted our ability to get our running game going.

It was a similar story to begin the second quarter but we lifted in intensity, with our strong tackling and pressure at the opposition, opening up a 22 point margin at the main break. This should have been much more given we kicked 4.8 for the quarter.

In the second half, the game opened right up for us. Our players positioned themselves in the zone much better, restricting Port to only 2 scoring shots for the half as our backs provided some fantastic link up and run. Our midfield, worked slightly deeper defensively and began to use the ball better and our forwards kept our attacking 50 open, were strong in the air and at ground level and were more efficient in front of goal, kicking 14.7 for the half.

The last 2½ quarters were without a doubt, the most exciting football we have played this year, with everyone performing their role and players continuing to keep the pressure on the league team to perform. It’s a matter of keeping that as our standard now and playing that way consistently over 4 quarters.

UNDER 18′S – SHANE REARDON

The Under 18 team recorded another win on Saturday, accounting for the Panthers by 90 points. The win was built by three quarters of very good team footy, highlighted by a 10 goal second quarter and we had multiple good players. It was a bit disappointing to lose the last quarter comfortably and we chatted about that after the match – just really highlighting the fact that we want to ensure we adopt a professional approach all of the time and not take anything for granted.

As I mentioned we had multiple good players and in particular Jake Comitogianni continues his great form with possessions and clearances with his ability to win the contested ball a standout. Harrison Hawkins showed his desire and run this week with a very good on ball performance with 30 possessions, whilst Jack Gaffney returned from injury with a good effort that gathered possessions and had 5 tackles in it as well. Brad Wilson’s 6 goals were very handy whilst Based Baqeri (3 goals) and Harry Gameau (1 goal) rucked and changed forward, both kicking goals and creating opportunities for others with their contests. Kyle Broadwood gave us plenty of run, shut down his man and showed his strength and athleticism at half back, with Jake Westbrook also contributing a fine effort at half back.

Our attention turns to this week now with Glenelg losing their first game narrowly on the weekend, so we will have to be on our game for the full four quarters to get the right result this week.

Eagles 24.13 (157) defeated South Adelaide 10.7 (67)

Match Reports – Rnd 6 2015 – Eagles vs Glenelg

LEAGUE – MICHAEL GODDEN

Coming off the back of the last few weeks it’s always a challenge to maintain the rage and the want for the contest. Unfortunately it wasn’t to the level we expect and we must get better at this. We need to make sure we are always demanding the very best from ourselves.

Glenelg got out to a good start and we really didn’t get going to the half way mark of the first where we started to see the style of footy we wanted to play, adding 5 goals 3 to 1 behind in the last 15 minutes to go into quarter time 25 points up.

The second quarter was ok, outscoring Glenelg by 14 points and having 14 to 6 inside 50’s. The disappointing thing was our inability to hit simple targets and stick our tackles. Towards the end of the half we started to show signs of going backwards too much and not attacking as much as I would like.

The second half was quite tough to watch as both sides made simple errors, which made for a turn over game. To the lads credit they kept trying and having a go, it’s just we made too many simple mistakes to put the game away and we didn’t attack the goal face enough, which is something we can work on and is definitely controllable.

At the end of the day we don’t have to be happy with the way we played but we do always have to enjoy winning, which we have done. Winning games like that can also mask some things, so make no mistake we will all be working out what we did wrong and right and make sure we continue to get better every week.

The upcoming game vs North is another great opportunity to get better and continue earning respect back. There is an absolute strength and resilience in this group and a real focus every week to improve and that is what I expect again.

RESERVES – SCOTT MATTHEWS

This match against Glenelg was always going to be a good challenge. Even though Glenelg were sitting mid-table, they had had some close good results in their first 5 games. For us, it was about building upon the second half from last week, getting some consistency into our game and the players not allowing themselves to become complacent, but rather finding ways to improve as individuals.

Glenelg came out hard and played some good, physical, 1-on-1 contested footy early on, which we struggled to adapt to. With the aid of a breeze, they kicked 3 goals, while we couldn’t put one through. We really didn’t make the most of our attacking opportunities though, preferring to look lateral, rather than improving our field position and moving the ball quickly to our forwards.

