2018 match reports

ROUND 1 – LEAGUE VS WEST ADELAIDE
Eagles 12.14 (84) def West 7.10 (52)
Goal Kickers: J. Lukosius 3, N. Hayes 2, E. Haylock 2, S. Rowland, T. Gray, P. Stewart, J. Redden, M. Borholm
Best Players: P. Stewart, J. Boyd, J. Johansen, J. Firns, L. Thompson, E. Haylock

After a long summer of training it’s always nice to get back into some competitive football and get our 2018 campaign underway.

Round 1 is always tricky as you don’t really know where the opposition are at and to be honest you’re not exactly sure where you’re at either.

The first quarter started and both sides were really having a go, but like most early games there were uncharacteristic mistakes and turn overs. We just got the better on the scoreboard but the game was tight to take a 6 point lead to the first change.

The second delivered some improved football to start, but the middle part of the quarter was very disappointing, we dropped our energy and our skills followed. The good thing was the players recognised this on field and our last 10 mins was very good going to the main break with an 18 point lead.

We spoke about the need to improve our basic skills and play a bit more of an aggressive style. The players executed well winning the quarter by 3 goals, which gave us a handy 3 quarter time lead.

The final quarter was frustrating having the bulk of the play and shots on goal, but were unable to finish off kicking 2-6 for the term and allowing some easy scores the other way. Finally running out winners by 34 points.

In summary it was a positive day with many players playing varied positions and we got our first chance to implement the many things we have adjusted over the summer. These adjustments will take time, but I could see the players trying hard to deliver and I am sure we will only get better from here. As I said at the start, round 1 is always tricky so the win is all that matters and with time and more match practice I am sure we get more consistent with our skills.

A wins a win as they say and now we move quickly on to Central. Central beat us well at home last year and they have started the season very well, so I have no doubt we will have to improve a lot this week in what promises to be a great contest back home at Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval.

Michael Godden
Senior Coach
ROUND 1 – RESERVES VS WEST ADELAIDE
Eagles 8.6 (54) def by West Adelaide 8.10 (58)
Goal Kickers: C. McLeod 2, J. Cook, D. Minney, S. McKay, L. Sheppard, J. Weidemann, J. Comitogianni
Best Players: L. Martin, C. Gaffney, T. Schmusch, J. Rowe, X. Redden, J. West

After a tough preseason where the boys worked super hard to improve their knowledge of the game and the skill execution we were extremely excited and ready for the challenge that lay ahead of us.

We jumped out of the blocks brilliantly and with some crisp ball movement and tough relentless defence we had West Adelaide on the back foot at quarter time to lead by 19pts.

We continued on with some solid football in the second but West Adelaide were able to even up the contest and reign in our significant impact we had from our onballers around the contest.

The third quarter saw us gain plenty of football for the quarter but we were not able to execute our skills well enough and let West Adelaide have too much easy ball going forward to even up the contest to a 5 point game at 3 quarter time.

The last quarter saw us bounce out of the blocks to kick the first 2 goals of the quarter and really had West on the back foot. As the quarter grew on West were able to chip away at us and our skill execution hurt us with West Adelaide scoring from our turnovers to hit the lead by 4 points with 4 minutes to go. The last 4 minutes saw us dig deep and have an opportunity to win the game after the siren which was a great sign for a young group to never give in and fight it out to the end.

We look forward to getting back on our home turf at Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval this Sunday and putting in a strong performance to start out the day on the right note.

Vinnie Rugolo
Reserves Coach
ROUND 1 – UNDER 18’S VS WEST ADELAIDE
Eagles 20.12 (132) def West Adelaide 8.7 (55)
Goal Kickers: L. Firns 3, T. Francis 3, G. Armfield 3, T. Friend 2, D. Pratico 2, L. McNeil 2, T. Burgoyne, J. Coff-McDermott, J. Bailey, J. Mead, M. Frederick
Best Players: M. Frederick, R. Bruce, K. Pickett, L. Firns, J. Miller, K. Pudney

The under 18s opened their season on Thursday afternoon at City Mazda Oval against West Adelaide and recorded a very good 77 point win. We opened with a good first term with lots of good pressure and took a 19 point lead into quarter time. We were able to extend that in the second quarter leading at half time by 38 points. An even third quarter saw us in front by 39 points at three quarter time but we finished strongly kicking 7 goals to one in the last quarter to record a comfortable win.

We had many good players and Marty Frederick led the way – he was our Captain for the night and he was strong and powerful in his attack on the ball and exciting with his run off the wing and half back. Ryan Bruce was a very strong defender, Kysiah Pickett had many good possessions from his wing, Tyson Friend and Liam Firns were very effective forwards kicking 5 goals between them and Kai Pudney and Jarrod Miller were very good midfielders picking up many possessions and putting us into attack throughout the match.

We play Central Districts at my Money House Oval this Saturday from 1.15pm so we are looking forward to the challenge of playing them after they recorded a good win in Round 1.

Shane Reardon
Under 18’s Coach
ROUND 3 – UNDER 16’S VS WEST ADELAIDE
Eagles 5.5 (35) def by West Adelaide 18.12 (120)
Goal Kickers: I. Dorian, C. Poulter, O. McCANN, Z. Buck, L. Coe
Best Players: Z. Buck, H. Dawkins, F. Agnew, C. Poulter, I. Dorian, Z. Scott

Our Round 3 clash against West Adelaide on the Thursday before Easter gave the group a new experience playing underlights at City Mazda Stadium.

Our starts for the first two rounds have been something the lads have struggled with and Round 3 was a little bit the same with Westies having 10 inside 50’s & kicking 6 goals to our 4 entries and us not kicking a goal. We even up the ledger over the next three quarters with inside 50’s, however our efficiency going into our forward line was a little wayward and we were unable to make up any ground with Westies running out victors by a comfortable margin.

The lads are having a go & are improving, however our foot skills are not at a level that we could be proud of. Zac Buck, Harrison Dawkins & Fergus Agnew worked tirelessly thru the midfield, Caleb Poulter showed some class up forward & across half back with Indiana Dorian acquitting himself in Ruck & kicking a goal in the last Quarter from Centre Half Back. Zeke Scott played a role down back & thru the midfield.

This week we take on Centrals out at Elizabeth & we look forward to keep on working towards playing four quarters of football.

Darren Hams
Under 16’s Coach

Round 2 – League v Central
Eagles 13.12 (90) def Central 8.15 (63)
Goal Kickers: J. Hayes 4, J. Johansen 3, E. Haylock 2, M. Borholm, N. Hayes, L. Sharrad, J. Gaffney
Best Players: J. Hayes, L. Sharrad, M. Goldsworthy, J. Boyd, A. Poole, J. Gaffney
After a long week on the track and in the meeting room it was pleasing to see the group start to adopt some of the things we have trained for over the summer. As I mentioned last week as a group we were disappointed in the way we played against West but Sunday’s game was a step in the right direction.
Conditions at Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval were challenging for both teams as we don’t normally play in that heat. The first quarter started with both sides having a real crack and the game was being played at a high level. Kicking into the breeze the players did well to win the quarter by 10 points.
Kicking with the breeze in the second the boys started to win the ball around the contest which was giving our forwards a good look at 1 on 1’s, and they delivered. We ended the quarter kicking 6-3 and took a 47 point lead to the main break.
The third saw Centrals fight back hard as they consistently won the 50/50 ball to give them ascendancy and win the quarter by 15 points. We were disappointed with our efforts in this term but credit to Centrals who simply out worked and out hunted us.
By now the sting had really gone out of the game with both sides struggling to maintain skill and speed as the heat took its toll on everyone. The quarter was played out with not much to report as the game slowed and errors took over. Normally this would really annoy to not finish strong but I can tell you both Centrals and our boys gave everything they had with the Eagles finally running out winners by 27 points.
In summary I was very happy with our efforts both with the ball and without it but we have a long way to go. We are still not acting on instinct and until then we will review, train and work hard to improve our standard of play.
This week poses a huge challenge, not only to recover in time but also taking on an in form team on their home deck. We accept the challenge and can’t wait to get out there on Saturday and have real go.
Michael Godden
Senior Coach
Round 2 – Reserves Match Report
Eagles 13.4(82) def by Central 16.18 (114)
Goal Kickers: L. Sheppard 3, J. Cook 2, J. Rowe 2, J. Weidemann 2, L. Martin, N. Moore, J. West, E. Miller
Best Players: J. Lee, J. Rowe, M. Frederick, J. West, D. Minney, J. Bailey
It was great to be back on our home deck in front of our loyal supporters. As a collective though in the first quarter we let down ourselves as we had not prepared well enough to win a game of football and this let central’s have a 43 point lead at quarter time as we were really reactive and couldn’t be aggressive enough at the contest to break even.
The second quarter was a different story as we increased our tackle count and were much more direct this allowed us to score freely with 5 goals for the quarter. We still needed to improve our defensive transition and loose ball as Central were still able to score freely.
At half time we were clear that the forwards needed to work harder to ensure the ball does not come out of our forward line to easy. With a smaller forward line this was something that we were able to achieve but lacked enough inside 50’s to give our forwards an opportunity to put some real scoreboard pressure on central.
We focused our last quarter to be very direct through the corridor and showed when we did we were able to put the score on the board and put Central under some genuine pressure we are as good a side as any.
The focus for this group will be how do we prepare ourselves during the week and game day to ensure we are really solid consistant football players for the Woodville West Torrens Football Club. I look forward to the boys putting in a big effort for themselves and supporters and getting a win.
See you all Saturday.
Vinnie Rugolo
Reserves Coach
Round 2 – Under 18’s Match Report
Eagles 14.9 (93) def by Central 17.13 (115)
Goal Kickers: J. Coff-McDermott 2, T. Friend 2, H. Schoenberg 2, L. McNeil 2, L. Beecken, K. Pickett, T. Francis, J. Dorizzi, D. Pratico, D. Pearce
Best Players: L. McNeil, K. Pickett, J. Mead, H. Schoenberg, J. Miller, L. Beecken
The Under 18s went down to Central Districts on Saturday, losing by 22 points in a high scoring game at My Money House Oval, with us kicking 14 goals 9 points to Centrals 17 goals 13 points. The first quarter did the damage with Centrals kicking 6 goals to our 3. Both teams kicked 11 goals each from that point on and we attacked relentlessly in the last quarter kicking 3 goals 6 points and at one stage closing to 4 points, but to Central’s credit, they kicked the next 3 goals to effectively close out the match.
Lochie McNeil was a tireless worker in our midfield and picked up many possessions, Kysiah Pickett gave us some real spark when he shifted into the centre square, Jackson Mead was damaging with his disposal and worked hard all game, Jarrod Miller was another who tried hard in our midfield along with his on ball partner Kai Pudney, Harry Schoenberg was lively through our forward line and Luke Beecken and Jordan Dorizzi were two others who gave us some energy at some critical moments, particularly through the second half.
This week we turn our attention to South Adelaide for our first home game, and they are in good form having won their first two games. We will be working hard to prepare ourselves for what I am sure will be a good game of footy.
Shane Reardon
Under 18’s Coach
Round 4 – Under 16’s Match Report
Eagles 6.6 (42) def by Central 17.15 (117)
Goal Kickers: J. Godden 3, K. Kenny, W. Noll, M. Litster
Best Players: F. Agnew, H. Dawkins, Z. Scott, L. Jones, J. Godden, Z. Buck
We were looking forward to our Round 4 clash against Centrals Districts as we had a competitive trial game with them only 6 weeks prior.
Another 6 Changes from the week before gave us opportunity to look at some more players take to the field at this level. In warm conditions, we were competitive at the very start but our Achilles heel again this week was our starts and unfortunately trailed by 3 goals at quarter time & 10 goals at half time.
The second half provided us with more benefit with only being outscored by 2 goals. With Fergus Agnew & Harrison Dawkins working hard for the whole day, whist Zeke Scott was competitive in the middle, with first gamer Lachlan Jones showed some promise down back, Jacob Godden had a good second half & finished with 3 goals, with Zac Buck having some good moments as well.
This week we take on South Adelaide at our first home game for the year.
Darren Hams
Under 16’s Coach

