Coaches Report - R18 - A's & C's finish top & B's secure 3rd at the end of the minor round
C's uploaded - R18 and a great weekend for the ROCS and the forwards kick plenty in all grades - Drew 6; Harro 8 & Big Nick 10
A Grade Report - R18
We won a comfortable enough victory on the back of some exciting attacking football during the first three quarters, albeit with a poor last 10 minutes of the first quarter and some occasional defensive lapses all day. Credit to Payneham Norwood Union who kept at it and played with great spirit to keep us honest and be far more competitive than the scoreboard indicates.
Better players were Jack Nelligan, Craig Holm, Matthew Dawes, Luke Manuel, Drew Litster, Dale Sheedy, Ben Birch. Daniel Gilbert made an encouraging debut and we shared the scoring around well.
Great to see the Cs grab top spot and the Bs continue their rich vein of form and snatch third spot. Both teams are serious premiership contenders and reflect what a wonderful year the whole club has enjoyed on and off the field, which is a great credit to all our match day staff, our committee, the ladies who do such a great job in the preparation of meals and our sponsors and supporters. The sense of community is palpable.
The As and Cs have next week off. I encourage everyone to get out to Walkerille to support the B Grade at 12.15 on Saturday next and to enjoy the finals!
Tim Hart
A Grade Coach
A Grade Premiership Ladder after R18
B Grade Report - R18
The B-Grade finished the minor round off in style with a 145 point thrashing of Payneham Norwood at Campbelltown on Saturday. The win and other results on the weekend saw us sneak into third and we will play the qualifying final against Walkerville next week.
We wanted to make sure they we continued momentum from the past couple of months and build confidence going into the finals. The first 5 minutes were an arm wrestle as Payneham came out strongly for their last game for the year. We then broke free and kicked 5 goals in a row and had a 34 point lead at quarter time. Our second quarter saw us kicked our highest score for a quarter this year. We kicked 9 goals and a 85 point lead at half time.
If there was a room for improvement in our game it would be that our first 10 minutes of the third quarter saw us go goal for goal as we didn't play accountable footy and strayed from the team structure for a while. A little harsh I know, but we can't afford to have any lapses during the finals. On a real positive note we finished the game full of running and had 13 scoring shots while keeping Payneham scoreless.
Another positive is that we had 11 goalkickers and a good solid contribution from all players. It was hard to pick best players and Chris Cialini, Charlie O'Malley, Trent Versace and Jonno Trenorden were unlucky not to be in the best players. Chilly played well in a variety of positions, across half-back, half-forward, centre and on the ball. Charlie O'Malley created plenty of run and options from full back and kicked 2 goals and took some strong grabs when moved into the forward line in the 3rd quarter. Trent Versace and Jonno Trenorden swapped together on the ball as ruck rovers a majority of the game and their physical presence and use of the ball is very important as we move the ball forward.
Reece Digance was awarded 5th best for the day. He presented strongly all day and gave us a good target at centre-half forward. Reece plays a great team game and plays to position really well. His contested marking was a real highlight of his game. Jeremy O'Leary continues his good form and was awarded 4th best. His pace is amazing and his running goal in the second quarter was unbelievable. Jezz has grown in confidence and he is now picking the ball up first grab and choosing good options. Eamonn Hanna controlled centre half back and reads the ball as well as anyone in the team and picks off a number of oppositions entries into the forward half. Eamonn also had a brief stint up forward changing on the ball and got 3rd best for a good 4 quarter effort.
John Harrison kicked 8 goals in a good display from full forward and won 2nd best for the game. When we delivered the ball better in the second quarter, Harro grabbed everything in his reach and kicked 4 in the second term. His defensive effort was alot better this week and he looked enthusiastic when the ball came into the forward line.
Best player against Payneham was back pocket player Nick Lyons. Nick played strong attacking football and rebounded very well all day. It is a testament to his commitment as he has been striving to cement a spot in the side for the upcoming finals. Nicko using his body well and crashes through packs to get the ball and shows no fear.
We are looking forward to the challenges that finals present and we will do the best we can representing the ROCS.