The second quarter was a little better than the first, as we quickly moved the ball in deeper to our forwards, and we were much stronger in our tackling. 9 scoring shots to 3 for the quarter, in our favour, saw us draw level with Glenelg at the main break and with 5.6 we could have opened up a small lead.

At the half time break we were honest about our poor first half performance, allowing Glenelg to dictate the play more often than not.

We had a good honest tussle with Glenelg in the third quarter with neither team finding a way to break the game open. We managed a very small 5 point lead through some better use of the footy and stronger efforts around the contested situation.

The final quarter was once again outstanding! We kept a team goalless for the 5th time this year while piling on 6 goals of our own, eventually running out winners by 43points. While this may have looked great to those picking up the paper on Sunday morning, we are well aware that it was a poor showing for large periods of the game.

One thing I am pleased with is the fact that we were challenged, and the boys found a way to respond. Another positive was our big ruckman Fraser Thurlow playing his first game in an Eagles guernsey and getting through unscathed. There is no doubt that this group know how to win, but we will need to become more consistent as individuals and as a team, if we want to be successful.
UNDER 18′S – SHANE REARDON

It was a top of the table clash this week against Glenelg and it was pleasing to get the points with a hard fought 11 point win. It was a tough day with the game dominated by stoppages, tackles, blocks and harassing from both teams. Our poor kicking at goal wasn’t very helpful and we did have chances to really put the opposition away. At three quarter time we had a commanding 40 point lead but Glenelg showed why they had been successful to date by hitting us with a hard running last quarter which we initially struggled to stop, although our last 5-6 minutes was pleasing as we stood up and dealt with the pressure.

It was great to be able to debut 5 players this week with Zac Beecken, Josh Hoyle, Lachlan Goold, Anthony Stengle and Brad Prior all making contributions to the team effort. In fact quite genuinely, every player involved in the game played their part at some stage with a “team first” act which was essentially why we were able to win the game.

Following that line we did have a lot of good players with Based Baqeri shouldering our ruck duties virtually on his own and he was strong and brave all day as he got his 30 hit outs and 5 marks as well as 12 possessions. Jake Comitogianni continued to get the football and used his 33 possessions well and he was supported in the midfield by Jack Gaffney and Harrison Hawkins who both got plenty of the ball. Liam Wood in only his second game was very good across our backline and Jackson Lee at centre half back was also very strong and disciplined. Lleyton Hedges continued his goal kicking form with 4 goals and Ryan Atkins gave us plenty of run and carry from his wing.

This week we are preparing for another 1st versus 2nd clash with the Roosters.

I would like to start today by thanking all the Eagles fans that came out on Sunday. Everywhere the players and I looked were Eagles hats and when the chant started in the last quarter it really added to the atmosphere. There is no doubt the players could hear it and would have felt good about it because I certainly could way up in the coaches’ box which is fantastic so thankyou to all.

The start to this game was a real challenge for the playing group with North pushing up behind the footy and going very hard forward, it looked like it was set for a shootout. The big positive for me was when the players and I spoke at the quarter time break they were all over it and knew what had to be done; this is a big step forward for this group. The result was North didn’t score a goal for 80 minutes while we scored 11-7. North did kick 10 points in that time and there were some they should have got but most was the result of some very good pressure forcing them to rush their kick or kick from awkward areas. The best stat for me was the smother count 10-3. This is sometimes a forgotten art in football but it is such a vital one and it always tells a story, so I am very pleased to see the players executing these well.

For the second week in a row we have dropped off late to allow the opposition to get back some score that we have worked so hard for. This is a real focus area and one we will endeavour to get better at to make sure we play 4 full quarters. Other than that I am really happy with the team and the progress we have made so far this season. The club as a whole has started well with good results but most importantly some really good development happening in our Reserves and underage programs. With the loss of two critical people on the eve of the season it has taken a huge amount of work by many to pull together and allow the players the opportunity to continue their development. This has been a great achievement so far and I look forward with all the staff to making the Eagles an even better place as the season goes on.

With the State game break this weekend it gives us a great opportunity to get some extra work into the players while for some it’s a great time to freshen up and be ready for the next critical phase of the year, which is when the competition always gets sorted out. Good luck to our State boys I hope you go really well. To everyone else I look forward to seeing you at the 25 Year Gala Dinner on Saturday night where we can celebrate what it means to be an Eagle.