Round 3 – League v Port Adelaide
Eagles 2.16 (28) drew Port Adelaide 4.4 (28)
Goal Kickers: J. Johansen, N. Hayes
Best Players: A. Poole, L. Thompson, J. Boyd, J. Von Bertouch, P. Stewart, J. Johansen
Saturday’s game against Port was one of the strangest games I have been involved in. I said to the players at quarter time the way Port were pushing numbers behind the ball 4 goals could win today. It was tongue in cheek at the time but it turned out to be nearly correct. A game where you have +12 inside 50’s, +10 scoring shots, +23 minutes in your forward half you should really win.
Even though the game was low scoring it was still an interesting game. We clearly all left disappointed but I was proud of the player’s ability to stick at it. As I mentioned it was a congested forward line so it was good for the players to work through this and find a way to get scores, which they did, they were just the wrong ones.
The 1st quarter was an even contest with both sides having the same amount of entries but not being able to score. Unfortunately Port were able to break through and kick 2 late goals to give them a 12 point lead.
We started to get on top in the second term having +4 entries and +3 scoring shots, unfortunately we kicked 0-4.
The 3rd was very similar having +6 entries and +4 scoring shots but once again all points. The 2nd and 3rd was a good defensive effort only allowing Port to score 2 points while we scored 9.
The final quarter was like watching a soccer game where one goal either way could win the game. We had the first 5 entries but once again only managed 2 points before Port broke through to kick a couple of goals and get out to a 14 point lead. To the players credit they rallied at this point and worked hard to have the next 5 entries to kick 2 goals 3 and finally put us in front by a point. Port then had the better of the last 5 minutes which included a missed set shot to win the game. In this time the defence stood up really well to hold onto a draw, and honestly after last week’s game it’s a credit to the players and the recovery work they did to come up and produce another strong performance and hang in there. Draws are never fun as you feel like you have achieved nothing, but we can look deeper than that and be comfortable with the weeks work.
Unfortunately at the moment we have the biggest injury list we have had in years and this poses a big challenge for the club. Injuries rarely effect League sides but certainly makes it hard on everyone else. One thing we have been very good at in recent times is consistency of effort throughout the club and that’s exactly what we will be working on for this weekend’s games.
Michael Godden
Senior Coach
Round 3 – Reserves vs Port Adelaide
Eagles 11.13 (79) def Port Adelaide 5.8 (38)
Goal Kickers: J. Weidemann 3, J. Rowe 3, L. Smith, L. Sheppard, N. Moore, S. Lewis, H. Hawkins
Best Players: S. Lewis, J. Rowe, T. Schmusch, J. Comitogianni, K. Pudney, H. Hawkins
After some seriously tough conditions and 33 degrees the week before the boys rocked up to what was one of the more windier days you will see. With a swirler wind it wasn’t going to make for pretty football which pleased this coach as we needed to get our hands dirty at the contest, be aggressive when the opposition had the football and play a more direct brand of football.
We started the first quarter aggressively and controlled the ball in our half of the ground with our defenders setting up nicely behing the ball we had 8 scoring shots to 3 to take in a 15 point advantage at quarter time.
The second quarter saw Port congest the contest with more numbers around the footy and we were trying to bite off more than we could chew which meant for a struggle as we let them back in the game to only lead by 12 points.
The third quarter saw a very tough determined eagles outfit as we came out and hunted the ball and opposition to have 22 tackles for the quarter. The pleasing aspect for this quarter was I felt we started to be very direct for the first time this year and it showed with 7 scoring shots to 1.
The last quarter we continued on our very good direct footy from the third whilst ensuring defensively we stayed real compact and put a lot of pressure on the ball carrier to finish off the game with 5 goals for the quarter.
This week is a huge challenge for the boys and I hope we can continue to develop the way we prepare ourselves for senior footy because as a collective last week was by far the best preparation they have had and the scoreboard looked after them. Can’t wait to continue our aggressive football at Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval on Sunday.
Vinnie Rugolo
Reserves Coach
Round 3 – Under 18’s v South Adelaide
Eagles 7.0 (42) def by South Adelaide 8.12 (60)
Goal Kickers: J. Miller 4, T. Friend 2, T. Francis
Best Players: R. Bruce, J. Miller, I. Brill, J. McCann, C. Smith, S. McNeilly
The Under 18s lost a low scoring game in tough conditions at Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval on Saturday, losing 7 goals straight to the Panthers’ 8 goals 12 points. This week, Michael Frederick, Jack McCann, and Brodie Arriola all played their first games of under 18 football. Our straight kicking was a feature but South Adelaide were a bit too strong in the middle and generated many more scoring opportunities than us.
Our endeavour was very good and we kept at it for the whole game which was a real feature this week. Our defence, led by Ryan Bruce and Isaac Brill were resolute and strong, with Caleb Smith, Jack McCann and Shaun McNeilly also being good players back there, Jarrod Miler worked tirelessly on the ball and up forward kicking 4 goals and Jackson Mead worked very hard in our mid field.
This week we play Glenelg at Gliderol Stadium in Sunday at 10am and we are looking forward to a big clash.
Shane Reardon
Under 18’s Coach
Round 5 – Under 16’s vs South Adelaide
Eagles 5.7 (37) def by South Adelaide 6.15 (51)
Goal Scorers – H. Dawkins, J Godden, B. Yeing, H. Kleining, J Taylor
Best – H. Dawkins, L Jones, F Agnew, J O’Neil, Z Buck, B Thomson
With another 5 Changes, including 2 players who were playing their first game the players were really looking forward to playing their first game of the season at home against South.
In windy conditions we began well and had the first three goals on the board. By quarter time we had a two goal advantage and the challenge was to continue on with our good work for the remaining of the game. During the second South fought back and took a narrow lead into Half Time
Our second halves have provided us with our better footy this year & the lads were confident going out after half time. In what was a tight contest after half time the lads battled out the game quite well and I was much happier with our overall effort for the game this week, but we unfortunately couldn’t get the job done and went down by 14 points. Harrison Dawkins was instrumental in the midfield, whilst Lachie Jones gave us some drive from defence, Fergus Agnew and Zac Buck were amongst it most of the day and Brock Thompson & Jack O’Neil showed some good signs from defence as well.
This week we travel to Glenelg to build on Round 5’s effort.
Darren Hams
Under 16’s Coach

ROUND 4 – LEAGUE V GLENELG

Eagles 18.12 (120) def Glenelg 8.11 (59)
Goal Kickers: J. Johansen 4, J. Hayes 3, J. Lukosius 3, T. Gray 2, N. Hayes 2, L. Thompson, L. Sharrad, E. Haylock, J. Redden
Best Players: P. Giuffreda, J. Lukosius, J. Rowe, N. Hayes, J. Hayes, C. Hall

We go from 30+ degrees, to wind and cold, then back to 30+ degrees, it’s definitely been an interesting few weeks. One thing that has been consistent is the player’s efforts and this week was no exception.

Whenever you coach against a new coach it takes a while to get a feel for what you may need to do as a team. The first quarter was tight, we just had the better of the conversion rate from our entries inside 50.

After giving up the first two goals in the second the lads steadied to finish off strongly to give us a handy 22 point lead at the main break.

The second half was very strong having 18 scoring shots to 9 to run out winners by 61 points. It was a great effort to keep the Bays to 59 points but it was equally pleasing to kick 120 points.

So far this season the players have looked very controlled on the field, they have a good handle on the system and while being challenged regularly they are having to adapt and adjust which they are doing well. The majority of the time the players are seeing what needs to be done and through strong leadership are making the necessary adjustments.

As I mentioned last week, the injury list is significant but with that always comes opportunity and the players that are getting that are doing a very good job along with the more established players stepping up when required. So with a number of players going to be available over the next month spots are going to get tight, which is great for the club.

This week we take on North who have had a good start to the year. They have had some good wins but like all games at this time of year we keep an eye on the opposition but really it’s about us and what we need to get right as the season progresses to make sure we are playing the brand of football we are working towards. So with the season starting well for the club it will be great to see as many of the Eagles Family down at Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval on Sunday to watch what promises to be a good match.

Michael Godden
Senior Coach

Round 4 – Reserves v Glenelg
Eagles 13.8 (86) def by Glenelg 13.10 (88)
Goal Kickers: C. McLeod 4, J. Cook 2, J. West 2, N. Moore 2, J. Weidemann, L. Sheppard, S. Lewis
Best Players: J. Comitogianni, C. Gaffney, S. Lewis, R. Woods, H. Hawkins, J. Lee
Glenelg posed as a really big test for the team as they had 2 of their 3 games but I knew from the training during the week and the focused nature of our group in the rooms this was one game we were ready for. We started off really strongly in the first quarter having 8 scoring shots to 3 as well as 24 tackles to put the opposition under pressure by foot. Unfortunately we were not able to capitalise on the 8 scoring shots to only score 2.6 to 0.3.
The second quarter saw a real drop in our concentration levels and we went away from our game plan and sticking to the basics and this opened us up allowing Glenelg to come back into the game.
Half time came at the right time and meant we could chat as a group and really compose ourselves. The message was clear we needed to not overuse the handball, the small forwards needed to find a way to get to the crumb spot and not let the ball transition to quick out of forward line and with football in hand we had to be composed and finish off our skill inside 50.
The first 20 minutes of the quarter saw the boys do everything we spoke to at half time and we were able to open up a 24 point lead at the 20 minute mark of the 3rd quarter. Much like the 1st quarter we had a lapse of concentration for the final 6 minutes which saw us move away from some really composed football and allow Glenelg to close down the gap to 11 points.
Unfortunately in the last we were not up for the fight in the first 20 minutes allowing Glenelg to score too many easy transition goals whilst we overused the football. At the 20 minute mark we decided we could win a game of football and in the next 5 minutes it saw us play the most direct football I have seen from this group and we were able to pull the margin back to 2 points but unfortunately this was not enough.
I am seeing improvement from this group of young men and the challenge for us as a coaching group is to find the consistency within the game and work on limiting our lapses. If we can do this and play to the structures put in front of us we will continue to grow.
Vinnie Rugolo
Reserves Coach
Round 4 – Under 18’s v Glenelg
Eagles 15.10 (100) def Glenelg 11.7 (73)
Goal Kickers: D. Pratico 4, L. Beecken 3, J. Miller 2, B. Arriola 2, J. Mead 2, L. McNeil, M. Frederick
Best Players: J. Mead, J. McCann, J. Miller, M. Frederick, H. Schoenberg, I. Brill
The Under 18s had a come from behind win against Glenelg at Gliderol Stadium on Sunday, winning 15 goals 10 points to Glenelg’s 11 goals 7 points. Down by 9 points at half time, the players responded well in the second half kicking 9 goals to Glenelg’s 3 to run out winners by 27 points. It was good to get back to the winners circle after losing our last 2 and the players did well to play some great team footy throughout the match, but particularly in the last half.
We had many good players and our Captain for the day, Jackson Mead, led the way with his attack on the ball and his skills in our midfield, Jack McCann did a great job as a defender and wingman, Marty Frederick continued his good form as a defender and sparked us further when he went into the middle after half time, as did Jarrod Miller with another good display on the ball and up forward with 2 goals, Harry Schoenberg was strong in his aerial work and had a great second half in particular, Isaac Brill was composed in the back half and won some important clearances on the ball, and Dom Pratico was our most dangerous forward with 4 goals.
This week we play North Adelaide at Maughan Thiem Hyundai Stadium and we will prepare well for another tough match against the Roosters.
Shane Reardon
Under 18’s Coach
Round 6 – Under 16’s v Glenelg
Eagles 17.12 (114) def Glenelg 6.8 (44)
Goal Kickers: B. Cannizzaro 5, K. Kenny 4, Z. Phillips 2, S. Kennedy, N. Kontoutsikos, J. Godden, F. Agnew, L. Jones, H. Dawkins
Best Players: H. Dawkins, K. Kenny, C. Poulter, B. Cannizzaro, L. Jones, R. Williams
It was pleasing to see the lads get some reward for their efforts over the last few weeks in which we have been improving but we just haven’t been able to string four quarters of footy together.
In warm conditions the game began tightly with Glenelg opening up a 4 point lead at quarter time, which stretched out to 16 points early in the second. To our lads credit they hung in there & responded by kicking the next 5 unanswered goals to lead by 16 Points at the main break.
Going out after half time the lads were confident they could maintain our intensity for the second half. A couple of early goals in the third gave the lads a little more confidence in their playing ability. Our pressure when Glenelg had the ball was our best for the year thus far with 65 tackles for the game and our ball usage which was also at a season high was a feature.
In a good team effort with 9 goal kickers, Harrison Dawkins, Kynan Kenny who kicked 4 goals, Lachlan Jones, Caleb Poulter, Ben Cannizzaro with 5 Goals & Ryan Williams at Centre Half Back all performed well.
With one game to go we look forward to carrying on our form into this week’s game against North Adelaide at home.
Darren Hams
Under 16’s Coach