Glen Malkin
B Grade Coach
B Grade Premiership Ladder after R18
C Grade Report - R18
The last game of the major round had the ROCS Vs a fired up PNU on a boggy Payneham Oval. The conditions were otherwise perfect for footy. ROCS needed to win the game to cement first place and gain a crucial week off in the first week of finals. The first stanza had the ROCS team quickly on the scoreboard despite some persistent pressure from PNU. Both teams had plenty of the ball with the ROCS boys finishing off better in attack through focal points Luke “Moses” Dubois and “Moose” Rendell. Quarter time scores were ROCS 3.4 to PNU 1.0.
The second quarter opened up well for the ROCS team as they went forward with precision play, linked up well and blocked and shepherded for their team mates. Hayden “H-Bomb” Edwards and Mark “Danny's Brother” Dzito both worked hard on their wings and used long direct disposals to set up their leading forwards. PNU had their moments and played well to bang home a couple of goals. Moose Rendell was playing a huge game in attack however and he used his superior size effectively along with some precision kicking by his team mates to continue taking huge marks and slotting goals regularly. Nick McDonough, in his first game back from a fractured foot, played a great running role across half back and his straight attack on the ball has been missed by the team. Half time scores were ROCS 9.6 to PNU 3.0.
After a half time chat expressing the need for discipline particularly concerning umpires, the ROCS came out firing and slotted the first four goals of the second half to effectively end the contest. The little master Scott “Grizzly” Adams came alight across half forward, working hard to make position and hold onto his marks. He kicked truly for goal twice and finish off his team mates’ hard work. The Grizz is vital to us in that small forward role and will have a big role to play in any finals success. Moose kicked a couple more to add to his tally for the day and the ROCS were in control. To PNU's credit they then worked their way back into the game with some straight kicking and several goals in succession. The ROCS ended the quarter with the scores 13.9 to 6.0.
The team was urged to finish off the season with a confident approach and they responded well although the opposition was still putting great pressure on the ball and the man. The Moose kept leading hard and outbodying opponents to eventually slam home his 10th major late in the quarter to cap off a fantastic effort by the big fella. The ROCS kept attacking despite several players being put in cotton-wool for the last quarter and several others trialling in different positions.
Elliot “L-Dog” Shirley who said before the game “Where the f—k is half back” had a huge influence on the game from his position in defence and would surely be pleased with his efforts in just his 4th game back from a broken leg. Another player back after a huge layoff, Glen “Ghengis” Castellano was just fantastic at CHB. It’s been a long time since one of the “Castanutts” (four brothers at the club) played in the ROCS C-Grade and it seems Ghengis will be fit and raring to go in coming weeks.
Final scores were ROCS 18.12 (120) to PNU 8.0 (48). Better players for the day also included Paul “Whitty” Whitford, again solid at Full Back, Cheese Arnfield and Vic “The Barometer” Pisanello, who was hard at it all day in the muddy centre and was easily the filthiest player to walk off the ground.
Paolo “Jersey Boy” Emanuele, in his best game for the club, and Matt “Zampa” Zamparelli created many opportunities in the forward line and for their team mates and really lifted their work rates and desire for the footy. Lee “Gene” Simmons used his time on the field to impress all concerned and took his opportunities in several different positions and made a difference with great pressure and confidence.
In one of the “almost” highlights of the day, Tom “The Pig” Deegan, who was playing his 50th game for the ROCS and had tried hard to no avail in the first half, burst onto a loose ball in the final stanza, sold a burger or two and under pressure slammed a left foot snap towards goal only to be denied a goal by some extra thick padding on the goal post. It was a move that had the bench ready to erupt and was nearly a fairytale 50th game moment for The Pig, who celebrated as if it went through anyway.
Congratulations also to Tim “Scooter” Wright who also played his 50th game for the club. Scooter has contributed week in week out during his time at the ROCS and to debut at 31 years of age and to play 50 games over four years is a fantastic achievement.
Many thanks to all who have helped, supported and cheered our boys on this year. The minor premiership is a great achievement but now we move into the major round with plenty of work to do and some good teams to overcome. With the right attitude and commitment we can ensure that we are as competitive as possible over the coming weeks.
C-Grade Coach
Stevo Edwards
Goalkickers: N.Rendell 10, P.Emanuele 3, S.Adams 2, P.Arnfield 1, L.Dubois 1, M.Zamparelli 1
Best: N.Rendell, L.Dubois, P.Emanuele, M.Dzito, L.Simmons