Michael Godden - This time of year is always a challenge when you have had a good start to the season. A lot of the teams you play are at a critical point and you know they are going to give it everything to keep their heads above the win/loss and Sunday was exactly that. Sturt really came to play and I think if the conditions were better it would have been a very entertaining game but unfortunately for some it turned out to be an old fashioned scrap. As viewers this isn’t always great but to players and coaches it’s a variation on the type of football you play most weeks so you have to be good at adapting to make sure you don’t drop a game because you weren’t prepared to change. So far this year and I stress ‘so far’ the team has played against a variety of styles and most of the time we have been able to arrest momentum and turn it in our favour. This is a huge step forward for the group and one thing we need to continue to get better at as the year progresses.

With a huge downpour in the last quarter of the Reserves and then again in the first quarter of the League it took a fair bit of sting out of the ground and created a slow stoppage game, so the first quarter was just about getting our set ups right and fighting. The players did this well to hold a small lead at the first break.

The second quarter was a good display of wet weather footy, with the team playing some tough inside play with some flair on the outside to go to half time 25 points up.

Even though we won the third we started to lose some run and we stopped creating like we were in the first half which you still need to do in all conditions.

The last was an interesting quarter. The way the game had been played you felt if you could get it in your forward half early it was probably going to stay there, unfortunately it wasn’t us that got it in there first which required a strong defensive effort by the players. The players executed really well only allowing Sturt to kick 1-3 and a rushed behind for the quarter. This is great for the group to know that whatever the situation they have the ability to hold strong if we have to, while still having the ability to attack and kick a score when required.

At the end of the day with the 25 Year Anniversary, heritage Guernsey and all the clubs greats back for the day the players had a responsibility to win and they executed that so I am very proud of them for achieving the simple goal we set, win.

With a Sunday game and now leading into a Monday game it changes a few things with our preparation, so with a bigger break it gives us a great chance to do some extra work but also have enough time to freshen up and be absolutely perfect for the game against South.

With pretty ordinary weather on Sunday it was great to see so many Eagles fans out and supporting the lads, you know we really appreciate it. Hopefully being a holiday this Monday you can make the trip down to Noarlunga where we will continue to strive to put on a good show.
Eagles 6.7 (43) defeated Sturt 3.9 (26)

Match Reports – Rnd 9 2015 – Eagles vs South Adelaide

LEAGUE – MICHAEL GODDEN

Coming off the state bye two weeks ago and then having a Monday game felt like an eternity waiting for this important game vs South. To the players credit they trained well and kept the focus required to compete at a high level no matter the circumstances.

Unfortunately we lost Thomo early in the first quarter so the backs had to re adjust which they did really well. This quarter was played mainly in our forward half with not a lot of reward but the positive was that South didn’t get away from us kicking with a solid breeze.

Kicking with the wind isn’t the answer to all but it certainly does help. The ball carry’s that little bit further and is easier to control and the players were able to get the ball to our forwards in dangerous positions. The other thing that happens with the breeze it helps you hold the ball in our half for longer periods, ultimately finishing with a healthy half time lead of 29 points.

The third quarter was fought hard by both teams with South reducing the margin to 18 points. All things considered we saw this as a win as we were winning enough ball to finish the game off strong.

The last quarter was ok but we didn’t get the score we would have liked. We had plenty of opportunities but we made some basic errors going forward which restricted our scoring. The players are used to rotating about 80-100 times per game but with the early loss of Thomo and the width of the ground we were down in the 60′s which certainly made it tougher for the lads to spread from contested situations. In saying that the players worked extremely hard and set a really good zone making South handball a lot in their defensive half and ultimately making turn overs which was great to see. Finishing with a final margin of 29 points.

There are areas of our game that still need a lot of work but all wins are great and this is no exception. We have had some good battles against South in recent years so it was great to see how far we have come as a club.

As I often sign off with these days is a thank you to all Eagles people who made the effort on a holiday to make the trek down south to support the boys. In my time that’s the best support we have had down there and we have you guys to thank for that.

Another week off this week so there will be no excuses for our physical preparation going into the Adelaide game. Enjoy the weekend and I look forward to seeing you all back home where we will try to tick another box off, one we weren’t able to do last year against Adelaide.