ROUND 5 – LEAGUE VS NORTH ADELAIDE

Eagles 13.4 (82) def by North Adelaide 14.7 (91)
Goal Kickers: J. Hayes 3, E. Haylock 2, J. Von Bertouch 2, M. Borholm 2, C. Hall, N. Hayes, J. Redden, J. Johansen
Best Players: A. Poole, J. Hayes, E. Haylock, J. Johansen, J. Von Bertouch, P. Giuffreda

Unfortunately after a beautiful day at Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval we weren’t able to play well enough to take the win. Some days for whatever reason there seems to be a slight edge off and Sunday we weren’t up for the battle early enough or for long enough.

North are a fast starting team and they did that again. As a group we knew this and I believe we defended too hard without trying to take the game on and score ourselves. In a game as tight as this 2 early goals is all it took to get the win.

The second quarter we started to see some change in the way we played but we fumbled and weren’t convincing with our movement. At half time we were 7 points down.

We addressed some of our deficiencies and the 3rd quarter was much improved having 8 scoring shots and looking like our old self. After a lack lustre first half somehow we got to the final break all tied up.

The last quarter was much like the first half, lots of errors creating easy turn overs for the opposition. Even though we had our chances late we didn’t deserve this win and that’s the way it turned out, eventually losing by 9 points.

The positives are plenty. All areas of the ground we went away from our core systems and our ability to half contests was poor, so with a push of the reset button I am sure we can get back to better football quickly. We are obviously disappointed, losing at home is one thing but playing a brand of football we weren’t proud of is another but with this game only being round 5 it gives us plenty of good talking points and lots to work on.

With this week being our last game before the bye, we want to make sure all the things we did incorrectly on Sunday have been identified and adjusted. Structurally is one thing but our effort wasn’t good enough so our focus will be our all-round efforts and work ethic so we can play a brand of footy we can be proud of.

Michael Godden
Senior Coach
ROUND 5 – RESERVES V NORTH ADELAIDE

Eagles 11.12 (78) def North Adelaide 10.8 (68)
Goal Kickers: D. Minney 5, S. Guilhaus 2, L. Sheppard, H. Hawkins, S. Lewis, J. Weidemann
Best Players: S. Lewis, J. Comitogianni, J. Weidemann, D. Minney, J. Lee

The game started off extremely slow and we were on the back foot early being indecisive with ball in hand and allowing North Adelaide to much space when they had the ball. It was pleasing to see even though we were dominated for most of the quarter we were able to control the last 5 minutes of the quarter to give us some confidence going into the 2nd.

The second quarter saw us really engage in the contest and look comfortable with the ball in hand. We got some real clean ball from clearance and our direct nature of play paid dividends allowing us to close the gap at the main break.

We talked at half time about us being composed with ball in hand and this composure along with our run saw us outlast North Adelaide in the 2nd half to take out a 10 point win.

It has been a solid start to the season without us getting consistent performances for 4 quarters each match. I feel we have been getting better each week over the past 3 as the players become comfortable in executing the plan. I look forward to taking on last years premiers Sturt where we have another chance to improve our game style.

Vinnie Rugolo
Reserves Coach
ROUND 5 – UNDER 18’S VS NORTH ADELAIDE

Eagles 14.14 (98) def North Adelaide 13.8 (86)
Goal Kickers: L. Beecken 2, K. Pickett 2, B. Arriola 2, D. Pratico 2, J. Miller, J. Coff-McDermott, M. Frederick, G. Armfield, T. Friend, S. Michael
Best Players: G. Armfield, R. Bruce, L. McNeil, S. Michael, T. Friend, S. McNeilly

The Under 18’s had a good win against North Adelaide on Saturday, winning by 12 points, 14 goals 14 points to 13 goals 8 points. We played very well in the first 3 quarters to take a 32 point lead into three quarter time, but North Adelaide started the last quarter very strongly and reduced that margin to just 5 points at the 16 minute mark. Fortunately we were able to steady and have the last few shots on goal as we managed to get control the football in the last 10 minutes. We had a few players who played well for all four quarters and Grady Armfield was very good for us at Centre Half Forward with his strong presence and willingness to make a contest, Lachy McNeil was a good midfielder all day, Ryan Bruce and Shaun McNeilly did well on taller opponents in our defence, Sam Michael showed some good form in the ruck and Tyson Friend was a good forward for us.

This week we take on Sturt at home on Sunday morning at 10 am and we know that it will be a tough assignment. I’d like to wish our college players all the best as they start their football season this coming week.

Shane Reardon
Under 18’s Coach
ROUND 5 – UNDER 18’S VS NORTH ADELAIDE

Eagles 14.14 (98) def North Adelaide 13.8 (86)
Goal Kickers: L. Beecken 2, K. Pickett 2, B. Arriola 2, D. Pratico 2, J. Miller, J. Coff-McDermott, M. Frederick, G. Armfield, T. Friend, S. Michael
Best Players: G. Armfield, R. Bruce, L. McNeil, S. Michael, T. Friend, S. McNeilly

The Under 18’s had a good win against North Adelaide on Saturday, winning by 12 points, 14 goals 14 points to 13 goals 8 points. We played very well in the first 3 quarters to take a 32 point lead into three quarter time, but North Adelaide started the last quarter very strongly and reduced that margin to just 5 points at the 16 minute mark. Fortunately we were able to steady and have the last few shots on goal as we managed to get control the football in the last 10 minutes. We had a few players who played well for all four quarters and Grady Armfield was very good for us at Centre Half Forward with his strong presence and willingness to make a contest, Lachy McNeil was a good midfielder all day, Ryan Bruce and Shaun McNeilly did well on taller opponents in our defence, Sam Michael showed some good form in the ruck and Tyson Friend was a good forward for us.

This week we take on Sturt at home on Sunday morning at 10 am and we know that it will be a tough assignment. I’d like to wish our college players all the best as they start their football season this coming week.

Shane Reardon
Under 18’s Coach
ROUND 5 – UNDER 18’S VS NORTH ADELAIDE

Eagles 14.14 (98) def North Adelaide 13.8 (86)
Goal Kickers: L. Beecken 2, K. Pickett 2, B. Arriola 2, D. Pratico 2, J. Miller, J. Coff-McDermott, M. Frederick, G. Armfield, T. Friend, S. Michael
Best Players: G. Armfield, R. Bruce, L. McNeil, S. Michael, T. Friend, S. McNeilly

The Under 18’s had a good win against North Adelaide on Saturday, winning by 12 points, 14 goals 14 points to 13 goals 8 points. We played very well in the first 3 quarters to take a 32 point lead into three quarter time, but North Adelaide started the last quarter very strongly and reduced that margin to just 5 points at the 16 minute mark. Fortunately we were able to steady and have the last few shots on goal as we managed to get control the football in the last 10 minutes. We had a few players who played well for all four quarters and Grady Armfield was very good for us at Centre Half Forward with his strong presence and willingness to make a contest, Lachy McNeil was a good midfielder all day, Ryan Bruce and Shaun McNeilly did well on taller opponents in our defence, Sam Michael showed some good form in the ruck and Tyson Friend was a good forward for us.

This week we take on Sturt at home on Sunday morning at 10 am and we know that it will be a tough assignment. I’d like to wish our college players all the best as they start their football season this coming week.

Shane Reardon
Under 18’s Coach

ROUND 7 – UNDER 16’S V NORTH ADELAIDE

Eagles 5.13 (43) def by North Adelaide 6.9 (45)
Goal Kickers: K. Kenny 2, H. Kleinig, B. Cannizzaro, M. Litster
Best Players: L. Jones, K. Kenny, M. Litster, H. Kleinig, S. Kennedy, Z. Buck

Round 7 was a real opportunity in continuing on our good form from the week before. With 5 changes it also gave other players to present and show us their talents before the SANFL U16 competition came to an end.

Unfortunately our Achilles heel this year have been our starts and Saturday again we found ourselves behind the eight ball early, trailing by nearly 2 goals at quarter time and 5 goals at the main break.

To the lads credit they showed some fight in the third quarter kicking 3 goals 5 to no score, accuracy probably cost us in the end. The last quarter was a tight tussle in which we kicked 1 goal 3 to 1 goal 1.

With Lachlan Jones, Kynan Kenny our only multiple goal kicker, Max Litster, Henry Kleinig, Sam Kennedy & Zac Buck all playing well we unfortunately couldn’t get over the line in our final outing for 2018.

I think one of the biggest things the lads got out of this year was the level of competition they have to prepare for in playing consistent footy across the four quarters and having an understanding that good players do things others don’t when they haven’t got the ball in hand.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank my assistant coaches, Tony Calio, Paul Sheldon, Todd Clarke & Kym Markwick for their support along with our Runner James Schmusch, Team Manager Kym Matthew & our loyal Medical & Support staff for their time & efforts to our future League players.

Darren Hams
Under 16’s Coach

ROUND 6 – LEAGUE VS STURT

Eagles 14.10 (94) def Sturt 9.7 (61)
Goal Kickers: E. Haylock 4, J. Hayes 3, C. Hall 2, S. Rowland, M. Borholm, T. Gray, S. Lewis, J. Lukosius
Best Players: J. Hayes, L. Thompson, C. Hall, E. Haylock, J. Redden, A. Poole

I said in the last report our goal for the week was to display a brand of football all the Eagles Family can be proud of as the week before we let ourselves down. The players prepared well and for the majority of the day played a strong, disciplined and skillful brand.

After having the first goal scored against us at the 3 min mark the players really took control of the contest. From this time until the final break, the Inside 50 count was 44 to 22 and scoring shots were 20 to 6. Even though this shows a strong team effort there was a period in the 3rd when Sturt kicked 3 quick goals to pull within 18 points at the half way mark of the term. This is the period I am happiest with as the players paused, evaluated and acted by kicking 4-2 in the next 10 minutes to give us a 44 point three quarter time lead.

Whenever you have a team in that position every coach wants the group to dig deep and finish off. Unfortunately we didn’t do that. We got beaten around the stoppages and Sturt clearly controlled the quarter to reduce the final margin to 33 points. Even though the performance was excellent and we always learn from our good, we must still address our fade out.

We now go into the State game bye with a solid start to the season behind us. At times we have played exactly the way we want and other times we have gone back to bad habits. We have had a tough time with a long injury list throughout the club but we are now seeing a number of players becoming available, after the bye this list will be back to normal levels. I know many are keen to know about two of our key players in Joe Sinor and Jared Petrenko. At this stage we would expect them both to be back after the next bye, we may see them earlier but we really can’t be sure so that’s the best I can tell you. So with some excellent individual performances in the Reserves and some key senior players on the way back the group looks strong and deep.

