Waverley AFL First XVIII
From Coach Matthew Porter
After a strong performance in the first round against St Joseph’s, we went into the second game in high spirits ready for a high quality game of footy against Newington College. We arrived at Pioneers Park and noticed a very strong wind which would go on to have a massive effect in the game. In the first quarter Newington had the wind behind them and kicked two goals inside the first five minutes. However, a resilient performance from the defence managed to keep Newington goalless for the rest of the quarter. Despite a strong wind and an ankle injury to Thomas Tyson, Waverley went into the quarter time break down by only 14 points. The second quarter started with Waverley taking control of the game taking advantage of the wind and had a majority of possession but struggled to make their dominance shown on the scoreboard. A head injury to Henry Stanfield meant Waverley had lost two quality players in the first half but we fought on and kicked three quick goals to go into half time with a five point lead. The third quarter began with Newington using the wind to their advantage taking a majority of possession however a strong performance by the Waverley defence meant that despite a strong wind advantage Newington only kicked two goals in the quarter leaving Waverley down by eight points heading into the final quarter. The final quarter Waverley went out knowing they had to use the strong wind to their advantage and they did just that kicking two early goals to put them in front. Despite Newington’s best efforts to hold off the Waverley onslaught they were unable to get the ball outside of their defensive 50 and eventually Waverley broke their defence and kicked three late goals in order to assure the win. Despite a solid performance from a talented Newington team, a resilient performance from the Waverley boys meant they went away with a crucial 21-point win.
Best on ground: Max D’Agostino, Ash Backlund, Harry Whittaker, Noah Burgess and Matthew Higgins-Titsha
Final score: Waverley 7-7-49, Newington 4-4-28
Waverley AFL 9/10’s
From Coach Fred Pawle
The Year 9/10 AFL side travelled to St. Luke’s oval in Concord to challenge St. Joseph’s in round two of the still early winter season. A cold and windy Saturday morning set the stage for a hard fought, and physical game. From the first bounce Waverley set the tempo, launching into contests, carving the St Joseph’s defence apart with clean skills and converting at goal meant Waverley went into the first break up 32-0, not allowing St Joseph’s a single inside 50. The smooth ball movement and suffocating pressure was all the same in the second quarter. However, the St Joseph’s defence held strong only allowing a two goal term as Waverley went into the half leading 49-0. The boys in blue and gold stormed out of the half, getting straight back into their first quarter groove, kicking three quick goals with incredible inside 50 kicking from the engine room. The flow of the game stayed with Waverley going into the third quarter as they forced the mercy rule, leaving the final score sitting at 82-0 going into the final quarter. Waverley again showed their strength this week, putting the rest of the competition on notice. Incredible performances from Reid McNamara – who kicked seven goals by end of the third quarter – Bodhi Reiners -who controlled the centre clearances- Zach Murphy and William Mazor -who were the enforcers of the side, fearlessly stacking every contest.
Final score: Waverley – 82, St Joseph’s – 0
Waverley AFL 7/8A’s
From Coach, Finn Mergler
Round two of the season saw the lads travel out to Acron Oval. A dominant display in Round one had the boys confident and they were eager to test themselves against a strong Knox outfit who had been undefeated for the previous two seasons. The team had a number of notable omissions heading into the game, but the prospect of playing wet weather footy had spirits high. Complacency and cheap free kicks gave Knox a strong lead at quarter time, with the waves unable to matchup to Knox’s bigger bodies. A rousing address from captain Louis Kitto at quarter time saw the waves come out fighting in the second quarter with all Players putting up strong contests around the ground. The undersized backline lead by Angus Anthony, had a great day out, as they contained the much bigger Knox forwards to four goals for the remainder of the game. The rest of the match followed the same pattern, with the lads competing hard for the footy all game and applying some scoreboard pressure. Honourable mention going to Midfielders Luke Higgins, Freddy Hunt, Sam Stewart and Louis Kitto who applied a strong physical presence around the ground, which set a precedent for the rest of the team. Ultimately the Waves went down 66 – 8. However, the boys showed very promising signs as the whole team put in a massive effort, with a sluggish start and discipline the only draw backs.
Best Players: Angus Anthony, Jett Wanda, Sam Stewart, Luke Higgins, Vasili Vertsonis, Freddy Hunt
Final Score: Waverley – 8, Knox – 66
Waverley AFL 7/8B’s
from Coach, Matteo De Vecchi
After coming off a convincing win against Cranbrook, Waverley were ready for a tough game against Shore. Waverley knew it was going to be a challenge against quality opponents and the rain being a factor the boys knew that they had to play hard to get a result. Unfortunately, the boys could not match the intensity of Shore as they were played off the field with the mercy rule being applied. The boys will look to bounce back against Trinity next week.
Final Score: Waverley – 7, Shore – 67