RESERVES – SCOTT MATTHEWS

After an outstanding 4 quarter display against Sturt last week it was important that we backed it up against a South Adelaide team that had won 3 of its past 4 games.

Aided by a strong breeze in the first quarter, there were some pleasing signs early in the term with excellent ball movement and delivery to our strong forward line. We dominated play, keeping South scoreless and kicking 5 goals ourselves but still wasted opportunities to open up an even bigger lead at the first break.

We worked quite hard into the breeze in the second quarter but costly turnovers and missed opportunities deep in our forward line resulted directly in 3 opposition goals. We had more shots on goal than South for the term but our 2.5 to South’s 4.2 failed to put them away.

In the third quarter South Adelaide maintained possession in their back half for large periods, trying to restrict our ability to do too much damage on the scoreboard but we maintained our pressure and were able to convert 4 late goals to open up a comfortable 51 point lead at the final break.

With a comfortable lead going into the last break, our aim was to slow the play down when we had the footy in our back half and then look to attack once we got inside our attacking half of the ground. Disappointingly, the players failed to play to instruction on too many occasions, attempting to take the game on when deep in our defense rather than take the heat out of the game. This gave South more scoring opportunities than they should have had and reduced the final margin to 22 points.

While this was a disappointing way to finish the game, we are still encouraged by the fact that we have played some exciting attacking footy and disciplined defensive footy more often than not in the first 10 games of this year. We are in a great position as a team, having not dropped a game yet, but we still have a lot of improvement left in us, both as individuals and as a team. With no games during the next 2 weeks for the Reserves, it gives us a chance to work on our deficiencies, analyze where the group is at and prepare ourselves for the back half of the season.



U18′S – SHANE REARDON

The Under 18’s got back in the winners’ circle on Friday night with a good win against South Adelaide at Noarlunga. It was good to get back playing footy after a fortnight off. The first half was solid football and we led by six goals at half time although during the half we did have a few lapses and were not really playing consistently to the night football conditions with some over use of handball and indirect play.

After half time the players were terrific in their intent, their decision making and their ball use and we played as well as we have played this year, kicking thirteen goals to one in the half, which included a nine goal last quarter. Considering when we played South a month ago they kicked 8 goals against us in the last quarter this was a very good achievement. The tackling, hard running, blocking, skill and direct movement were all features of a very good half of footy.

Again we had a lot of good players with Jake Comitogianni amassing 41 disposals, bookending his game with a 12 possession first quarter and a 13 possession last quarter, Lachy Hall played his best game this year setting a fantastic example of tackling intensity, and his skill and ball use were a feature of his 27 possessions, Harry Jolly (21 possessions) made a welcome return to the field after injury, as did Daniel Polanski (23 possessions, 3 goals) with both getting plenty of the footy and being creative and strong. Luke Hoare returned to the team with 26 possessions and 7 marks and Tyson Stengle kicked 5 goals and continues to be a livewire in our forward line. Anthony Stengle gave us plenty of run from half back, Todd Slade’s four goals and competition were very good, Jackson Lee found plenty of the ball inside in our midfield and James Schmusch played well in his first game of the year.

This week we turn our minds and efforts to West Adelaide at home and we are looking forward to that challenge.

League Match Report - Eagles V Adelaide

Well we finally did it!! After a long wait from last year it was nice for the players to get the opportunity to see how far we have come from our last encounter with Adelaide.

The game started with Adelaide going straight down at the 25 second mark and kicking a goal. This is not the way we ever want to start a match but to the players credit they got straight back to the middle, put it behind them, and proceeded to kick the next 11 goals to 3 in a very entertaining first half. We have played some nice patches of football this year but that first half was extremely good to watch as the players put Adelaide under an enormous amount of pressure and then broke away and capitalised on our movement.