Good luck to our State representatives in Jack Hayes, Jake Johansen and Luke Thompson. You have all had a great start to the season and deserve the privilege to represent your state.

To all the Eagles Family, thanks for your continued support and I hope you have a nice relaxing weekend. The players are preforming well for the club and I encourage if you have some mates that normally come to the footy and haven’t yet, please get them to sign up again and get down to Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval in two weeks to watch us take on Norwood. Every member counts.

Michael Godden
Senior Coach
ROUND 6 – RESERVES VS STURT

Eagles 12.9 (81) drew Sturt 12.9 (81)
Goal Kickers: J. Rowe 3, J. Lee 2, S. Guilhaus 2, J. Cook, N. Moore, L. Smith, J. Weidemann, C. Gaffney
Best Players: J. Lee, J. Rowe, J. Weidemann, J. West, S. Guilhaus, J. Heinjus

It was our 3rd Sunday game in a row and conditions were absolutely beautiful for football at Unley Oval. It was a game that I really wanted the side to focus on starting well and doing the little things to get themselves into the game.

The first 5 minutes of football was outstanding we kicked 4 goals to none and we were playing some really solid direct football. We were really effective around the clearances and we stuck to the structures well. We ended up kicking 7 goals for the quarter but were not able to stop a late one from sturt to make it a 5 goal deficit at qtr time.

The second quarter saw Sturt really come out to play and they controlled the ball around the stoppage as well as sweated off our turnovers up forward to spread us and get some free attacking movement and close the gap to 17 points.

The third saw a very brave football collision between 2 players from opposite teams and thankfully no one was seriously injured. After play stopping for 8 minutes it meant a shorter quarter to the scoring end on the day and we were able to once again transition back to that more direct play that held us in good shape in the 1st quarter to lead by 27 points at 3 quarter time.

The last quarter was a nail biting finish which ended in a kick after the siren to a Sturt player to win the game. It ended with a behind and a draw for the game. It left a empty feeling in the players and myself but we know that if we do not stick at it for the full 104 minutes we only have ourselves to blame.

This week is a week off with state game weekend which comes at a good time for the group to review where we are at and will allow us to work on our improvement areas for the next part of the year.

Vinnie Rugolo
Reserves Coach
ROUND 6 – UNDER 18’S VS STURT

Eagles 10.14 (74) def Sturt 7.3 (45)
Goal Kickers: J. Miller 3, L. McNeil 2, J. Mead, J. Morris, D. Passaniti, T. Friend, L. Firns
Best Players: J. Miller, L. Beecken, J. Mead, C. Smith, T. Burgoyne, L. McNeil

The Under 18’s had a good win on Sunday, beating Sturt by 29 points. With the college season starting this weekend, it gave us the opportunity to play some lads for the first time this year and we welcomed Patrick Hillard, Daniel Passaniti, Josh Morris and Bailey Nicholas for their first games of Under 18’s football. Unfortunately for Patrick and Daniel their games ended early with injuries and we wish them speedy recoveries.

We played a very good team brand of football with everyone contributing either through getting hold of the ball or by putting pressure on the opposition. Jarrod Miller was very productive either on the ball or up forward and showed a lot of character and leadership for the whole team. Luke Beecken and Trent Burgoyne were great examples of hard running wingmen and did some great things both offensively and defensively. Jackson Mead and Lachie McNeil were very good midfielders for us, and Caleb Smith led a defence that gave us a lot of run and drive as well as defending well.

With the bye week this week, we wish all of our players who will be playing in the State internal selection trial all the best – Kai Pudney, Martin Frederick and Jarrod Miller have been selected from our Under 18 year old group and they are joined from our Under 17s group, by Kozzy Pickett, Jackson Mead and Trent Burgoyne.

We will spend the fortnight preparing for our next match against Norwood at Cooper’s Stadium on Saturday 19 May which should be a good one.

Shane Reardon
Under 18’s Coach

ROUND 7 – LEAGUE VS NORWOOD

Eagles 8.12 (60) def by Norwood 17.15 (117)
Goal Kickers: J. Redden 2, J. Hayes, J. Lukosius, L. Sharrad, M. Goldsworthy, J. Von Bertouch, N. Hayes
Best Players: N. Hayes, C. Hall, J. Von Bertouch, J. Hayes

After the State game bye we were all excited to continue the solid start to the year, but unfortunately things didn’t turn out the way we had planned.

This truly was a game of two halves. Even though our efficiency was way down and our contested work was average, it was still good enough to play the game mainly in our half and until time on in the second accuracy and efficiency was again our only enemy.

Sometimes you can sense a group’s emotions, and after quarter time I was concerned something was missing. This became more evident as the game wore on. Norwood took their chances while we stayed indecisive and unable to compete in contested ball. Finally losing by 57 points.

We are extremely disappointed with our inconsistency at the moment, not only game by game but inside games too. Our best is as good as it’s been for years but our worst is frustrating. This gap needs to get closer if we want to be a contender.

This week poses a huge challenge. We have lost our last 2 matches down there and their record is very strong at home. So with another bye the week after it is critical we continue to address many things and prepare for another tough match.

Michael Godden
Senior Coach
ROUND 7 – RESERVES VS NORWOOD

Eagles 13.13 (91) def Norwood 8.4 (52)
Goal Kickers: N. Moore 4, J. Petrenko, D. Minney, J. Rowe, M. Borholm, T. Gray, J. Weidemann, C. McLeod, S. Guilhaus, J. Comitogianni
Best Players: N. Moore, J. Heinjus, M. Borholm, L. Martin, T. Gray, J. Rowe

This week saw us challenging a side in Norwood who was going very well but ultimately I had faith that if our side came in with the right mental approach we would be able to succeed.

The first quarter saw a high quality brand of football from both sides with our defensive structure working extremely well until the last 5 minutes of the quarter where Norwood were able to kick 2 goals and take a lead into the quarter time break.

Although we were down at quarter time we felt we had full control of the game and it was just our finishing skills that let us off. Wed tidied this up a bit in the second quarter which saw us move the ball into some more dangerous spots whilst not allowing the opposition to score the other way and we took a lead of 7 points into the main break.

The word for the group in the second half to play by was Resilience as I thought structurally we were right on top and we just had to keep at it. As all good sides do Norwood in the second half came hard at us and gave us something different to look at and we had to respond which I am pleased to say we did this week. The boys showed some great resilience to stick to structure’s and stay hard over the footy to get a very good win.

The group has been building some momentum over the past month and now it is important for them to stick to the plan and not get ahead of themselves. They will each have individual area’s that they will need to improve to play league football and this is what we need to continue to work on.

Vinnie Rugolo
Reserves Coach
ROUND 7 – UNDER 18’S VS NORWOOD

Eagles 16.13 (109) def Norwood 6.6 (42)
Goal Kickers: J. Miller 4, J. Coff-McDermott 3, T. Francis 2, D. Thompson, J. Simpson, S. Michael, B. Nicholas, L. McNeil, T. Friend, G. Armfield
Best Players: H. Sibley, J. Miller, J. Coff-McDermott, L. McNeil, I. Brill, B. Hawkins

The Under 18’s had a good win over Norwood at Coopers Stadium on Saturday, overcoming a slow start to win the game by 67 points. Finding ourselves down a goal at quarter time, we responded really well over the next 2 quarters to kick 10 goals 8 points whilst keeping Norwood to just 3 points.

The players ability to win the contest and move the ball to set up scoring opportunities was excellent. We had many good players and Harry Sibley was very good in our midfield, Jarrod Miller continues his good form both in the midfield and up forward with 4 goals, Lachy McNeil was in and under all the packs, Isaac Brill gave us plenty of drive from half back and in the midfield, Jamie Coff-McDermott rucked well and kicked 3 goals whilst resting at full forward and Brodan Hawkins was a very good defender.

It was great to have the opportunity to give Daniel Thompson and Jack Tape their first games of Under 18’s footy and they both made good contributions. Joe Simpson also made a welcome return to the team for the first time this year.

This week we face off against the top of the table Panthers at Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval from 11am Saturday, so we are really looking forward to that challenge.

Shane Reardon
Under 18’s Coach

Eagles 9.10 (64) def by South Adelaide 7.8 (50)
Goal Kickers: J. Hayes 2, L. Sharrad 2, A. Poole, C. Hall, N. Hayes, M. Borholm, E. Haylock
Best Players: P. Stewart, A. Poole, J. Hayes, S. Lewis, C. Hall, J. Johansen

After what was a long and difficult week following our worst performance of the year, it was nice to see the lads respond, and even though it wasn’t pretty we will still take the win.

South started with some real energy which was to be expected after their big win the week before, so it was important the players just hung in there and that’s what they did. Quarter time; 2-3 to 2-5.

The second saw a very tight contest with us having plenty of the ball but unable to convert that into scoring opportunities. So after a very good South goal after the siren they took a 14 point half time lead.

There were no need for many adjustments, the players knew what to do and how to do it they just needed to stick at it. The 3rd was a very good quarter. Our energy was up, competitiveness was strong and our execution started to come back, kicking 6-3 to 1 point to take a handy 24 point 3 quarter time lead.

The last term was played mainly in our half but disappointingly we gave up 4 scoring shots from their 6 entries and we didn’t execute kicking 1-3 to make the final margin 14 points.

This was a very important game to keep in touch with the top teams, so we are happy with the win but we are not comfortable with our consistency and execution. It’s important to remember we aren’t even half way through the year yet and we are sitting nicely without playing anywhere near our best so with another bye we can take the time to study, practice and keep getting better in readiness for Adelaide.

Michael Godden
Senior Coach
ROUND 8 – RESERVES VS SOUTH ADELAIDE

Eagles 12.13 (85) def South Adelaide 6.8 (44)
Goal Kickers: N. Moore 4, J. Petrenko 2, J. Cook 2, C. McLeod 2, J. Weidemann, S. Guilhaus
Best Players: J. Rowe, J. Comitogianni, S. Guilhaus, J. Heinjus, J. Cook, C. Gaffney

On Saturday we made the journey to a sunny Noarlunga oval which was a quite important game for us. It was really important for the group to stay focused and committed to one another after a solid performance the week before. Executing our defensive structure again was the main focus as it gives us plenty of opportunity and this was an area that we needed to clean up from the first few rounds.

The first half saw some terrific work from our smaller forward line to put immense pressure on South and give our forwards plenty of opportunity to score. The link of play from defence through to the forward line was a real highlight for mine this week as we were able to transition the football at speed and directly to scoring opportunities which saw us take a 32 point lead into half time.

The third quarter was much the same as the first half as we managed to score 4 goals to 1 for the quarter and give ourselves a handy lead into the final change. To Souths credit they came at us hard in the first 10 minutes of the last quarter and were able to score 3 goals extremely quickly. To our guys credit I thought they really answered back to take bake control of the game with some composure to finish off the game.

With the league team having a bye this weekend the reserves head to Elizabeth oval on Friday night in what will be a real test for the group as Central really dominated us earlier in the year. I know this group will be up for the test though and hope to see as many of our loyal fans there on Friday.

Vinnie Rugolo
Reserves Coach

ROUND 8 – UNDER 18’S VS SOUTH ADELAIDE

Eagles 16.12 (108) def South Adelaide 8.9 (57)
Goal Kickers: J. Coff-McDermott 3, T. Francis 3, D. Thompson 2, S. Michael 2, J. Miller 2, T. Friend, J. Mead, J. Bailey, L. McNeil
Best Players: T. Burgoyne, J. Mead, S. Michael, R. Bruce, B. Hawkins, K. Pudney

The Under 18’s had a very good win against South Adelaide on Saturday at home. The first half was tight with neither team gaining an ascendancy until the last 3 minutes of the 2nd quarter where the Panthers kicked 2 goals to have us trailing by 15 points at half time. Our third quarter was excellent as we found more of the football, moved it with purpose and we were able to kick 7 goals whilst restricting South to just 2 goals. We then finished off the game well to run out winners by 51 points.

