SCHOOL SPORT VICTORIA STATE QUARTER FINAL

Year 8 Boys Football

Driving to Mars Stadium at Wendouree was a special occasion, and even a typical Ballarat day full of icy wind and rain could not dampen the spirits of the boys who were ready for a huge day of footy.

Quarter Final vs Rosehill Secondary College

With the wind blowing a gale down to one end, the emphasis was on defending well and being hard to score against going into the breeze and then moving the ball quickly and keeping the 50 open with the breeze. Our boys defended beautifully in the first quarter, restricting Rosehill to 1.1 in the first quarter.

When the boys had the opportunity to use the breeze, they took their chance. Skipper, Hamish Baker, sparked the boys with an incredible banana from the boundary. This was followed by some individual brilliance by Max Carmichael and Cale Polson, using their forward ability to hit the scoreboard. Tommy Harrop sunk a 45m bomb just before half-time to give the CMCB boys a healthy 3-goal lead at half-time.

It was the third quarter (premiership quarter!) that sealed the deal; the boys locked the defensive 50 down. Henry Kleinert and Will Shadbolt showed lots of poise under pressure in continually rebounding the footy. The Rosehill boys only managed to add a mere 3 behinds. This took the pressure off in the fourth quarter, with the boys playing percentages and keeping their discipline to run out 25-point victors.

Final Score: CMCB 6.5.35 defeated Rosehill 1.5.10

Goals: Max Carmichael, Hamish Baker, Tommy Harrop, Cale Polson 2, Will Shadbolt

Best Players: Jed Mannix, Eddie Mansfield, Gus Pitcher, Nash Campbell, Henry Kleinert

Semi Final vs Emmauel College Warrnambool

It was going to take a huge effort to compete with Emmanuel College, who had made short work of their opponent in their quarter final. The boys were like frozen sardines, trying to defrost in-between matches. Flynn Todd’s father came to the rescue with a glorious package of hot chips – not #1 for nutrition, but certainly ideal in warming the tanks up!

The script was flipped, with CMCB having the wind in the first quarter. Much like the previous game, the boys could not use the wind to their advantage, holding a slim 1-goal lead at quarter time. Mr Hann asked for the leaders to grit their teeth and dig in in the second quarter. Nash Campbell and Jed Mannix were like pigs in the mud and displayed relentless pressure. The whole quarter was played in Emmanuel’s front half as the conditions worsened and the breeze increased; however the boys were able to limit Emmanuel to just 2 goals.

The premiership quarter would be the deciding factor, with the boys knowing they needed to apply scoreboard pressure. Unfortunately, Emmanuel stood up when it mattered and limited the boys to just 4 behinds as Gus Pitcher nearly nailed two spectacular snaps out of stoppage. Knowing they needed to roll the dice in the last quarter – the message was simple: take the game on, attack the corridor, and try to break the lines. There would be no difference between a 1-point loss and a 60-point loss. 

The boys were hungry – as had been the focus all day – and threw everything they had at Emmanuel. It was clear the eighth quarter of the day was taking its toll, with cramp and injury occurring. The boys displayed immense courage, playing through these conditions right to the final siren. Unfortunately, Emmanuel capitalised on the risk shown by our boys and put the game to bed. Running out 32-point victors.

A great effort by our boys to finish third in the State was an exceptional achievement, and one of which they should be proud.

Final Score: Emmanuel College 6.8. 44 defeated CMCB 1.6.12

Goals: Gus Pitcher

Best Players: Jed Mannix, Nash Campbell, Gus Pitcher, Will Shadbolt, Flynn Todd

Mr Josh Hann (Coach

Matthew Jennings, Marcus Thomas, Callen Harrington, Eddie Mansfield, Angus Pitcher, Jesse Cox, Cale Polson, Will Shadbolt, Isaac Manley, Henry Kleinert, Nash Campbell, Jed Mannix, Will Tuddenham, Mr Josh Hann (Coach), Ted Cowan (Helper), Tarkyn Ralphs (Helper), Carter Reid (Helper), Jensen Sawyer, Gus Ritchie, Flynn Todd, Jack Holland, Angus Davies, Hamish Baker, Max Carmichael, Jye MacDonald, Joshua Prowse, Alex Kelly, Tommy Harrop, Brady McDermott, James Clark (Helper)