The second half was a bit disappointing to not be able to push forward and finish the game on our terms. To Adelaide’s credit they were able to win more contested ball and then keep it off of us. Defensively we dropped away slightly with our pressure around the footy which allowed too many easy pop outs. We always knew their key forwards were going to be bigger and we needed to have pressure on the ball coming in. What Adelaide was able to do was isolate those forwards and then they delivered the ball nicely to them. The most disappointing thing for us was our delivery into our forward line. We lost a bit of zip and our links which created shallow entries, ultimately making easy turn overs. The second half was 23-18 inside 50’s our way but even with that advantage we still lost the scoring shots by 4, so our efficiency dropped while we also kicked inaccurately with 3-7. These things are in our control, we just need to keep working and make sure we overcome any mental or physical fatigue and still execute under pressure. Disappointingly we lost Boydy early in the second quarter which really affects your drive and run. In today’s footy losing a player is a huge disadvantage and like all clubs we are still trying to find the best mix when this happens to stop the bleeding. With that said though the players ran their hearts out, we unfortunately just didn’t play it that smart and conserved energy at the right times.

After the weekends results this game against Centrals looks like a ripper. Their form lately has been really good culminating in that massive win on the weekend. With it being Luke Jarrads 200th game and another opportunity to get out to Maughan Thiem Hyundai oval on a Saturday arvo I hope we see another great turn out of passionate Eagles supporters like we have done all year

Michael Godden
Anytime you play Centrals you know you are in for a real battle. The two clubs have a long history and every game I have been involved in between the clubs has been a great contest.

Added to the day was the celebration of Michael Wundke playing his 100th game and Luke Jarrad playing his 200th game. For both players to do this is a great achievement so congratulations and I look forward to coaching you for many more games in the future.

Thanks again to the cheer squad and an amazing banner. I know that Michael and Luke really appreciated your efforts.

The first half was a genuine midfield fight. The pressure around the ball was high which didn’t make it a high scoring first half but it was an entertaining one. I felt at times we had the game under control but Centrals pressure created 2 goals in time on which ultimately led to an equal half time score.

We didn’t need to adjust anything we just needed to continue trying what we were doing and believe in the end we could get there. The 3rd quarter proved to be our best. The players lifted on the defensive side of the game which created opportunities after some really good transition football.

The final quarter was much the same without a lot of scoring eventually winning the 3rd by 1 goal and finally running out winners by 32 points. Considering the scores were tied at halftime that’s a great result for the team to know we could absorb that pressure in the first half and then still have enough run to create scoring opportunities in the second half.

This week is another great challenge. Obviously West rolled us in round 1 and have since gone on to be a very good side leading the competition in scores for, averaging over 95 points a game. Any side that can do this is very dangerous especially on their home deck. As a football department our main goal at the moment is to continue to improve in all areas. The season has started well for all 3 grades, but it’s just a start and we need to make sure as a group our standards are upheld and we keep improving

Every week presents a different challenge. This week it was playing a team that beat us in Round 1 and is also the highest scoring team in the SANFL. To keep West to 11 scoring shots including only 3 goals in 3 quarters of football was an amazing effort by the players while being able to kick 81 points ourselves. That’s the positive. The negative was to have a 1 goal to 7 last quarter and finish the game with a sour taste but one we can use and learn from to make sure we get better given that same situation in the future.

The first quarter was pleasing, the players doing well at the stoppages and putting some good pressure on the ball carrier. Accuracy was important as we scored 4 goals straight to West’s 2 behinds while being able to rush 3 behinds, which was a credit to our defence.

The second quarter showed some really good signs, controlling the ball and working hard to get it back. The ball was in our forward 50 a lot, the only disappointment was to only have 5 shots on goal from 15 entries. Ending the half 27 points up.

The third quarter was no doubt our best. It was a very committed and strong brand of football mixed with some real flair in our attack. The first 3 quarters showed what this group is capable of and a credit to the commitment the players have showed to each other.

The best way to describe the final quarter was we played indirect when we had the ball, we over used the handball badly and the most important thing is we lost our shape as a team. This means we went away from executing the simple things which are in our control. Some may suggest it was a touch of arrogance; I can assure you we don’t have that in us, we pride ourselves on being a working class team. We technically had some flaws and we know what they were, we just have to get better at being consistent over the full duration of a match.

We have a lot to go through this week both positive and negative so it will definitely be a busy one for all of us. This time of year there is no rest with there being game after game so you need to review well, train hard and prepare quickly as the next game vs Sturt will be here before we know it. Last time we played Sturt it was a real battle in the wet so I am looking forward to a nice day and another opportunity to get better. Every week we know teams are going to come at us and that is something new for us to deal with. I can assure you the players know we have to keep improving and whatever challenges are thrown at us we are loving it and look forward to every one of them.