We had many good players and Trent Burgoyne led the way with his run off his wing with many quality possession and 13 Inside 50’s, Jackson Mead continued his excellent form with another very good game in our midfield and he was well supported by our ruckman Sam Michael, Brodan Hawkins and Ryan Bruce were both very strong in defence and Kai Pudney was another midfielder who did well.

This week we return to My Money House Oval where we take on the Bulldogs from 5pm Friday night. They are in very good form and beat us last time when we met in early April so we have another big challenge ahead of us which we are looking forward to.

Shane Reardon
Under 18’s Coach

Eagles 15.13 (103) def Central 5.5 (35)
Goal Kickers – C. McLeod 4, N. Moore, 3, J. Mead 2, J Comitogianni, C. Gaffney, J. Wehr, J. Miller, H. Hawkins, J. Rowe
Best Players – J. Comitogianni, S. Guilhaus, C. Gaffney, N. Moore, T. Schmusch, J. Rowe

After what has been a good month of footy the reserves team had a chance to play against Central District under lights on Friday night. In our previous encounter Central significantly had the better of us. The conditions were perfect for footy with no wind in the air which would allow for some free flowing football.

Central got the jump on us again but unlike last time where we allowed them to kick goal after goal on us we were able to find a way to grind ourselves into the contest to be down by 3 points at quarter time.

The message at quarter time was for the boys to use as much of the oval as possible and we were able to execute this quite well. Our smaller forwards worked hard forward to capitalise on some great transition football from our defenders and midfielders as we kicked 7 goals for the term.

The third quarter saw the footy played in our forward half with our group executing our defensive structures well to keep Central scoreless for the quarter and give ourselves a handy lead into 3 quarter time break.

Throughout the year we have been in a winning position at 3 quarter time and have let opposition sides back in. This week gave us another opportunity to ensure we finished off our work and I was pleased for the group that they were able to maintain there consistency of effort through to the final siren as we ended up with a 68 point win.

Vinnie Rugolo
Reserves Coach

ROUND 9 – UNDER 18’S VS CENTRAL

Eagles 14.9 (93) def Central 5.12 (42)
Goal Kickers: T. Francis 4, L. McNeil 3, J. Coff-McDermott 2, D. Thompson, B. Nicholas, I. Brill, J. Tiller, D. Pearce
Best Players: I. Brill, L. McNeil, R. Bruce, T. Burgoyne, T. Francis, K. Pudney

The Under 18’s had a very good win against Centrals at My Money House Oval on Friday night, winning by 51 points. The win was set up by a great first half where we kicked 9 goals and importantly restricted Centrals to just the 1 goal at half time. We had many good players and Isaac Brill, our captain for the night showed great leadership and skills as he set the standard right from the first minute. Lachie McNeil was a very good inside midfielder who won a lot of the footy and he was very well supported in that area by Jordan Bailey and Kai Pudney. Tyson Francis was a dangerous forward kicking 4 goals, Trent Burgoyne continued his great form from the wing and Ryan Bruce was excellent in our defence.

This week we have the bye and we will return to action against West Adelaide at City Mazda Oval on Saturday 16 June, another challenge to look forward to.

Shane Reardon
Under 18’s Coach

Eagles 16.18 (114) def Adelaide 10.6 (66)
Goal Kickers: N. Hayes 3, E. Haylock 3, J. Johansen 2, T. Gray, M. Goldsworthy, J. Boyd, J. Hayes, J. Westbrook, S. Guilhaus, J. Redden, L. Thompson
Best Players: J. Boyd, E. Haylock, S. Lewis, J. Redden, C. Hall, N. Hayes

Saturday’s game was a difficult one to assess. We played some good football early but we just couldn’t finish off our work. Obviously Adelaide are much depleted at the moment, but all you can do is play who the opponent is and we are happy to get another win.

I can’t remember a game where we came in at half time having 36 to 8 entries into our forward line. Our ratio of shots on goal was good, we just didn’t finish the work kicking 6-12 and 2 on the full to 2-1. It’s hard to summarise as we had so much of the play, all I can really say is the general endeavour was very good, we were simply poor in front of goals.

The second half was a different story. I felt we had control of the half we just waited to be challenged before we really committed to the contest. Clearly as a group we need to play to the line no matter the situation so this is something we need to discuss. Finally running out winners by 54 points.

We put that one behind us now and look forward to a really good challenge against a much improved West Adelaide. We played poorly against them in our Round 1 match and I am sure they are very keen to continue their form.

I would like to finish by thanking all the Eagles family that came out on Saturday to Maughan Theim Hyundai Oval. With the Crows game rarely pulling a crowd and with the added challenge of it being our only home TV game for the year it was great to see so many Eagles caps spread around the ground. The players, coaches and club really appreciate your continued support and look forward to putting in another solid performance this Saturday.

Michael Godden
Senior Coach

Eagles 11.11 (77) def West Adelaide 8.8 (56)
Goal Kickers: N. Hayes 5, J. Johansen 2, M. Goldsworthy 2, T. Gray, J. Rowe
Best Players: N. Hayes, J. Boyd, P. Stewart, L. Sharrad, J. Redden, J. Hayes

First off, well done to everyone who braved those conditions on Saturday. When I do my video review and see people huddled under umbrellas in the rain and wind it is always a good reminder to how important it is we do the best we can every week so you can have a club to be proud of.

Clearly the wind was going to be a major factor in this game. Unfortunately we lost the toss and kicked into it. The players controlled a lot of the quarter but we didn’t move the ball fluently from back to forward and often having our forwards drawn up the field made it hard to find avenues to goal. We went to the break 14 points down which I felt was a reasonable result.

The second quarter is when it opened up for us. The players used the breeze well and kept the game being played in our forward half kicking 5-2 to 0-2.

We discussed at half time what we learnt from the first quarter and tried to change a few things. We did ok, losing the term by 8 points which did include a goal after the siren so for the most part it was a win.

By now the ground had chopped up and the wind was strong towards the scoreboard so it was always going to be hard for West to score against it. The final quarter was played mainly in our half having 15-5 inside 50’s and kicking 2-7 to 1-0 to finish the game with a 21 point win.

You can’t underestimate that win, the conditions were tough and on days like that anything can happen. And even though the win/loss isn’t in their favour, West have been in some good form pushing Sturt all day and then giving up a 27 point three quarter time lead against the competitions best at the moment in Norwood, so we are very happy with the victory.

Like all weeks it wasn’t perfect, but the lads did a good job in tough conditions. We now move on to the Bays down there before another bye. With the competition being so close every game is critical and the Bay is a tough place to play, so we just need to keep looking at what we are doing well and not so well, train hard, and make sure we are fired up for a strong showing on Saturday.

Michael Godden
Senior Coach
ROUND 11- RESERVES VS WEST ADELAIDE

Eagles 8.5 (53) def by West Adelaide 13.11 (89)
Goal Kickers: J. Miller 2, J. Gaffney, J. Cook, J. Heinjus, C. McLeod, D. Minney, T. Schmusch
Best Players: J. Weidemann, J. Gaffney, J. Cook, L. Wood, N. Moore, H. Hawkins

On Saturday we played host to West Adelaide who along with our team, were the inform team in the reserves competition. I felt we were up for the challenge and the first quarter showed some really good signs by the team as we were hungry around the contest and were able to defend well against a strong breeze to go in down by 7 points.

West Adelaide really looked to throw as many numbers around the contest and suffocate our use of the footy throughout the second quarter which then lead to an undisciplined display by the team and we were hurt on the scoreboard with 3 goals from free kicks.

The third quarter saw us struggle to get our hands on the ball enough to get it into our forward line and put the west Adelaide defence under some pressure. Our contested ball numbers were right down and that has been a solid indicator for us throughout the year and will be a strong emphasis into our next game.

The pleasing part was we were able to win the last quarter as we changed the side around and gave some guys opportunities in positions that they would not usually play.

We have another tough game this week but the expectation of the group is that we get our basic football fundamentals right as this is an important part to the team executing to the best of their abilities. I expect that training on Wednesday night will be sharp with a lot of intensity from the group.

Vinnie Rugolo
Reserves Coach
ROUND 11 – UNDER 18’S VS WEST ADELAIDE

Eagles 16.13 (109) def West Adelaide 4.3 (27)
Goal Kickers: T. Francis 6, D. Thompson 2, L. Beecken 2, T. Friend 2, D. Jackson, L. McNeil, G. Armfield, D. Pearce
Best Players: L. McNeil, T. Francis, S. Michael, D. Pratico, T. Burgoyne, T. Carter

The Under 18’s had a good win on Saturday beating West Adelaide by 82 points. The win was set up by a great second quarter when, kicking with the aid of a strong breeze, we kicked 7 goals 2 points whilst holding West Adelaide scoreless. The game was played for the annual Jake Watson Shield which honours the life of Jake Watson, who tragically died in a match between the West Adelaide and Eagles Under 19 teams in 2002. The match was played in excellent spirit and players from both clubs marked the occasion with great displays of hard courageous footy, great sportsmanship and respect.

This week we welcomed Bailey Fuller-Klemasz in to our team for his first game of Under 18’s footy for the Club, who joined Blake Wyatt, Jake Tiller and Zane Williams who played their first games in the last match at Centrals. We had many good players and Lachie McNeil, our captain for the day really led the way with many high quality disposals and clean ball handling in difficult conditions, Tyson Francis was always a threat up forward with his 6 goals. Sam Michael rucked well and found the footy around the ground, Dom Pratico in our midfield this week was always a presence. Trent Burgoyne continued his good form, Tom Carter was very good in our defence, Grady Armfield was a strong presence up forward and Jordan Bailey was one of our hardest workers in our midfield.

This Saturday we play Glenelg at home from 11am in what will be another great contest.

Shane Reardon
Under 18s Coach

ROUND 12 – LEAGUE VS GLENELG

Eagles 14.9 (93) def Glenelg 6.10 (46)
Goal Kickers: J. Hayes 5, L. Sharrad 3, N. Hayes 2, T. Gray, J. Boyd, C. Hall, J. Firns
Best Players: J. Boyd, J. Hayes, L. Thompson, L. Sharrad, S. Lewis, N. Hayes
Good starts are something that all coaches preach but rarely do you get one like we had on Saturday.

The first quarter saw the players put a lot of pressure on Glenelg which created some good turn over footy for us. It’s one thing to get the ball, the other is to be able to execute and the players did that. This playing group has been working hard (like all clubs) on many things so it was nice to see the players get some reward for the work and finish with 6-1 to give us a handy 36 point lead.

The second was more of the same, we just didn’t finish in front of goal kicking 3-5 to go to half time 51 points up.

In this situation you mustn’t feel the work has been done, because if you can do it in a half so can the opposition, so it’s important to improve again as you know the opposition are always going to have a crack at responding. The first 10 minutes was very good but then Glenelg raised the bar and we let our guard down which was disappointing, finally losing the 3rd quarter by 3 goals.

We just needed to regroup, re focus, get the simple things right and lift our work rate in order to finish off a good day. The players delivered on this and started to gain back control kicking 4-2 to 0-1 only to allow 2 time on goals to bring the final margin back to 47 points.

Coaches are hard to please and there is no doubt we will talk and review our lapses, but we must also acknowledge for the majority of the day the players executed a very strong, disciplined and skilful brand of football.

Now we have another week off before a fantastic month of challenges ahead. We will all have a few days off this weekend to recharge then come back Monday fired up to make sure we position ourselves after this next block of games in the important top 3.

