Football

First quarter was dominated by Bellerive with our team struggling to get the ball forward of centre. Being a little shell shocked and feeling a little like David as there team were Goliath size, our kids were feeling a little dejected. A pep talk and a few changes on field had our team firing up and making it hard for Bellerive to score and we managed to get the ball into our forward line.

Lots of guts and determination combined for great quarter. The students came into the half time huddle smiling and pumped up ready for the next quarter. A few more tweaks to positions and we headed out for the third quarter - And what a quarter it was! Our back line was a force field and our mid field and wings carried the ball to our forwards with pace and fluidity. Our forward line struggled a little with the height difference but it was one of our smallest players who found the ball at ground level and in ‘Tony Liberatore’ style found us with our first goal from the forward pocket.

Bellerive managed a couple of goals but were made to work hard for it. Unfortunately this would be our only goal but it was well worth all the hard work up until then. The change in our kids from the first quarter break to the third quarter break was chalk and cheese. Our kids were up and about and it was amazing to see their smiles. The last quarter was another improvement and once again our back line, centres and wing all combined to make it hard once again for Bellerive to convert. Unfortunately we just struggled with height again in the forward line but they dug deep and tried right up until the end of the game.

Overall, I am so proud of the way this group of kids played and the way they represented our school. Special mentions from our first game go to Bailey and Xander who shared encouraging words and support with our students who are new to playing football, it was a great example of sportsmanship and the spirit of our team.

Brett Gordon and Shae Hickey

Netball

Our two netball sides who have been evenly distributed with a mix of players who have experience and who are new to the game, played their first game against Bellerive. After only playing together in some training practice games since the beginning of term 2, both teams really stepped up to shown determination, enthusiasm and a never-ending attitude of “we can do this”.

Height seemed to be an advantage that Bellerive had in both their netball and football teams, but this didn’t deter our netballers from getting creative and using pass styles to their advantage. The intercept was the real winner for our teams as they intercepted passes and were usually the first one to pick up any loose balls and convert for our teams. It was great to see encouragement from all players for one another and any goals that didn’t go in or passes that didn’t go our way, were met with “That’s okay, try again”.

As coaches, one of the most exciting things to watch as the season continues is how players develop individually but more importantly, how they develop as a team. We are looking forward to watching this development as the season continues.

Shannon Hill and Sophie Sheehan