Match Reports Rounds 2 3 & 4 - Mt Roskill Saints Auckland AFL FC

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Monday, 6 October, 2008

Rounds 2 & 3
Seniors
After a good first up win against the Magpies the Saints suffered successive 7 goal loses to the Tigers and The Blues in rounds 2 & 3. Both teams look to have very strong sides this season however these loses were much more closely fought than the final margins suggested. The common thread in both games was our inability to kick winning scores. Our defence held up well in both games so if we can improve on our forward line structures we will be able to put some score board pressure on the top sides next time around.
Hopefully getting Steve Fairweather, Chris Bolger and Dion Nash back over an extended period will give us several tall making options up forward in the coming weeks.

Reserves
Unfortunately our reserve grade has had only two official games with the opposition forfeiting rounds one and four. We were able to have a practice match for round one but didn’t quite have the numbers to get a game up and running yesterday.
We fielded a very inexperienced team in round 2 and suffered a heavy loss. Round 3 saw a character-building win over the very strong University team. The addition of two or three experienced players resulted in several of our newer players standing tall and carrying the team to a great victory.
The reserves sit at 3 wins and one loss for the season so far but will need to get everyone playing each game if we are to challenge the top teams. A feature of our reserve grade team once again is the number of under-age players making up the squad.

Results

Round 2
Seniors
Nth Shore11-8-74 def Mt Roskill 4-8 –32
Goal Kickers – B Clark, L Hurst, P Munt, M Jones
Best Players – L Ackland, T Voigt, L Perry, M Jones, B Clark, L Hurst

Reserves
Nth Shore 11-3-69 def Mt Roskill 2-10 –24
Goal Kickers – J Maio, B Hick
Best Players – B Kairua, B Hick, S Hickey, C Bedford, A Sheilds, J Maio

Round 3
Seniors
University 9-12-66 def Mt Roskill 3-6 –24
Goal Kickers – M Jones, B Bedford, A Brunt
Best Players –T Voigt, M Jones, L Ackland, M Johnson, A Sheilds, L Hurst

Reserves
Mt Roskill 5-10 – 40 def University 5-8 – 38
Goal Kickers – A Sheilds, C Bolger, B Hick, J Hyland, B Jansen
Best Players – B Bedford, I Graham, C Bolger, B Hick, I Francis, B Jansen

Round 4
Seniors
On a grey and blustery Sunday, the Round 4 clash between Mt Roskill Saints and the Takapuna Eagles took place with a convincing win to the seniors and a forfeit in the reserve grade, as the Eagles couldn't manage to raise two sides.

The wind swirled around the Onepoto Domain, but the day remained dry and the ground was in excellent condition for the match. The Saints were certainly more prepared for the game than the Eagles, getting to the ground early and keen for a win after losses in the previous two weeks, the lack of a reserves game did seem to delay preparations a little, but the coaching staff soon got things underway.

The first quarter started well for the Saints and in many ways set the scene for the rest of the game. Johnno dominated for the Saints in the ruck, and the centres were able to win most of the bounces. This meant that the forward line had plenty of scoring opportunities, but unfortunately weren't able to maximise the score, as kicks went wide and the points started piling on. The goals did come though in those moments where they were able to steady and compose, or when the handballs to team mates were well timed.

The Eagles refused to give in and fought hard, but the Saints' half and full back lines did an amazing job of constantly repelling the ball back down the field, even when the Eagles were kicking with the wind at their backs. The Eagles also took advantage of some weak Saints' tackles at times, which did set up some good runs for them, but on the flip-side an exemplary tackle by Zack on a guy twice his size, resulted in a well deserved "holding the ball" call.

The centres including Munty, Voity, and Lewy were rock solid all day, and were able to mix up the center tactics well to keep the opposition guessing, and to get the ball moving forward.

In the end it was a one-sided affair, and a much-needed boost for the Saints, however the lesson to be learned is certainly that scoring opportunities must not be wasted, especially in the upcoming weeks as those opportunities become less frequent against stronger sides.

Having Dave Kay back on Sunday was a huge bonus for the team but unfortunately Fairweather, Wallace, Chris Bolger and Marcus Jones were out through injury. Although this meant we were again under strength it gave several of our reserves players an opportunity at senior level. Fortunately for the Saints the Eagles were also undermanned and it was great get back on the winning list. The seniors are 2 and 2 going into round 5 and will be looking for further improvement this Sunday when we take on the Manurewa Raiders at May Rd.

Mt Roskill 14-21-105 Def Takapuna 3-0-18
Goal Kickers – M Kemp 4, L Ackland 2, L Hurst 2, T Voigt 2, D Nash 1, B Clark 1, D Kay 1, J McMath 1
Best Players – P Munt, L Ackland, T Voigt, L Hurst, L Perry, M Johnson