Michael Godden
Senior Coach
ROUND 12 – RESERVES VS GLENELG

Eagles 5.11 (41) def by Glenelg 19.9 (123)
Goal Kickers: N. Moore 2, J. Miller, J. Rowe, M. Borholm
Best Players: J. Weidemann, J. Rowe, J. Lee, M. Borholm, L. Martin, C. Gaffney

On Saturday we ventured for the short drive to Glenelg oval looking to bounce back from the previous week. Training had been really sharp all week and I thought the group was up for this one. The first quarter and a half we were right in the contest with our pressure up around the contest we were able to win plenty of footy but lacked that final touch to execute the skill.

As the game went on Glenelg got on top of us in all key areas with the main part there skill execution was a level above where we needed it to be at.

The mid season break will allow us to freshen up before we move into a really big month of football for the group. It is important we evaluate our own performances as well as the team and look to improve our performances.

The main 2 areas of focus in the last 7 weeks will be to ensure that we implement our defensive press efficiently and continue to work on our skill execution.

Vinnie Rugolo
Reserves Coach
ROUND 12 – UNDER 18’S VS GLENELG

Eagles 16.17 (113) def Glenelg 6.3 (39)
Goal Kickers: D. Thompson 4, T. Francis 3, T. Friend 2, J. Coff-McDermott 2, D. Jackson, C. Smith, I. Brill, J. Tiller, L. Beecken
Best Players: L. McNeil, T. Burgoyne, G. Armfield, J. Tiller, S. McNeilly, C. Smith

The Under 18’s had a solid win against Glenelg on Saturday winning by 74 points. It was a tight contest for most of the day but we were able to have a strong final quarter, kicking seven goals to one.

We had quite a few good players and Lachie McNeil continued his good form in our midfield with some good clearance work and contested ball winning and he was well supported by Trent Burgoyne playing in the middle, using his speed to break across lines. Grady Armfield was very strong at centre half forward taking some very good contested marks and putting us inside 50 regularly, Jake Tiller was also a busy forward, Caleb Smith did well in his first go on the wing this season and Shaun McNeilly was a good defender.

This week there is a competition bye and then we return with a game against Norwood at Coopers Stadium in what we know will be a tough match.

Shane Reardon
Coach Under 18s

Eagles 11.10 (76) def Port Adelaide 9.5 (59)
Goal Kickers: J. Hayes 2, E. Haylock 2, J. Comitogianni 2, J. Von Bertouch, C. Hall, L. Sharrad, J. Johansen, S. Lewis
Best Players: A. Poole, J. Boyd, S.Lewis, J. Johansen, C Hall, L Thompson

Coming off the bye we were very conscious of our start. We had put measures in place to make sure we got going early but unfortunately Port had other ideas. They controlled the ball and nailed 3 straight in the first 8 minutes. From here the players started to get their hands on the footy and even though the score wasn’t ticking over we were back in the game. By the end of the first quarter we had 2-2 from our 13 entries to Ports 5-0 from 11.

The second was an arm wrestle with both sides having chances to score. Port had a lot of the footy in the first half as we knew they would, we just needed to restrict their value from their kicking skills and try to get them on the counter. Port won the quarter and took a 24 point lead to the main break.

Nothing big had to happen at the break, the players were clear on their direction and took control of where they wanted the game to go. The third gave some good reward for the hard work having 9 scoring shots to 3 and cutting the margin to 8 points.

The game seemed to be swinging our way and the players executed a mature last quarter. Not only did they construct enough scores to get in front, but kept going from there to register a strong 17 point win.

This was one of those days you are proud of the way the players absorbed the pressure, evaluated what needed to be done and executed a strong response.

We now move onto North Adelaide at Prospect this Saturday. They have had a strong season and I am sure will be wanting to bounce back this weekend. We must play with the big picture in mind and continue to work on the things we know are important for later in the year but we also need to respond from our poor performance when we played them last time.

Finally I would like to congratulate our 3 young men that played in the State Under 18’s carnival in Kai Pudney, Martin Frederick and Jack Lukosius. Congrats also to Jack who was selected as an All Australian. Even though we love seeing them get their opportunities at that level it will certainly be nice to have them back and along with the strong return last weekend of Joe Sinor and Jared Petrenko it is certainly going to make the selection process difficult in the coming weeks, which is exactly the way we want it.

Michael Godden
Senior Coach
ROUND 13 – RESERVES VS PORT ADELAIDE

Eagles 23.10 (148) def Port Adelaide 4.8 (32)
Goal Kickers: M. Borholm 8, J. Cook 4, J. Petrenko 3, N. Moore 2, J. Weidemann 2, J. Sinor, D. Minney, J. Rowe, L. Martin
Best Players: M. Borholm, J. Rowe, J. Cook, L. Martin, J. Weidemann, J. Sinor

This week we were at Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval against Port Adelaide who are yet to win a game. With five inclusions in the side including four with SANFL league experience, as a group we were expecting to bounce back after our previous two disappointing games. The focus for this week was to take the game on and to ensure that we trusted our defensive press. We started off slowly in the first quarter and as the quarter went on we found some momentum and started to execute our skills coming in at quarter time with a four goal lead.

The second quarter was very pleasing as all key stats were up including contested possession and our disposal efficiency. We ended up kicking seven goals for the quarter and kept the opposition to one.

At half time we spoke to the group about maintaining their level and not dropping.

The third quarter saw us grind it out as the opposition started to lose their intensity. At three quarter time we set ourselves some goals to achieve 10 scoring shots in the last quarter and keep the opposition to three scoring shots. We achieved this by kicking eight goals four to one goal.

This has given the side some real confidence to head into a big game against North Adelaide this Saturday where we will need to ensure we maintain our standards exhibited on the weekend.

Vinnie Rugolo
Reserves Coach
ROUND 12 – UNDER 18’S V NORWOOD

Eagles 10.15 (75) def Norwood 3.1 (19)
Goal Kickers: J. Miller 2, B. Arriola 2, L. McCauley, J. Bruce, L. McNeil, T. Francis, H. Schoenberg, C. McLeod
Best Players: H. Schoenberg, J. Miller, C. Smith, S. McNeilly, R. Bruce, S. Michael

The Under 18’s had a very good win against Norwood on Saturday, winning by 56 points. The match was played in pretty tough windy and sometimes wet conditions at Coopers Stadium and we fought really hard with only our goal kicking letting us down a bit, kicking 6 goals 8 points from set shots – this was a significant issue in the 3rd and 4th quarters where we kicked 2 goals 7 points and 1 goal 5 points respectively. Our team defence was excellent all day and the players attack on the ball was very good. We did make a few changes at selection this week and we were pleased to select Jesse Bruce for his first game with us and he did some nice things on debut.

We had many good players and Harry Schoenberg was clean and strong in our midfield and he was ably supported by Jarrod Miller on return from the Reserves. Caleb Smith was very brave and gave us a lot of drive off his wing, Shaun McNeilly was a very good defender as was Ryan Bruce, and Sam Michael’s 35 hitouts certainly advantaged our midfield.

Congratulations to Jack Lukosious, Marty Frederick and Kai Pudney on their performances for the McDonalds’ SA Under 18 Team who won the AFL National Championships. All of them made good contributions throughout the four games and further congratulations to Jack who was selected as an All Australian, one of six for South Australia. SA Coach Tony Bamford did a great job preparing the team and was also named All Australian Coach.

This week we turn our attention to another important game against North Adelaide from 9.30am on Saturday at Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval.

Shane Reardon
Under 18’s Coach

ROUND 14 – LEAGUE VS NORTH ADELAIDE

Eagles 18.13 (121) def North Adelaide 8.10 (58)
Goal Kickers: E. Haylock 3, J. Hayes 3, L. Sharrad 2, J. Von Bertouch 2, J. Lukosius 2, T. Gray, M. Goldsworthy, J. Boyd, N. Hayes, P. Stewart, J. Comitogianni
Best Players: S. Lewis, J. Boyd, C. Hall, P. Stewart, M. Goldsworthy, E. Haylock

In the context of the season Saturday was a very important game. It was also very important to play the way we want to, as the last time we came up against North we were poor.

The first quarter was a very good display of Eagles footy. The players took control early, shared the ball, hit targets and hunted the opposition with good pressure. This allowed us plenty of time in our forward 50 which resulted in 11 scoring shots to 1.

After big starts it’s critical to maintain the level and keep putting pressure on the opposition. So to have 8 scoring shots to Norths 4, which included 2 rushed behinds and considering one of their goals came from a free kick I was very happy with the player’s consistency.

The first half sting had come out of the game in the 3rd, so to have 12 to 7 entries was great, it was just disappointing to allow 5 shots on goal from their 7 entries.

For me the last quarter was about managing our players game time, while trying a couple of different set ups. But for the players it was about maintaining consistency for a full 4 quarters. We did this ok until time on where we had scored 3-1 to 0-2. Time on was a bit frustrating allowing North to have 6 shots on goal in the last 8 minutes. Eventually running out winners by 63 points.

This 4 game block against Port, North, Sturt and Norwood is fantastic to have at this time of year. This week poses another huge challenge against a very good side in Sturt. They obviously had a strong 3 quarters last week and will be keen to hold onto that double chance while we are striving to get that locked away as soon as possible so this week shapes to be a ripper.

Michael Godden
Senior Coach
ROUND 14 – RESERVES VS NORTH ADELAIDE

Eagles 11.7 (73) def by North Adelaide 10.17 (77)
Goal Kickers: M. Borholm 4, A. Walker 2, J. Petrenko, J. Sinor, C. Gaffney, D. Minney, J. Cook
Best Players: L. Martin, J. Sinor, A. Walker, J. Westbrook, M. Borholm, J. Rowe

Saturday bought a great challenge to the group against a side that had been in some very good form. The focus for us was to turn this game into a contested brand of football as we knew North Adelaide liked to move it quick from defence from the last time we played them.

We got the jump on North early and had the ball inside our 50 for large chunks of the quarter with our forwards putting plenty of pressure to not let the ball out easily. Unfortunately we could not sustain it for the full 26 minutes allowing North to even out the contest on the score board late in the quarter.

The second quarter saw us very reactive for the first 20 minutes and we allowed north to get a 3 goal break but unlike the previous quarter we stuck to task and ended 3 points down at the main change.

The third quarter saw some of our best football for the year we were uncompromising at the contest, direct with ball in hand and slowed down Norths ball movement allowing us to go into the last change with a 18 point advantage.

We knew we had to dig deep going into the last and I thought our defence held up really well for the most part of the quarter but a lack of composure with footy in hand early in the quarter was telling and North were able to hit the front at the 25th minute to win by 3 points.

This loss is really burning with this group and we cant wait to get back to our home deck on Saturday to get a win.

Vinnie Rugolo
Reserves Coach
ROUND 13 – UNDER 18’S VS NORTH ADELAIDE

Eagles 14.12 (96) def North Adelaide 11.6 (72)
Goal Kickers: T. Francis 5, B. Arriola 3, J. Miller 2, C. McLeod 2, G. Armfield, D. Pratico
Best Players: S. Michael, T. Francis, C. McLeod, J. Miller, K. Pudney, G. Armfield

The Under 18’s had a very good win against North Adelaide on Saturday, winning by a margin of 24 points. The win was set up with a great first quarter where we took advantage of a strong wing and kicked 7 goals 5 points and held the Roosters scoreless.

In the second quarter, with North using that wind we held them to four goals and importantly managed to kick 2 goals ourselves and we were in a very good position at half time leading by 35 points.

North Adelaide outpointed us in the third quarter by winning the contested ball and with strong aggressive running they kicked 3 goals into the wind whilst holding us to 3 goals as well so the stage was set for a big last quarter with the margin 37 points.

Similar to the second quarter we defended well and held North to 4 goals whilst kicking 2 goals ourselves to claim the win.