This year our away support has been amazing and hopefully this week will be the same. Have a great week and I look forward to seeing you all at Unley oval to watch your committed and desperate Eagles football teams.

Michael Godden - With the threat of thunderstorms, including hail and strong winds made planning for this game very interesting. On the way to the ground things were looking ok but then at quarter time of the Reserves it started to hail. Luckily this was the worst of it and other than the fact it was cold the heavy ball and wind were the only things we had to consider. Even though these games rarely see big scores I still love them and I know the lads do too.

The game started well for us kicking to what was marginally the end favoured by the cross wind. Inaccuracy hurt after playing the majority of the quarter in our forward 50 only getting a reward of 1-4. The players started with a really good attitude and were into the battle.

The second quarter saw the play mainly in our forward half again but still not a lot of reward for the efforts only being able to score 2-1. Up to half time it was a real battle of defences with Sturt employing a 7 man backline which clogged up our forward 50, especially on a small ground.

The third quarter was always going to be about patience, just keep trying to defend hard and find a way to goal. The players executed really well and displayed very good resilience and persistence. There was an interesting period in the back end of the quarter where we had approx. 30 possessions to 3, 7 inside 50’s to 0 but unfortunately we kicked 2-3. This was the period we needed to make the most of as the wind was strengthening and swinging.

The last was another real forward running attack from an opposition, we just needed to hold fast, absorb, and attack against it. Even though this is an area we still need to improve we also understand that teams take a lot of risks in these periods and we just have to get our hands on the footy. The players did this reasonably well and obviously had done enough work early to come away with a comfortable 18 point win.

Any win at this time of the year and in these conditions is pleasing. The players are feeling really good physically as the load has been shared all year. We and continuing to challenge each other to uphold a very high standard and the players are seeking more and more which is a good sign. Congrats to the Under 18’s and Reserves again this week as they both put in very good performances and the pressure continues to build on League players to keep moving forward.

For those that braved the elements on Saturday I thank you and hope you have all thawed out and I look forward to seeing you all back at Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval this Saturday for a massive game against Port.

Well what a disappointment that performance was. All losses hurt but the way we played on this occasion made it a bit more painful. So far this year we have been able to stick to what we have trained for all summer for the majority of the quarters but Saturday we lost our way a bit. Compounding the structural issues was our basic ball handling skills and I know you all say it, the over use of handball. This has been a common issue over the last few weeks and is one I need to rectify and get us back to moving the ball the way we were earlier in the year while still being really disciplined in our team defence.

Right from the start we were struggling to control the ball in our hands, we looked fumbly and our skills going forward and goal kicking was below standard. We were winning enough of the ball and I felt we had a good handle on the game, we just didn’t put scoreboard pressure on scoring 3-5 to 4-1 conceding that last two goals in time on.

The second quarter was a tight one with more fundamental mistakes but I felt we still had enough chances ending the quarter with 1-3 to 3 behinds, going into the halftime break 4 points up.

The third quarter started to see the game turning against us ultimately losing it by 3 goals. Once again we had the ball enough we just couldn’t get through their defense and take our chances. Port were dominating with the third man up but even with that we still only were negative 3 in stoppages which for us is a good number, we just failed to use the ball and take enough risks.

The challenge to finish off well was exciting for the group and the start of the last showed we still had a kick left in us. Dominating the ball and having 3 shots on goal in the first 7 minutes to once again only kick 1-2 and draw within 7 points. The last 20 minutes was extremely disappointing being completely over run and out classed with Port piling on 5-5 in quick succession.

As a summary I would say for the first time for a long time we went away from what works for us. Our tackling wasn’t good enough and our skills and ball handling was below par. We overused the handball, we didn’t play brave enough and we were dictated to at the stoppages. With that said the effort and commitment never waned and that is fantastic. The other positive is the eagerness of the group to get back to work straight after the game to make sure we don’t go down that path again. So with a big week on the track and in the review room I along with the players cannot wait to get down to the Bay and have another crack at getting it right.