Sam Michael in ruck was very good with his presence around the ground and at stoppages, Jarrod Miller was a very good midfielder and kicked 2 goals up forward, Connor McLeod did well through our midfield and forward line, Tyson Francis’ 5 goals were invaluable in a low scoring game, Kai Pudney was another midfielder who found plenty of the ball, Grady Armfield always gave us a contest forward and Ryan Bruce was a strong defender.

This week we play Sturt at Peter Motley Oval from 11am.

Shane Reardon
Under 18’s Coach

ROUND 15 – RESERVES V STURT

Eagles 10.6 (66) def by Sturt 13.7 (85)
Goal Kickers: J. Cook 2, N. Moore 2, C. McLeod 2, L. Wood, C. Gaffney, J. West, L. Martin
Best Players: X. Redden, E. Miller, M. Frederick, M. Borholm, N. Moore

We were back on our home deck this week with something to prove after a close loss the week before. We knew that we were going to be in for a tough contest and that is what Sturt bought.

The first quarter started well we were decisive with our ball use, won the contested footy and if not for a couple late goals by Sturt we would have taken a lead into quarter time instead scores were even.

The second quarter became a bit more of a tussle with the game played between the arc’s as both teams failed to execute skills.

The execution of our skill’s and contested footy was our issue for the second half. Sturt were that little bit more polished and hungrier for the contest, which is something as a group and coaching staff we need to address.

What I know of this group they will put in the hard yards and look to make those improvements on the training track and take that to our next contest on Friday night as well as the remaining 3 matches.

We need to ensure the next 4 matches we give our everything and leave nothing to chance if we want to play finals.

Vinnie Rugolo
Reserves Coach

Eagles 9.6 (60) def by Sturt 12.11 (83)
Goal Kickers: P. Stewart 2, J. Hayes 2, J. Johansen 2, J. Von Bertouch, J. Sinor, N. Hayes
Best Players: J. Boyd, J. Sinor, S. Rowland, J. Von Bertouch, N. Hayes, J. Johansen

Knowing how important every game is at this time of year it was disappointing to see us play the way we did on Saturday, especially in our co-captain’s 150th game. We have used this 4 game block as a chance to make sure we get our systems, training and physical standards to a level that is required to compete later in the year and after last week we thought we were on the right path, but as we know unless you live on the edge 7 days is a long time in football.

The game started poorly for us with Sturt looking a lot more desperate around the scrimmages which gave them good field position and repeat entries. The breeze was a difficult one but we didn’t help ourselves with our set ups and conviction. We needed to keep the margin to only a couple of goals not let them blow the score out to a 32 point lead at quarter time.

The remainder of the game was serviceable, nowhere near the standards we have set this year but all numbers show from quarter time on it was pretty tight and we had a slight advantage on the scoreboard. You may say Sturt slowed their work rate, but knowing what happened to them the week before I am not sure if there is merit in that. Our skill execution and decision making was poor all day. We lost our feet too often and played predictable football.

But there were positives. The players didn’t give up and fought all the way even though we knew it was going to be tough, especially after our use of the breeze in the second was so bad. Many players played multiple roles which is important to build their resume for later in the year and give us all confidence we can be flexible, and finally our leadership was strong throughout the day.

There are many things to address after a performance like that and we will do what is required to benefit from every game. But we must move on as we have a quick turnaround to play the inform Redlegs. Clearly this is a game where we will have to get a lot right but after extensive meetings and discussion last night the players are in a great mindset to go to Norwood to have a red hot crack.

Michael Godden
Senior Coach

ROUND 14 – UNDER 18’S VS STURT

Eagles 15.10 (100) def Sturt 5.13 (43)
Goal Kickers: J. Miller 4, K. Pickett 2, M. Frederick 2, T. Francis 2, T. Burgoyne, G. Armfield, J. Tiller, S. Michael, J. Bailey
Best Players: S. Michael, J. Miller, I. Brill, J. Mead, K. Pickett, J. Tiller

The Under 18’s had a good win against Sturt at Peter Motley Oval on Saturday, winning by 57 points. Champion Data recorded 170 tackles between the 2 teams so it was definitely a tough contested encounter!

We had many good players throughout the day. Sam Michael continued his good form in ruck winning the hit outs and getting around the ground gaining possession and taking marks. Jackson Mead was another who won the footy well, made 12 tackles and had 11 inside 50’s in his midfield role. He was well supported in the midfield by Harry Schoenberg and Jarrod Miller (4 goals), Isaac Brill was a very good defender whilst Kysiah Pickett, Trent Burgoyne, Ben Jungfer, Dom Pratico and Jake Tiller did well around the ball and up forward.

We took the opportunity this week to play Ben Jungfer and Aidan Lock for their first Under 18’s games and both players played well in their respective roles.

Players who attend colleges re-engage with their school footy programs this week and we wish them all the best for the next month.

This week we play Norwood at home and they have been in very good form over the last few weeks so we will look forward to another tough encounter.

Shane Reardon
Coach Under 18s

Eagles 12.6 (78) def by Norwood 16.16 (112)
Goal Kickers: J. Petrenko 2, N. Hayes 2, E. Haylock, M. Borholm, J. Lukosius, S. Lewis, J. Hayes, J. Boyd, M. Goldsworthy, C. Hall
Best Players: J. Boyd, S. Rowland, L. Sharrad

Unfortunately the last two weeks has told us where we are at right at the moment, but as we know there is still a long way to go. The Sturt game we were disappointing but Friday against Norwood I can say I was happy with the effort, it’s just the execution was poor.

The game started well for us playing some direct clean football to put some scoreboard pressure on. We know you can score against Norwood, it’s just their stars tend to wear you down in the end, so the first quarter was a good start to get a 15 point lead.

The second was the opposite. Norwood started to win the inside ball and due to the reduced numbers they send to a contest they were able to get us on the outside and make us look pedestrian. Norwood took a 13 point margin to the main break.

Despite entering our 50 more than the opposition in the third we were unable to convert and Norwood were to extend the margin to 27 points.

Chasing any team is hard but on a Friday night, away from home and against the League leaders is even tougher, but to the players credit they fought all the way to the line. Norwood were in accurate which flattered the scoreboard a bit, finally losing by 34 points.

Obviously very disappointed to lose, but with everything at this time of year you have to put it into context. There is no doubt we are having a flat period at the moment and we are not executing to the standard required. The positives are we have seen the best the competition can offer and have learnt a lot about them and ourselves while still being able to get some game time into key personnel and continue to tinker with the line up to work out what’s best for us going forward.

The break has come at a great time. We now have some time to reflect and take a breath before the real work begins in what promises to be a huge couple of months.

Michael Godden
Senior Coach
ROUND 16 – RESERVES VS NORWOOD

Eagles 14.6 (90) def by Norwood 16.9 (105)
Goal Kickers: J. Rowe 4, T. Schmusch 2, S. Guilhaus 2, N. Moore 2, C. McLeod, H. Sibley, J. Weidemann, J. Firns
Best Players: J. Rowe, J. Firns, J. Heinjus, C. Gaffney, S. Guilhaus, J. Lee

In what was a huge game for the team we ventured out to Norwood on Friday night. Norwood were sitting second on the ladder and we knew they would pose a challenge for us but if we came with the right intent it was a game that we could walk away with the points.

We started off the first quarter exceptionally well playing some direct football but more importantly winning the ball in tight in the clinches. We had 8 shots to 3 at quarter time and could of well gone in with a much larger lead at the break. As a coach when you can hear from the box the instructional communication that was going on we knew we would be up for a fight.

Norwood showed in the second why they are one of the better sides in the competition, taking the contest to us as they started to win more outside football and sweat off our shallow entries.

We showed in the third quarter that we were up for the fight as we crashed in harder again putting our head over the footy to kick goal for goal with the opposition and give ourselves a chance going into the last quarter.

If not for our turnovers in the last quarter the game could have easily gone the our way but in the end Norwood were just a little more polished going forward as we went down by 15 points.

With 3 games remaining we need to win all 3 to make finals as we play 2 of the sides we are competing for a spot in the 5. We look forward to this week against Sturt where we need to get step 1 of 3.

Vinnie Rugolo
Reserves Coach
ROUND 15 – UNDER 18’S VS NORWOOD

Eagles 12.16 (88) def Norwood 8.3 (51)
Goal Kickers: T. Francis 4, G. Armfield 2, I. Brill 2, L. Beecken, J. Tape, J. Mead, D. Pratico
Best Players: I. Brill, J. Mead, L. McNEIL, G. Armfield, Z. Williams, S. Michael

The Under 18’s had a solid win against Norwood on Saturday winning by 37 points. The win was set up by a very good first quarter where we had 13 shots on goal, kicking 5 goals 8 points and keeping Norwood to just the one goal.

In the second quarter Norwood responded well and won the footy better than us and were able to kick 3 goals 2 points whilst holding us to just the one goal.

After half time we were much better at winning the ball and using it well although our kicking at goal let us down in the third quarter where we kicked 3 goals 6 points but a second half of 6 goals 6 points to 4 goals 2 points was enough to secure the win.

Sam Michael continued his good form with his ruckwork and play around the ground, Isaac Brill was a very good defender who kicked 2 goals. Jackson Mead was strong in our midfield and he was supported well by Jarrod Miller and Lachie McNeil. Zane Williams was another defender who gave us some good run, Grady Armfield was a good competitor in our forward line and Tyson Francis did well with his 4 goals.

We were pleased to be able to have Connor Drewer debut for us this week and he did some nice things for us from his wing.

Turning to our next match and we have Sturt again at Peter Motley Oval from 11am, as a curtain raiser to the Reserves match starting at 1.30pm.

Shane Reardon
Under 18’s Coach

Eagles 5.12 (42) def by Sturt 16.6 (102)
Goal Kickers: T. Schmusch 2, J. Weidemann, J. Rowe, N. Moore
Best Players:

We ventured to Peter Motley Oval to play Sturt for a second time in 3 weeks. Conditions were blustery with a strong wind heading to the southern end that we had the advantage of in the first term. The boys started off strongly with our midfield winning the clearance battle and our forwards able to lock the ball in for large chunks of the quarter to have 8 scoring shots to 2 but only take a 16 point lead into the break.

The second quarter saw us over possess the football and turnover the football in our back half too often. We fought hard around stoppages but were not able to match the polish of the opposition.

The second half was much like the second quarter and we were unable to make the most of our opportunities whilst Sturt went forward and put the score on the board.

This means finals are out of the question for the group now which is a bitter pill to swallow but we need to get better with football in hand and the decisions we make. The team knows they need to finish off the year really strongly to support our league team who will be playing in September.

Vinnie Rugolo
Reserves Coach

ROUND 16 – UNDER 18’S VS STURT

Eagles 18.13 (121) def Sturt 5.13 (43)
Goal Kickers: J. Coff 4, J. Miller 2, S. Michael 2, T. Francis 2, G. Armfield 2, L. McNeil 2, C. Drewer, L. Beecken, T. Friend, L. Jones
Best Players: K. Pudney, J. Miller, J. Mead, Z. Williams, S. Michael, J. Bailey

The Under 18’s had a good win against Sturt at Peter Motley Oval, winning the game by 78 points. Once again a very good first quarter set up the win where we kicked with the aid of a fairly strong wind and managed to kick 6 goals 5 points to Sturt’s 1 point. Defending into the wind we did well running the ball out of our backline and we won the quarter kicking 3 goals 2 points to Sturt’s 2 goals 2 points. The third quarter was also very good and we kicked 7 goals 6 points to Sturt’s 2 points and we closed out the last quarter quite well to win by a comfortable margin.

We had many good players and our midfield trio of Kai Pudney, Jarrod Miller and Jackson Mead all did well, supported by Sam Michael and Jamie Coff in ruck and both of them got amongst the goals with 2 and 4 goals respectively. Defender Zane Williams ran and carried the ball out of back line well, Jordan Bailey did a lot of inside work in the stoppages, and it was great to play another debutant, this time State Under 16 team member Lachie Jones – he kicked our first goal of the game playing half back and he did some very nice things for us.

We have a week off with the competition bye and then we resume with a tough game against Central Districts at My Money House Oval on Saturday 18 August at 11am.

Shane Reardon
Under 18’s Coach

ROUND 18 – LEAGUE VS SOUTH ADELAIDE

Eagles 11.7 (73) def by South Adelaide 12.7 (79)
Goal Kickers: M. Goldsworthy 2, T. Gray, A. Poole, J. Sinor, J. Hayes, J. Johansen, C. Hall, N. Hayes, E. Haylock, S. Lewis
Best Players: S. Lewis, M. Goldsworthy, J. Boyd, J. Redden, L. Sharrad, P. Stewart

With it being our last home game of the year it was disappointing to finish with a loss. After the result Friday night it created an opportunity to continue with our education and variations we have been doing all year. The exposure to various positions and roles has really helped our group have a better understanding and is helping us being less predictable.

The first quarter was a tight one with both sides having their chances. Statistically there was nothing between us which was reflected in the 1 point difference at the break.

The second quarter into the breeze was very ordinary. As I mentioned we have been adjusting our play at times to find the best way to play, and even though we had 14 entries each we didn’t score at all to their 4-1.

The second half was much better having +6 inside 50’s, +44 possessions and +5 scoring shots, we just left our run too late, eventually going down by 6 points.

The focus in the last few weeks has been to make sure every player is at their optimum in 2 weeks and can last a full finals series. So we have been able to manage game time and even been able to rest some key personnel.

Physically we are in great shape, after a heavy load month the players have come out the other side looking strong. Obviously we still have execution and decision making to work on but with fit, healthy players we have a great start because what the last month has told us we have a bit to go to catch the top sides.

So this week is no different to the last month, prepare for the first final by playing the way we have been working hard on all year. Every win is critical and make no mistake we wanted to win last week and we want to win this week so that is exactly what we will try to do on Saturday.

Michael Godden
Senior Coach

ROUND 18 – RESERVES VS SOUTH ADELAIDE

Eagles 7.11 (53) def by South Adelaide 9.11 (65)
Goal Kickers: J. Cook 2, D. Minney, N. Moore, S. McKay, J. Wehr, J. West
Best Players: C. Gaffney, J. Lee, J. Cook, M. Borholm

Saturday was our final home game for the year at Maughan Thiem Hyundai Oval and we were set that we wanted to go out with a win. Kicking with an aid of a strong wind in the first quarter we kicked 6.4 to 0.2. Our footy was a strong contested brand with no thrills and getting the ball to our forwards as quickly as possible in one on one contests which we were able to win our fair share.

I thought our second quarter showed a lot of maturity from a young group as were able to execute our skills quite well and control the footy for the majority of the quarter whilst allowing our cornerstone of our footy hard contested football shine through.

At half time we talked about sticking to the task of contested football and getting the ball into our forward line as quickly as possible. Unfortunately this quarter we were not able to compete with a South side who increased their intensity at ground ball and contested footy. Kicking with a substantial wind we allowed South back in the contest and mean’t we had a lot of work to do to hold on in the last quarter.

South continued there strong work rate and hard nosed footy in the last and we were not able to match it with them which was a disappointing way to finish our last home match. For the majority of the squad there is one match to finish off the season and we will be looking to go out and really enjoy it and move the ball with some real cleanliness and directness.

Vinnie Rugolo
Reserves Coach

ROUND 17 – UNDER 18’S VS CENTRAL DISTRICT

Eagles 10.11 (71) def Central 8.11 (59)
Goal Kickers: T. Francis 2, J. Mead 2, J. Coff 2, G. Armfield, I. Brill, P. Hillard, L. McNeil
Best Players: R. Bruce, J. Mead, K. Pudney, I. Brill, S. Michael, P. Hillard

The Under 18’s had a good win against Central Districts by a margin of 12 points. In tricky conditions, the win was set up buy a strong first half where we led at half time by 27 points and at one point extended that lead to 42 points early in the last quarter. However Centrals came back at us strongly kicking 5 unanswered goals to get within 12 points at the 18 minute mark of the last term. The players did respond well in the last 8 minutes as we got back control of the football and we were able to hold on for the win.

Ryan Bruce played very well as a key defender. Our midfield was well served by Jackson Mead and Kai Pudney. Isaac Brill and Patty Hillard were good on the wings whilst Sam Michael played another good game in ruck. We played another 2 debutants this week and Henry Bennison and Josh Furler both made good contributions to the win.

This week we turn our attention to South Adelaide in a clash of the top two teams so it will be a beauty.

Shane Reardon
Coach Under 18s

ROUND 19 – RESERVES VS CENTRAL

Eagles 11.4 (70) def by Central 14.8 (92)
Goal Kickers: N. Moore 4, T. Schmusch 2, D. Minney 2, C. McLeod, J. Rowe, J. West
Best Players: N. Moore, C. Gaffney, J. Lee, D. Minney, C. McLeod, T. Schmusch

As we ventured to Elizabeth Oval for our final game the focus for the group was to ensure we play with some pride for the jumper no matter what the result be.

The first quarter was played at frenetic speed with the ball being played in between the arcs with both sides unable to make the most of possession, until late in the quarter where we saw some of our best ball movement of the year by foot.

Central as a top 5 side does lifted their intensity around the ball in the 2nd quarter and were able to get on top through the middle of the ground which allowed them to take a 2 goal lead into half time.

The message at half time was we needed to back in our structures. We were looking for a lift from our midfield around the stoppages and when we entered inside 50 we had to be more efficient. To the credit of the group we were able to execute and bring back the 3 quarter time score to 2 points.

The last quarter and the game seemed to tell a tale of our season. We had been within a kick in all games bar 2 that we have lost this year during the final change and ultimately have not been able to finish off the games. We went down be 22 points in the end.

I would like to personally like to thank everyone involved with the football club for there support of the reserves side. We look forward in supporting the league team in what is going to be an exciting finals series. Hope to see you all out there in you green, gold and blue colours making plenty of noise, supporting the team.

Vinnie Rugolo
Reserves Coach


Eagles 13.11 (89) def Central 9.9 (63)
Goal Kickers: J. Petrenko 2, N. Hayes 2, L. Sharrad, T. Gray, J. Lukosius, S. Lewis, J. Hayes, J. Boyd, A. Poole, J. Johansen, M. Borholm
Best Players: J. Boyd, J. Petrenko, S. Lewis, T. Gray, L. Sharrad, P. Stewart

I know here at the Eagles we rarely give praise for making finals, in which we must remember is still a huge achievement. On this occasion I would like to congratulate the club and especially the players for a magnificent year to date. All years throw up multiple challenges and the opposition are always changing and challenging so to the players, well done on earning the right to represent our club in the 2018 finals series.

Saturday’s game against Centrals was a really good warm up for this week. Centrals are always a tough opponent and they never allow things to be easy.

The first quarter saw some really strong football from the lads, and if it wasn’t for inaccuracy early the margin could have been bigger than the eventual 4 points.

The second quarter was very strong, having +6 entries and winning the term by 21 points.

The third started well but we had some lapses in concentration late which cost us. Losing the quarter by 2 goals.

The last was a strong response to Centrals challenge which was very pleasing. Finally running out winners by 26 points.

Well that’s it for the 2018 minor round and as I mentioned we have earned the right to play finals which we are all very excited about. With the multiple variations we have put in place this year and the management of players we are as well placed as we can be for a real crack at this post season which starts on Sunday vs Sturt. We all know we are always outnumbered by many against these big clubs, so please get out to Adelaide Oval, wear your colours and cheer on the lads who will be working their buts off to make you proud.

Michael Godden
Senior Coach

ROUND 18 – UNDER 18’S VS SOUTH ADELAIDE

Eagles 14.10 (94) def South Adelaide 10.10 (70)
Goal Kickers: J. Coff 3, J. Miller 2, J. Tiller 2, S. Michael 2, D. Pratico, T. Francis, K. Pudney, L. Beecken, T. Friend
Best Players: S. Michael, L. McNeil, K. Pudney, J. Miller, D. Pratico, Z. Williams

The Under 18’s completed our minor round with a good win against South Adelaide, winning by a margin of 24 points. South Adelaide started well and led at quarter time by 10 points after they kicked 4 straight goals. Our win was set up by a very good second quarter where we kicked 7 goals to the Panthers’ one and we took a 26 point lead into half time. An even second half then occurred with both teams kicking 5 goals. Sam Michael was a very good player for us in ruck and he provided good supply to our midfielders and Lachie McNeil, Kai Pudney and Jarrod Miller all found plenty of the ball, Dom Pratico was a good forward and Zane Williams played well in defence.

This Saturday we play the Panthers again in a Second Semi Final at Woodville Oval commencing at 1.:30pm. Everyone is very excited about the opportunity we have and we are looking forward very much to this week’s game which will be a tough one.

Shane Reardon
Under 18’s Coach

Eagles 8.13 (61) def Sturt 6.4 (40)
Goal Kickers: A. Poole 2, T. Gray, N. Hayes, J. Hayes, E. Haylock, C. Hall, M. Borholm
Best Players: P. Stewart, N. Hayes, S. Lewis, J. Redden, J. Sinor, L. Sharrad

After a long minor round it was nice to finally get out and play some finals football. To the players credit they played a controlled, disciplined but strong brand of football.

2 goals against in the first 3 minutes isn’t the ideal way to start a final. The pleasing thing is the players reacted in the correct way by just getting on with the job and looking forward to take a 2 point lead to the first break.

The second was an extension of the first. Not a free flowing game but certainly tough and hard. After a lot of hard work we took a 10 point lead to the main break.

The conversations at half time were mature and constructive and that reflected in the way the players executed the 3rd quarter, winning it by 14 points.

The last quarter saw a dour affair. Very little flow, but with lots of footy ahead of us it was nice to not have to spend too many tickets as there were a lot of stoppages as the game slowed. Finally getting a good win by 21 points.

We take a lot of confidence out of this performance and quickly look forward now to a great match up against Norwood. Thanks for those that turned out to cheer on the players, as I have mentioned before it means a lot to us, and knowing the following Norwood have it will be critical we get as many Eagles family there to cheer on the lads.

Michael Godden
Senior Coach

UNDER 18’S 2ND SEMI FINAL VS SOUTH ADELAIDE

Eagles 12.7 (79) def South Adelaide 11.6 (72)
Goal Kickers: T. Francis 2, G. Armfield 2, J. Coff 2, J. Mead 2, J. Miller, K. Pickett, D. Pratico, L. Beecken
Best Players: J. Mead, K. Pickett, L. McNeil, S. Michael, Z. Williams, G. Armfield

The Under 18’s won through to the 2018 Grand Final with a hard fought win against South Adelaide, winning by 7 points.

It was a really good game of tough contested finals footy, with both teams providing a great contest all day. Scores were tight all game as well, with the Panthers leading by 2 points at quarter time then we enjoyed a 6 point lead at half time. The Panthers took the lead by 5 points on the three quarter time siren, and then they kicked the first 2 goals of the last quarter to take a game high lead of 17 points at the 7 minute mark. A real arm wrestle developed as we slowly worked our way into the game and then we were fortunate enough to kick goals in quick succession to end up winning the game and with the win, entry to the Grand Final.

We had a number of good players with Jackson Mead setting the tone early with his ball winning and use, Kozzy Pickett worked his way into the games strongly, Lachie McNeil was another giving us a good contest all day in the midfield, Sam Michael was a real presence in ruck, defenders Tom Carter, Zane Williams and Brodan Hawkins gave us a great contest in our back half and Grady Armfield worked tirelessly up forward and kicked 2 important goals.

We are all looking forward to playing on Sunday 16 September at Adelaide Oval. We hope to see you all there.

Shane Reardon
Under 18’s Coach